British round-the-world sailor Alex Thomson and his co-skipper, Spanish sailor Guillermo Altadill, were airlifted off their 60ft racing yacht Hugo Boss after it capsized in heavy seas while taking part in the Transat Jacques Vabre race. They had set off their emergency EPIRB when a rogue wave hit the yacht and inverted her, leading to her capsizing and flooding.
Helicopter crew from the Spanish coastguard, the Salvamento Maritimo, came to rescue Thomson and Altadill.
Hugo Boss had suffered unspecified damage in storm force conditions, forcing Thomson and Altadill to make initial repairs and head for La Coruna, when the yacht capsized. At that time, they were hove to and making slow progress in 30 knots of wind and big seas.
Thomson's shore team reports: "Alex and Guillermo managed to close the hatches and secure the situation whilst inverted. Alex immediately hit the canting keel button, bringing the boat back upright. They then alerted the rescue services and technical team of an emergency situation. The yacht had taken on a substantial amount of water and the rig had sustained damage requiring the skippers to leave the yacht."
Hugo Boss was one of seven IMOCA yachts, said to cost around 10 million each.
Ross Daniel, technical director of Alex Thomson Racing, said he was proud of the way the team handled themselves in a severe situation.
But it is not surprising that the experienced Thomson, as his much viewed 'mast walk' video showed, reacted well. He is an experienced sailor and the youngest skipper to win a round-the-world race. Thomson, who intended to use the yacht for his attempt at the solo Vendee Globe race next year, is now questioning how the capsize could have happened in conditions, while severe, not uncommon in the Southern Ocean, the environment for which the yacht was designed.
"We need to understand why it happened. It was a rogue wave, but we should not have inverted the way we did", - said Thomson.
Helicopter crew from the Spanish coastguard, the Salvamento Maritimo, came to rescue Thomson and Altadill.
Hugo Boss had suffered unspecified damage in storm force conditions, forcing Thomson and Altadill to make initial repairs and head for La Coruna, when the yacht capsized. At that time, they were hove to and making slow progress in 30 knots of wind and big seas.
Thomson's shore team reports: "Alex and Guillermo managed to close the hatches and secure the situation whilst inverted. Alex immediately hit the canting keel button, bringing the boat back upright. They then alerted the rescue services and technical team of an emergency situation. The yacht had taken on a substantial amount of water and the rig had sustained damage requiring the skippers to leave the yacht."
Hugo Boss was one of seven IMOCA yachts, said to cost around 10 million each.
Ross Daniel, technical director of Alex Thomson Racing, said he was proud of the way the team handled themselves in a severe situation.
But it is not surprising that the experienced Thomson, as his much viewed 'mast walk' video showed, reacted well. He is an experienced sailor and the youngest skipper to win a round-the-world race. Thomson, who intended to use the yacht for his attempt at the solo Vendee Globe race next year, is now questioning how the capsize could have happened in conditions, while severe, not uncommon in the Southern Ocean, the environment for which the yacht was designed.
"We need to understand why it happened. It was a rogue wave, but we should not have inverted the way we did", - said Thomson.