A design out of the ordinary
It is impossible not to associate Alex Thomson with Hugo Boss, whose partnership has lasted since 2004. The latest addition to Alex's imagination is undoubtedly the most extreme 60-foot boat in the fleet, which will be at the start in Les Sables d'Olonne in November 2020.
As Hugo Boss was designed to win the Vendée Globe, he is very light (7.6t), which is typical for downwind sailing under foils.
But the main innovation is in the cockpit. Drawing on the experience gained from four editions of the Vendée Globe, Alex and his design team have designed their IMOCA with a fully enclosed cockpit. Alex steers his boat from the inside, where all the manoeuvres are centralised on 4 winches. As visibility outside is very limited, seven cameras have been installed on deck, allowing the skipper a wide field of vision from the screens inside.
This architectural choice makes it possible to lower the centre of gravity and eliminate the volume of water brought by the waves into the cockpit, which can quickly represent a few hundred litres.
The result is modern and innovative, but the skipper won't be celebrating by living for two and a half months locked up in this austere cockpit, raw carbon.
Unique foils and toilets
Hugo Boss is equipped with C-shaped foils. These have the advantage that they are less exposed than U-profiles. They are designed for downwind and reaching, but will perform less well on other points of sail.
But the hull has been designed to remain very efficient in the event that one of its foils is damaged or torn off.
Alex is the only Vendée Globe skipper to work with Doyle Sails, which has produced his entire set of sails.
Its energy is supplied by 20m2 of solar panels embedded in the roof. A generator, whose cover has been removed to save weight, completes the system.
Finally, the paroxysm of hunting with the weight on board is symbolized by the WC, a kind of custom molded carbon bucket.
First test gallop aborted
With Neal McDonald, Alex is lining up at the start of the Transat Jacques Vabre 2019. As a preamble to the Vendée Globe, observers are looking forward to seeing him take on the other competitors in the IMOCA class.
But one week after the start, Hugo Boss hits a UFO at 25 knots. The impact is violent, the keel is partially torn off. It'll take Alex and his partner 24 hours to get rid of the damaged appendix. They will then manage to reach Cape Verde without their keel, and bring the boat back by cargo ship.
Return by the building site box
The new Hugo Boss keel will be about 60 kg heavier than the previous model. It should better withstand the various constraints imposed on the 67 days of racing that Alex has set himself.
The boat was also equipped with a whale pinger, located in the bulb, supplied by Future Oceans.
Hugo Boss - Alex Thomson
- Sail number : GBR 99
- Architect: VPLP - Alex Thomson Racing (led by Pete Hobson)
- Shipyard : Carrington Boat
- Launch date: August 15, 2019
- Width: 5.40m
- Displacement (weight): 7.6t
- Presence of foils : Yes
- Sail area upwind : 330 m2
- Sail area downwind : 630 m2
