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Yachtsman Alex Thomson - son of Jerseyman Peter Thomson, and an adopted Islander - has finished the Vendée Globe around the world yacht race in second place.
He finished the intense solo race that pushes competitors to the limit after 74 days, 19 hours, 35 minutes and 15 seconds when he crossed the finish line in Les Sables d’Olonne, France at 8:37 GMT.
While he had gone for the gold in his 60ft racing yacht, Mr Thomson (42) landed just 16 hours behind winning Frenchman Armel Le Cléach, who set new race record. He even set his own record along the way – the 24-hour distance record, sailing 536.81 nautical miles at a speed of 22.4 knots on January 16th.
He has also finished far ahead of third-placed sailor, Jérémie Beyou, who should cross the finish line on Monday morning.
The moment @AlexThomson99 crossed the finish line of the @VendeeGlobe #VG2016 #MB #ThisIsBoss #BossSports #OceanMasters #SailSurviveSucceed pic.twitter.com/Wv4XOhbKlh
— Alex Thomson Racing (@ATRacing99) January 20, 2017
Mr Thomson described the last leg of the sea expedition as, “…very, very long, especially when I realised I was not going to beat Armel.”
“It then felt like it took a very long time to get here.”
He added: “There was always a possibility of overtaking Armel but although sometimes he was only 40 miles away it was always very difficult to advance on Armel. It's the Vendee Globe, anything can happen, but I knew it was going to take something quite extraordinary to beat Armel."
Having only slept for five hours during the last three days – and not at all within the past one – he said that he was now, “…running on empty and looking forward to some sleep.”
Before that, though, Mr Thomson is enjoying a welcome back at the docks, having been reunited with his family - who he hadn’t seen for over three months.
“You couldn't have a better place to finish here in Les Sables d'Olonne, the weather is fantastic and the welcome is second to none,” he said
Here is our superstar @AlexThomson99with his wife Kate & team! #VG2016 #blackisback #oceanmasters pic.twitter.com/9G7WPdeKAx
— Alex Thomson Racing (@ATRacing99) January 20, 2017
In all, it’s been an intense journey with Mr Thomson covering nearly 27,000 nautical miles since the starting gun was fired on November 6 last year.
Founded in 1989, the contest sees competing yachtsmen follow the ‘clipper route’ around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope and Australia’s Cape Leeuwin.
Still en route at Christmas, he tucked into a specially-made Christmas pudding as he rounded Cape Horn, the southern tip of South America.
It wasn’t an easy ride, however, with Mr Thomson acknowledging that the outcome could have been very different, “…if [the starboard foi] hadn’t have broken”, which he, “…had to deal with mentally for the last two months.”
“The speed difference was one thing, but the feel of the boat was completely different – every time I was on port I hated it, it was horrible,” he commented.
This wasn’t the first time Mr Thomson had taken up the nautical challenge, however. He’d attempted it three times before, finishing third in the 2012/13 Vendée Globe.
Speaking after the event, he hinted that, despite difficulties, a fifth attempt might even be on the cards:
“The pleasure of the race was breaking the 24-hour distance record. There was plenty of pain too with this race, but it's amazing how quickly you forget about it after the finish, and very quickly you're up for doing it again.”
But, he added, “for that you’ll have to ask my wife.”
Click here to follow the live stream of arrivals.
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