Alex THOMSON

Thomson has gone on to become one of the world’s most recognised solo offshore sailors, breaking multiple records and achieving countless accolades along the way.

Today, the British yachtsman holds the solo and crewed 24 hour distance records, achieved onboard his IMOCA 60 ‘HUGO BOSS’ yacht. Thomson’s greatest achievement to date came in 2017 when he finished the 2016-2017 Vendée Globe in just 74 days, 19 hours, 35 minutes, breaking the British record along the way. Having finished the last two editions of the Vendée Globe in third and second place respectively, Alex Thomson starts the 2020 edition as the favorite on the most sophisticated IMOCA boat in the fleet. After starting the race at the front, the British sailor was forced to retire after hitting a UFO. 

A committed team 

Alex Thomson Racing is one of the most ambitious, forward thinking teams in offshore sailing. The team's long-standing partnership with HUGO BOSS has demonstrated just what can be achieved when a brand is prepared to think big, and an athlete is prepared to go even bigger. The team's ultimate goal? To become the first British team to conquer the Vendée Globe.

In doing so, they seek to create a lasting legacy for the sport of sailing in Britain. As a professional sports team, Alex Thomson Racing is committed to ensuring that its activities have the lowest negative impact on the environment, and the greatest positive impact on society. The team is dedicated to operating in a responsible, sustainable way. Working with its partners, suppliers and stakeholders, Alex Thomson Racing has its own Sustainability Action Plan.

In addition to its sustainability agenda, Alex Thomson Racing also supports a number of charities and community organisations. One of these organisations is Oarsome Chance, a charity which skipper Thomson is a proud Patron of. The unique organisation aims to bring about positive change for disadvantaged people between the ages of 9-19 on the south coast of the UK, where the Alex Thomson Racing team is based. Through a combination of vocational skills training – including boat building, carpentry and canvas skills – as well as dry and water rowing activities, Oarsome Chance seeks to inspire, motivate and upskill young people who are in some way disengaged from mainstream education. Along the way, it is hoped that the charity’s young participants will find a passion in the activities they take part in, and begin to carve out a potential career path for themselves. In less than two years, Oarsome Chance – with much needed help from its partners - has worked with more than 1,500 children across the local community in a bid to help them connect to a brighter future.