Alex Thomson (born 18 April 1974, Bangor, Wales) is a British yachtsman.
Alex Thomson was helped early in his sailing career by Sir Keith Mills, the British businessman who ran London's successful bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games and set up with British America's Cup campaign TEAMORIGIN. With Mills' backing, Thomson broke into the professional solo sailing circuit at a young age.
Thomson's Clipper Race win in 1999 made him the youngest skipper ever to win a round-the-world yacht race. he still holds this record. He is an around the world solo sailor, and held the 24-hour world speed sailing record for solo mono-hulls (537 nautical miles at an average speed of 22.4 knots).
Sponsored by Hugo Boss he took part in the Vendée Globe 2004/05 but was forced to retire after damage to the carbon fitting that attached the boom to the deck. He also started in 2008, but had to retire from the race after a cracked hull. He was third in 2012 and second in the 2016 edition. During the latter edition, Thomson set new fastest reference times from Les Sables d'Olonne to the Equator (9 days 7 h 02 min) and the Cape of Good Hope (17 days 22 h 58 min).
However, 13 days into the race Hugo Boss's starboard foil broke after hitting an unidentified floating object, therefore hampering Alex's progress throughout the rest of the course. Of note, most of the race takes place on port tack, that is, the boat would have made good use of the missing starboard foil. Despite his foil and anemometer/autopilot problems, Thomson finished the race with the second fastest time on record – 74 days 19 h 35 min 15 sec, 16h behind Armel Le Cléac'h.
In the 2019 Transat Jacques Vabre race, Thomson's $7.7 million racing yacht was struck by a submerged object, forcing Thomson and his co-skipper Neal McDonald to make repairs to stabilise the boat.
Career highlights PosYearRaceClassBoat nameNotesRefRound the world races DNF 2021 2020–2021 Vendée Globe IMOCA 60 Hugo Boss 7 Retired to Cape Town 2 / 29 2017 2016–2017 Vendée Globe IMOCA 60 Hugo Boss 6 74d 19h 35min 15sec DNF 2014 Barcelona World Race IMOCA 60 Hugo Boss 5 with Pepe Ribes boat was dismasted 3 / 20 2013 2012–2013 Vendée Globe IMOCA 60 Hugo Boss 4 80d 19h 23min 43sec DNF 2009 2008–2009 Vendée Globe IMOCA 60 GBR 99 - Hugo Boss 2 day 6: cracked hull DNF 2006 Velux 5 Oceans Race IMOCA 60 GBR 99 - Hugo Boss Abandon Boat rescued by Mike Golding DNF 2005 2004–2005 Vendée Globe IMOCA 60 GBR 88 - Hugo Boss Hole in the deck 1 1998 Clipper Round the World Race Clipper 60 Ariel Transatlantic Races 3 2018 Route du Rhum IMOCA 60 Hugo Boss 1st on the water 2 2011 Transat Jacques Vabre IMOCA 60 Hugo Boss with 7 1999 Transat Jacques Vabre IMOCA 60 Gatamore with Other significant races
Boats owned NameSail No.Years ownedYearLaunchedLaunchednameBuilderDesignerKey racesNotesRef Hugo Boss GBR88 2004 - 2006 1999 Sill Chantier Mag (FRA) Lombard 2004-2005 Vendee Globe and Velux 5 Oceans Race Boat lost in Southern Ocean Hugo Boss 2 2007 - 2012 2007 New Build Jason Carrington (GBR)Neville Hutton (GBR) Group Finot 2008-2009 Vendee Globe Hugo Boss 3 GBR 99 2009 - 2014 2007 PINDAR Cookson (NZL) Juan Kouyoumdjian Boat written off while on charter Hugo Boss 4 GBR 99 2011 - 2015 2007 Estrella Damm Offshore Challenges (GBR) Farr Yacht Design 2012-2013 Vendee Globe Hugo Boss 5 GBR 99 2014 - 2014 2009 Virbac-Paprec 3 Cookson Boat (NZL) Lauriot-Prévost G. Verdier Barcelona World Race Hugo Boss 6 GBR 99 2015 - 2019 2015 New Build Green Marine (GBR) Lauriot-Prévost G. Verdier 2016-2017 Vendee Globe Hugo Boss 7 GBR 2019 - 2021 2019 New Build Carrington Boats (GBR) VP-Lauriot-Prévost 2020-2021 Vendee Globe
Records 2007: Monohull (up to 60 feet) 24-hour distance record with Andrew Cape: 501.3 nautical miles 2012: Monohull (up to 60 feet) singlehanded transatlantic sailing record: 8 days 21 hours 8 minutes and 31 seconds 2017: Monohull singlehanded 24-hour distance record: 536.8 nautical miles 2018: Route du Rhum IMOCA60 Class 11 days 23 hours 10 minutes 58 seconds
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