In November, Alex and Spanish co-skipper Guillermo Altadill achieved a 2nd place result in the Transat Jacques Vabre. Shortly afterwards, Alex departed St. Barts on the single-handed ‘return leg’ race, the Transat B to B. Fresh from his fourth place finish in this solo Atlantic crossing, Thomson will be competing in the Sydney - Hobart Race with a crew on the IMOCA 60 Hugo Boss. He will in fact be the only British entrant in this traditional race between New South Wales and Tasmania.

 
A Boxing Day start from Sydney
Thomson has just reached Sydney where his Juan Kouyoumdjian-designed Open 60 on which he completed the Rolex Fastnet race earlier this year awaits. Brian Thompson’s former Pindar arrived in Australia on December 5th and is currently berthed in Sydney. Alex is set to complete an offshore treble when he crosses the finish line in Hobart, which will stand him in good stead in terms of his Vendée Globe preparation, even if this crossing of the Bass Strait is sailed with a crew, but with the drama of the Sydney to Hobart still to unfold, Alex isn’t celebrating yet. “The Sydney Hobart isn’t a prospect to take lightly. Even after the really difficult time I had on the B to B, I recognise the completely different set of challenges ahead of us. Obviously the boat is optimised for single or double-handed racing, so with a full crew on-board she feels pretty packed. And of course, the conditions en route are renowned for being unpredictable. But it’s great to be flying the flag for the UK in such a prestigious race, and lining up with some of the world’s best crews.”

Joining Alex for the historic race, which starts in Sydney Harbour at 13h00 on Boxing Day, will be his brother, David Thomson, also an experienced round-the-world sailor, Ross Daniel, who crewed on-board HUGO BOSS in the 2007 edition of the race, Lorenzo Giacomuzzi (IT), Simon McGoldrick (AU) and Huw Fernie (GB).