For Alex Thomson, Britain’s only entrant in the Vendée Globe, the brutal single-handed, non-stop, round-the-world race, the final battle of the North Atlantic is at hand.
With 1700 nautical miles left to the finishing line in north-west France, Thomson is in second place, just over 100 miles behind the leader, Armel Le Cleac’h, having closed the gap significantly over the past few days.
Thomson, who has been at sea for 69 days, covering some 25,000 miles, with wild fluctuations in fortune, has been getting as much sleep as possible to ready himself for a final effort before his scheduled arrival at Les Sable d’Olonne on Thursday evening.
“My body is getting close to what it can take before needing a serious amount of rest,” Thomson said. “I don’t feel as fit as I did before the race. At times I feel a bit weak. I remain positive tough. I’m competing in this race, which has been my dream all my life, for the fourth time. My first goal was first to finish; second, to be on the podium; third to win. To be less than 2,000 miles from the finish and still be in contention to reach all my goals is great.”
Thomson and Le Cleac’h have passed the Canary Islands. They have light, fickle and frustrating winds. It is in those conditions that they have to work hardest, to attempt to gain or hold any slight advantage.
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According to weather projections, a ridge of high pressure lies ahead and good wind from the south-east will have them flying almost to the finish. Thomson believes, and has demonstrated, that he will have the edge in speed in those conditions but feels he needs to get to within 70 miles of Le Cleac’h beforehand to have a chance.
With the third-placed boat several hundred miles in arrears, the race for line honours lies between Le Cleac’h and Thomson. Le Cleac’h, who finished second in the race, which is held every four years, in 2009 and 2013, remains favourite. Thomson, who came third in 2013, has a slim but not negligible chance.
Both men have to temper aggression with caution, for the history of the race shows that many boats suffer serious failures in the final stages. When Thomson came third last time, the keel of the boat in front of him fell off with two days to go.
Even to finish second would be a remarkable achievement for Thomson, who was dominating the race before hitting some unknown object on his way down the South Atlantic and losing his starboard foil, with a loss of average speed that all but handed the race to Le Cleac’h.
Thomson fell 800 miles behind but has clawed his way back. Should he win, an extraordinary immediate welcome and arrival as a celebrity awaits Thomson. The race organisers arrange fireworks, a jeroboam of champagne and the playing of the winning skipper’s chosen song as he stumbles ashore to be offered his favourite meal.
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Thomson has nominated Back in Black by AC/DC, a reference to the black hull and sails of his boat, Hugo Boss. And a cheeseburger. Most of all, he will want to see his wife, Kate, and his young children, Oscar and Georgia.
As his team manager, Stewart Hosford, told the rest of Thomson’s team back in Gosport as they prepared to go to France, his world will be turned upside down if he wins. “He’ll want to go home, then on holiday. But he’ll have to go on the road for three weeks, TV studios, awards, Paris, London, New York. But don’t tell him that. He might ease up.”
Not likely.