
What’s behind the design of Alex Thomson’s Vendée Globe racer Hugo Boss?
A closer look at Alex Thomson's Vendée Globe foil-borne Hugo Boss The new Hugo Boss IMOCA Open 60 race yacht skippered by Alex Thomson. Credit: Lloyd Images/ AT Racing The 2016/7 Vendée Globe race will go down as one dominated by two very different sailors, Frenchman Armel Le Cléac'h and Briton Alex Thomson in two critically different yachts. There is no doubt that the foil-borne Hugo Boss is very fast in perhaps a wider range of downwind conditions, and development of this foiling technology will be at the forefront of designers' minds as they work towards designs for the next monohull round the world races. But what exactly are the key features of Thomson's black boat, and how does it work? For the design...