HUGO BOSS. Image copyright Alex Thomson Racing/Lloyd Images
by Linda Cerminara
Alex Thomson Racing (ATR) and sponsor, HUGO BOSS are pleased to announce that their new boat is complete and on the water as of 4 April 2014.
Previously named Virbac Paprec 3, this boat has an impressive history which includes placing 4th in the 2012-2013 Vendee Globe after losing its keel, 1st in the 2010-2011 Barcelona World Race, 2nd place in the 2011 Rolex Fastnet, and 1st place in the 2010 Transat Jacques Vabre. ATR acquired Virbac Paprec 3 for Alex Thomson and Pepe Ribes to compete in the upcoming 2014-2015 Barcelona World Race. The team have spent some time refitting and modifying the boat to include a new keel and HUGO BOSS branding. The boat is simply known as ‘HUGO BOSS’ and the ATR team look forward to taking the vastly improved speed machine out on the open ocean from Gosport, UK to Rhode Island, USA next week in preparation for the New York to Barcelona (NY-BCN) race in June.
The new boat is set to depart 22 April 2014 to Newport, Rhode Island where the OCEAN MASTERS New York to Barcelona Race will take place on 1 June 2014. This will be the first event run by Sir Keith Mills’ Lausanne-based Open Sports Management (OSM), commercial rights holder to the IMOCA class and will be supported by the Fundacio per la Navegacio Oceanica Barcelona (FNOB) and the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation (RFEV).
The start of the transatlantic race itself will be off North Cove Marina on Sunday, 1st June. Competitors will sail pass the Statue of Liberty before exiting New York Harbour. The 3700 mile course crosses the North Atlantic, passing through the Strait of Gibraltar and into the Mediterranean, where crews will have to negotiate a tactical 525 miles along the Spanish coast before reaching the finish.
The prize giving will be held in Barcelona on 20 June 2014. En route competitors will be out to better the 12 days, 6 hours and 3 minutes course record set by Alex Pella, Pepe Ribes and Stan Schreyer aboard the IMOCA 60 Estrella Damm in 2010.
Ryan Breymaier. Image copyright Alex Thomson Racing/Lloyd Images
The ‘HUGO BOSS’ boat will be led by Pepe Ribes and American co-skipper, Ryan Breymaier upon Alex Thomson’s announcement that he will be unable to take part in the NY-BCN race this year due to his wife’s pregnancy and conflicting due date.
Alex said: “This is a bittersweet situation for me; although I am disappointed that I cannot take part in the NY-BCN, I am thrilled that we will be having our second child. I had committed to competing before the official race date had been announced but it turns out that my wife’s due date will conflict and my family must come first, so, as to disrupt the team as little as possible, a replacement co-skipper had to be found. We searched long and hard but found Ryan Breymaier, who will now accompany Pepe Ribes as co-skipper.”
Alex will be with the boat for its delivery to Newport and up until its departure to Barcelona.
ATR’s new American co-skipper, Ryan Breymaier will now complete the NY-BCN alongside Pepe Ribes and is excited about having the opportunity. Ryan said: “I feel so fortunate to have been selected by Pepe, Alex and the rest of the team to take part in this race. I feel honoured to be the only American participant and plan to make both my country and teammates very proud.”
Finding the right co-skipper to accompany Pepe was a challenge and Stewart Hosford, Managing Director of 5 West and ATR commented: “This was not an easy task; finding a compatible co-skipper that has the skill, personality and mind-set to match the rest of the team is quite a challenge. That said, we have selected Ryan, are confident in his ability, and look forward to welcoming him to the team.”
8th May 2014 Update : Mast Breakage on Delivery Trip
The shore team were contacted by the boat early this morning and were informed that the mast is broken above the top spreader. We are relieved to announce that the four crew members on-board are safe and we have notified their families and our sponsors.
We could not have a better team on the boat to deal with this and members of the shore team are planning to meet the boat upon its arrival to Newport this weekend, and will carry out an assessment to determine if the boat can be repaired in time to enable us to take part in the New York to Barcelona race.
The broken section has been secured and the boat is able to sail with the remaining mast and they are on route to Newport RI. At the moment our intention is to make a suitable repair to allow Pepe and Ryan to take part in the race but until the boat is in port and fully assessed we cannot finalise our plans...
We could not have a better team on the boat to deal with this and members of the shore team are planning to meet the boat upon its arrival to Newport this weekend, and will carry out an assessment to determine if the boat can be repaired in time to enable us to take part in the New York to Barcelona race.
The broken section has been secured and the boat is able to sail with the remaining mast and they are on route to Newport RI. At the moment our intention is to make a suitable repair to allow Pepe and Ryan to take part in the race but until the boat is in port and fully assessed we cannot finalise our plans...
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About Alex Thomson
Alex Thomson is the youngest yachtsman to ever win a round-the-world race. When he triumphed in the Clipper Round the World Race in 1998/99, he set a record he still holds today. In 2003 Thomson made a spectacular debut in the world of solo sailing by breaking the distance world record.
In 2008 he claimed second position in the Barcelona World Race, setting his second distance world record in a monohull. Following this, he focused completely on the world's toughest single-handed yachting race: the Vendée Globe in which the competitors sail 42,000 kilometres nonstop around the world. In 2013 he finished this classic in third place.
About HUGO BOSS
In its sports sponsorship activities, HUGO BOSS focuses primarily on four sports: sailing, soccer, golf and Formula One racing. Sailing offers the HUGO BOSS brand a platform for demonstrating its fashion competence both on land and at sea. HUGO BOSS outfits Alex Thomson and his team with high-performance clothing for every conceivable type of weather, and also wardrobes them with high-fashion apparel for all of their formal events and functions. www.hugoboss.com
About RYAN BREYMAIER
Date of birth: 26 July 1975
Place of birth: Washington DC, USA
Lives: Annapolis, Maryland, USA and Concarneau, France
Ryan Breymaier discovered his passion and natural talent for sailing later than most, aged 18, upon arriving at St Mary's College, Maryland, USA.
Spotting an ad for the big boat sailing program on the side of a soda machine during his first weeks of college, Ryan’s first experience, with help from the college’s boat donation program, was onboard a Whitbread 80 named ‘The Card’. Finding himself hooked from the first moment, he learned to sail and rig simultaneously and spent endless hours at the waterfront.
Upon leaving college Ryan worked as a rigger as he developed his sailing career gaining experience over the next 10 years with some of the world’s leading ocean racing programs.
In 2007, Ryan moved to France to pursue his career with the short-handed ocean racing, a little known discipline in the USA but an already mature sport in Europe with a huge fan base. Attracted by the technicality of the Open 60 boats, and the desire to learn more about the class, Ryan used his trade as rigger to join an established French team run by skipper Roland Jourdain and helped to prepare Jourdain’s boat for the Vendée Globe 2008. In 2010, Ryan took on the same boat and together with Spanish sponsor, Neutrogena; he competed in his first major event on the IMOCA world championship: the Barcelona World Race. Ryan left a very positive mark, earning himself not only 5th place but also gaining recognition for his video and photo content.
Ryan's objective is to continue with a US sponsor and enter the IMOCA Ocean Masters World Championship culminating into the most challenging sailing race in the world, the Vendée Globe.
Ryan’s direct and determined character, combined with his technical skills and his raw talent for tough sailing will make him a serious contender for the top step of the Vendée Globe podium.
RACING HIGHLIGHTS:
2010: 5th Place Barcelona World Race onboard IMOCA Open 60 ‘Neutrogena’. Plus, first prizes for all video and photo communication during the race.
2011: Ranked 6th in the 2011 IMOCA World Championship. Ryan was the first American to have ever placed in this listing.
2011: 1st Fastnet onboard MOD70 ‘Veolia’.
2012: 1st in USA Atlantic Cup offshore race onboard Class 40 ‘Mare’.
2012: 2nd Transat Quebec – St Malo onboard Class 40 ‘Mare’.
2012: Krys Ocean Race (New York - Brest) onboard MOD70 ‘Musandam’
2013: World Speed Sailing Record ‘The Golden Route’ New York – San Francisco onboard VOR70 ‘Maserati’.
2013: Transpac 1st in Class onboard 73ft trimaran ‘Lending Club’.
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