He detected the problem on Saturday evening during a "routine inspection" of his boat.
One of the favorites of the Vendée Globe, Briton Alex Thomson, suffered damage to the bow of his sailboat "Hugo Boss" and is forced to carry out repairs, his team announced on Sunday.
“It is not yet clear what caused this damage.
There have been no disturbing incidents aboard the boat during the race so far, technical director Ross Daniel said in a statement.
Together with our engineers and naval architects, we worked through the night to come up with a comprehensive repair plan for Alex.
Meanwhile, Alex took the opportunity to rest in order to carry out the repair work this morning.
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"He has all the necessary equipment on board"
“Alex has now put the boat in a safe position to reduce sea movement on board while he is doing the repair,” continues Ross Daniel.
He has all the necessary equipment on board, a detailed plan to follow and a team of world-class engineers to advise him.
We are therefore confident in its ability to complete the repair.
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Alex Thomson was about 800 miles east of Rio de Janeiro in the South Atlantic when the damage was detected.
The repairs will cost dearly in the standings to the one who was still leader on Friday.
Second favorite victim of damage
“Our goal is to carry out the necessary repairs quickly and efficiently, in order to minimize the miles lost and to resume racing,” says his team.
This is a hard blow for Thomson, as his opponents continue their journey without pitfalls.
The Welshman, still third but in slow motion, was now 120 miles from Rouillard on Sunday afternoon.
He is the second favorite in the race to be forced to repair his ship.
Jérémie Beyou (“Charal”) was forced to turn around during the first week of the race to repair a rudder.
Left on Tuesday, the Frenchman was able to benefit from the help of his technical team as he had returned to his port of departure in Sables-d'Olonne.
Alex Thomson will have to fend for himself.