HAMPSHIRE sailor Alex Thomson was dramatically airlifted to safety after his boat suffered structural damage in a major race.

The Gosport man and co-skipper Guillermo Altadill, who are competing in the Transat Jacques Vabre aboard HUGO BOSS, were rescued around 80 miles off the Spanish coast.

HUGO BOSS incurred some structural damage earlier this week, forcing the skippers to stop racing.

They had made repairs and were on route to A Coruna where the technical team were waiting to meet them.

After sailing for a period of 36 hours in high seas and strong winds, the structure of the boat deteriorated further and the boat started to take on water and sink.

HUGO BOSS Managing Director Stewart Hosford said: "Our first concern is with Alex and Guillermo and when they are safely on the ground we will address the situation with our IMOCA 60 and begin the salvage process. We are grateful for the swift response from the rescue services in this situation.’

Most skippers who have been spoken to by Race HQ in the last 48 hours have confirmed they have damage of some type.

Eric Bellion, the French co-skipper sailing with Hampshire's Sam Goodchild, revealed they had to replace a damaged lashing on a leeward shroud.

Technical Director Ross Daniel added: "I am proud of our team considering the potential severity of the situation. Of course it’s disappointing we have had to retire from the race.

"But this year’s Transat Jacques Vabre has provided the fleet with challenging conditions, forcing seven IMOCA’s to retire. As a team we now need to focus on getting HUGO BOSS safely through the night and then assess the situation once she is alongside tomorrow."

The problems for another Hampshire sailor, Sam Davies, sailing with Tanguy de Lamotte on Initiative Coeur, is more serious but so far not race-threatening.

An initial problem when their windward, starboard rudder was smashed by a wave, damaging the top attachment, was sorted by the pair before they could gybe.

But once they were settled on the new gybe they discovered a crack in the supporting structure for the rudder box.

This, reported de Lamotte, will require a longer term repair. But the duo are absolutely determined to finish their race and hold on to their 4th place.