LES SABLES-D’OLONNE, France, (MILLAT+APP/AFP) –
Alex Thomson finished second in the Vendee Globe solo round the world yacht race, the Welsh yachtsman crossing the finish line at Les Sables d’Olonne at 0737GMT on Friday.
Thomson’s Hugo Boss boat arrived back at the French Atlantic port
almost 16 hours behind Armel Le Cleac’h, who set a new record time when completing the maritime odyssey on Thursday.
Thomson, the second Briton to finish runner-up in the event after
Ellen MacArthur in 2001, had shadowed Le Cleac’h all the way up the Atlantic after passing Cape Horn.
He got to less than 40 nautical miles of Le Cleac’h on Wednesday, but
lost ground in the closing stages to finish 15 hours 59 minutes and 29 seconds behind the Frenchman’s Banque Populaire.
Despite missing out on ultimate glory Thomson can take heart from
setting a new record of distance sailed in 24 hours of 536.81 nautical miles.
Jeremie Beyou, around 550nm from the finish, is expected to come in third
on Monday.