ALEX Thomson and his crew mate, Pepe Ribes, have crossed the line of the equator, another milestone in their bid to win the Barcelona World Race 2014-2015.
Their boat, the HUGO BOSS, crossed the line 11 days 13 hours and 50 min after the start gun was fired in Barcelona. The race has seen Thomson and Ribes consistently hold first place.
The improvements the technical team made to HUGO BOSS this year see her performing better in all weather conditions, with HUGO BOSS crossing the equator 24hrs quicker than she did in the last edition of the Barcelona World Race (then named Virbac Paprec 3).
Thomson said: “It’s unusual this far into the race to still have the fleet so close. The conditions have been perfect for HUGO BOSS. Although at times it has been stressful as we can see our competitors on the horizon. We are completely focused on speed to keep us in the lead.”
The fleet compressed together at the Doldrums and the race now has an unusual element in offshore racing where there are only a few hours between the boats at the front of the fleet.
Thomson and Ribes were closely followed by Neutrogena, which crossed the equator 1hr 10 min afterwards.
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