On Sunday, November 3, at 9:37 am GMT in the morning, while sailing at about 25 knots, Alex Thomson and his co-skipper Neal McDonald, aboard the IMOCA HUGO BOSS, struck an unidentified object submerged in the water. While both skippers have no injuries to report, the boat has been hit hard. The keel of the latter can now only be held by the hydraulic cylinder. The duo had been sailing for 7 days and were located about 380 miles northwest of the Canary Islands.
"This morning, Neal and I were both awake, and were sailing at about 25 knots, when we hit something in the water. I was inside the cockpit just behind the "pedestal". Neal was right outside the cockpit door.
We're not sure what we hit, but it was something big, underwater, and it stopped the boat from going at 25 knots. The keel has been damaged a lot and is now only attached by the hydraulic cylinder.
Neal and I are both physically okay. No serious injuries, just a few bruises. We were very lucky.
If you were to get in your car, close your eyes, and drive over 60 km/h through a brick wall... that's what it was!" explained Alex Thomson.
The two skippers - supported by their technical team - tried to stabilize the keel to allow them to sail safely, without assistance, to the nearest port.
" After many hours of trying to stabilize the keel, Alex and Neal are obviously very tired and we have made the decision that they need to take a little rest. Together, we will reassess the situation tomorrow morning. Both skippers are safe on board, the boat is stable, and they are not in immediate danger.
Once the keel has stabilized, our best option seems to be to sail slowly and safely to the Canary Islands, but we will make that decision tomorrow. At the moment, Alex and Neal are not in immediate danger, and we are not under any time constraints because the boat is currently in light winds and calm seas, and this should continue due to the high pressure in the Azores. The boat is currently sailing in a north-westerly direction, which it will continue to do all night long, explained Technical Director Ross Daniel.
