Vendee Globe and Alex Thomson / Hugo Boss

RichardS

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This was mentioned in another thread but as the race starts on November 8th I've just been catching up with the latest news.

Alex Thomson's Hugo Boss will be the most technological boat ever to compete in a sailing race. To my mind there is simply more to go wrong (rather like a Land Rover!) but to whet your appetites, here's a two minute video.


There are many more like this on the Alex Thomson Racing YouTube channel if your fancy is taken.

Here's an interesting clip starting at 3:03 for us PBO frequenters:


I appreciate that these things, and my use of them, are much frowned upon over there but at least I'm using exactly the same ones as the most technological sailing boat in the world. ;)

Richard
 

dolabriform

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This was mentioned in another thread but as the race starts on November 8th I've just been catching up with the latest news.

Alex Thomson's Hugo Boss will be the most technological boat ever to compete in a sailing race. To my mind there is simply more to go wrong (rather like a Land Rover!) but to whet your appetites, here's a two minute video.


There are many more like this on the Alex Thomson Racing YouTube channel if your fancy is taken.

Here's an interesting clip starting at 3:03 for us PBO frequenters:


I appreciate that these things, and my use of them, are much frowned upon over there but at least I'm using exactly the same ones as the most technological sailing boat in the world. ;)

Richard

I love the teamviewer ID and password taped above it :ROFLMAO:
I'm guessing it's a closed network, altho would the engineers logging in remotely to fine tune the performance be considered outside assistance and therefore disqualify him?
 

Frogmogman

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Perhaps, Pip Hare with a 20 yr old boat with not much technology may have a chance of a podium by finishing.

Let's be realistic. There is no way that someone in a 20 year old boat can be competitive with the latest generation yachts.

For any of the participants to even complete the Vendée Globe is a massive achievement. Pip's stated objectives are to get around safely, and to beat Ellen MacArthur's time from the 2000/2001 Vendée Globe in a boat of the same vintage. If she manages to do this, she'll have done brilliantly.
 

LONG_KEELER

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This was mentioned in another thread but as the race starts on November 8th I've just been catching up with the latest news.

Alex Thomson's Hugo Boss will be the most technological boat ever to compete in a sailing race. To my mind there is simply more to go wrong (rather like a Land Rover!) but to whet your appetites, here's a two minute video.


There are many more like this on the Alex Thomson Racing YouTube channel if your fancy is taken.

Here's an interesting clip starting at 3:03 for us PBO frequenters:


I appreciate that these things, and my use of them, are much frowned upon over there but at least I'm using exactly the same ones as the most technological sailing boat in the world. ;)

Richard

Excellent. Thanks.

Really looking forward to following the race. Just hope it still goes ahead.
 

westhinder

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Why wouldn't it go ahead ? You can't really get more socially distanced than the Vendée Globe.
The start and the arrivals will have to be totally different, they have always been the antithesis to social distancing. A shame, really, but I hope everyone will exercise some common sense
 

Alan S

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In RichardS's second video about1:05 Hugo Boss pretends to be a submarine.
You can see how much it slows her. If she does that in those relatively good conditions what will she be like in the Southern Ocean?
 

Sandy

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I love the teamviewer ID and password taped above it :ROFLMAO:
I'm guessing it's a closed network, altho would the engineers logging in remotely to fine tune the performance be considered outside assistance and therefore disqualify him?
It's a IP Class C private network so only set up for the boat, unless there is a gateway to a router and a data upload to a big fluffy cloud, just like aircraft.
 

dolabriform

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It's a IP Class C private network so only set up for the boat, unless there is a gateway to a router and a data upload to a big fluffy cloud, just like aircraft.

By "closed network" I mean there is no other way in outside the onboard class c network. Sorry, should have been more specific.
If it's running teamviewer, then I would have thought it must be registering with a teamviewer server, which they could be running on board. I was wondering how likely it would be that the shore team would be able to remote in via the sat link to be able to diagnose the systems. Hence my question would this be considered outside assistance?
 

Vicarage

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Should I be surprised that it doesn't appear he clips on?
If I was singlehanded in the southern ocean doing a gazillion knots downwind and I fell off I'd rather bob around with my PLB (giving me an hour to be picked up on the off chance of a passing ship before I die of exposure) than be dragged along by my face and drowned in thirty seconds
 

Seven Spades

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The new "flying" boats don't sail as well as the last Hugo Boss did with a broken foil. So Alex only chance of winning is to get around the course without any problems with the foil. 15 of the fleet are "flying" boats, the rest are the previous generation and non-foil boats. So I think that it is safe to say a flying boat is going to win this race. They are expecting the winning boat to come in in under 70 days.

Hats off the Hugo Boss for putting so much money into the sport and for backing an Englishman.
 

flaming

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The new "flying" boats don't sail as well as the last Hugo Boss did with a broken foil.
Not sure that's true. However...

The odds of a crippled foiler beating an intact one are very low, unless the damage happened within days of the finish. The odds of all of the latest generation suffering a breakdown seem very small, so I think it's fair to state that the race will be won by an intact latest generation boat. I just hope that there are multiple boats still intact and pushing hard back up the Atlantic.
 

fredrussell

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What’s the point?
If you go over doing any more than three knots you will never get back on board without help on deck.

True, but what about a short tether to centrally mounted jackstay so you can’t go overboard? I’m reluctant to admit I don’t clip on in my boat despite sailing year round, but I would do if I was doing offshore stuff.
 

flaming

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True, but what about a short tether to centrally mounted jackstay so you can’t go overboard? I’m reluctant to admit I don’t clip on in my boat despite sailing year round, but I would do if I was doing offshore stuff.
I think Alex's main plan to not fall overboard is to have a completely enclosed cockpit. He will only need to go on deck to set the very largest code sail in lighter conditions, and even then I think it can mostly be done from below, there was talk of a big hatch just in front of the mast to deploy the sails from. His "normal" sail handling of his 3 permanently rigged jibs and his main can be done entirely from below.

The only other thing that might need him on deck is if there was an issue. In which case I suspect he would be clipped on.
 

LONG_KEELER

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I wonder what the ride is like on a foiler compared to older generation boats. Sea state being of course a variable.

Might even be less bone crunching than a normal planing hull.
 
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