It looks a rather pleasant day on the Solent with 15 knots and sun, and crews are enjoying what they probably believe is a decent race. However, as can be seen in the image Jitterbug has got into a bit of a pickle. The helmsman doesn’t seem to have noticed what’s happening, although I suspect the mainsail trimmer is just about to tell him!

There could be a few scenarios, so I am not 100 per cent sure what happened in the run up to this incident, but I think Jitterbug is on a different course from some of the other boats around.

The camera’s long lens makes it hard to tell where exactly they are in relation to the mark, but I think they are rounding/passing the mark to starboard, and not port as you would first imagine, because the wake is on the other side.

The other possibility, which I really don’t believe is the case, is that the halyard popped out of the cleat as they were passing the mark.

Assuming the most obvious starboard mark rounding/kite-hoisting scenario, I would suggest the eager team hoisted the spinnaker too early and, as you can see, they hadn’t borne away enough and were still on a beam reach. As they hoisted the kite on a very tight leg it immediately flew aft and got snagged on the Flying Fish mark.

Thompson’s advice on how to recover

The kite is badly damaged and, although it may not be irreparable, the skipper will certainly not want to lose all the sheets, halyards and tack lines by cutting them all free at this point. I can see there is enough wind to power the boat, so I would carry on and try to let the spinnaker rip itself off.

It sounds a bit unpleasant, but it should happen quickly in those conditions. Once they become detached from the mark they need to pull in the remainder of the sail as quickly as possible. Not so good is the fact that fragments of spinnaker cloth will probably remain on the mark for all to see.

In light winds, sailing on like this would be more difficult because there probably wouldn’t be enough power to rip the spinnaker off or it might get jammed on the luff tapes. In that situation, it would be a case of untangling it. If they were really tethered to it, they’d have to let all the sheets, halyards and tack lines go, then motor back and retrieve it.

Whatever the scenario, the situation will undoubtedly become a bit chaotic, especially with other boats approaching the mark. It is important therefore, to remain calm to avoid a crisis involving accidental gybes, people ending up in the water, or colliding with other boats.

Because it will happen quickly, I think it will probably be possible to scoop up the remainder of the kite/sheets, hoist another kite and be racing again before they know it.

It’s worth pointing out that if they continue to race, they’ll need to carry out some penalty turns for touching the mark. If they do end up having to turn on the engine they’ll have to retire from racing.

Quick tips

1. Immediate action: When there is enough wind to power the boat, continue on course.
2. Observation: Crewmembers should keep an eye out for other boats around.
3. Tidying up: Remains of spinnaker should be ‘scooped’ up as soon as possible.

How to avoid the situation in the first place

When everything is pinned in, it would be better to delay the hoist until it is possible to bear off a bit more and the boat is well clear of the mark. It is natural for the helmsman to want to hoist as soon as possible, but this image shows it was clearly too early.

In terms of when to hoist, it would generally be a call from the back of the boat by the tactician or helmsman because they know how far to judge it. It is important therefore to make sure whoever is calling the hoist is aware of how close to the mark they are.

And remember, although this picture looks bad, it could have been so much worse!

About the author

Brian Thompson (54) is one of the world’s most respected offshore racers, having notched up over 35 world speed sailing records, including the Jules Verne record as crewman on the maxi trimaran Banque Populaire V in 2012. He finished 5th in the 2008/9 Vendée Globe and is co-skipper of Phaedo3, Lloyd Thornburg’s successful MOD70.

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Brian Thompson (Bahrain Team Pindar) crossed the Vendée Globe finish line at Les Sables d’Olonne this morning at 8 hrs 31min 55sec GMT to secure fifth place in the solo non stop around the world race.

Thompson, who fought to contain a keel problem through the final hours of his race, completed his first solo ocean race on IMOCA Open 60 in a time of 98 days 20 hours 29 min 55 sec, holding off the ongoing attack of his compatriot Dee Caffari (AVIVA) who is due to finish later this morning.

The Juan Kouyoumdjian designed Bahrain Team Pindar is considered to be the most powerful in the fleet with the tallest rig. The boat fell badly off schedule when it was dismasted twice in three and a half months, the second time just before Thompson was due to start the Transat Jacques Vabre in October 2007.

Thompson’s seamanship and his boat repair skills were tested to the full on his race. Racing against time to make repairs before one of the biggest storms of his race, the Cowes based skipper spent more than 48 hours in the front sections of his boat making a complex laminate repair to cracks in the longitudinal supports forming the forward ballast tanks. He also subsequently had to make further repairs to the forward structure as well as the transom of a boat, which was never designed specifically with this race in mind.

During the final stages of his race, Thompson said he had lost count how many times he had faced ‘show-stoppers’ – problems which he thought might have ended his race prematurely, but he dealt with them all successfully and was rewarded with a quick passage up the South Atlantic where his time from Cape Horn to the Equator was second only to that of Michel Desjoyeaux. But it was a battle to the end for his well-deserved fifth place.

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Perched on the bow of Bahrain Team Pindar with his arms in the air, Brian Thompson cut a joyful figure as he crossed the finish line this morning. In bright sunshine, the Cowes-based sailor completed what has been a marathon ordeal to take 5th place, a result better than he had ever dared hope.

When I congratulated him later and remarked how incredibly well he’d done, the quiet-spoken Thompson replied: “Yes. I did. I would never normally say that. But I did really well.”

Thompson was alluding to his multitude of problems on Bahrain Team Pindar, which have plagued him since the first days of the race and have seen him tackling “a major repair” to the boat or gear every single day since 24 December. The final straw came last night when the stainless steel keel pin succumbed to fatigue and snapped completely, allowing the keel to swing free on one side – something that would have wrecked his race had it happened a week or two earlier.

This brings the number of serious keel problems in this edition of the Vendée Globe to a shocking six out of 30 boats.

Thompson’s worst tribulations involved structural weaknesses. He had to cut and use floor boards to splint major cracks in his ballast tanks and around one of the rudders. At one point in the Southern Ocean he spent three solid days making repairs.

The troubles continued with keel ram problems, watermaker problems, alternator problems and robbed Thompson of the chance to concentrate on racing his boat. But it is for virtually boatbuilding halfway round the world that his achievement will be remembered, and many observers, YW included, doubt that many other skippers could have managed what he has.

Even before that, Thompson had lost his competitive position in the South Atlantic when he was asked to take a four-hour penalty for a rules infringement at the start. He was given a limited window to remain stationary for four hours and the timing of this panned out eventually to a 500-mile loss – something all too visible by the subsequent progress of Dominique Wavre, his closest rival at the time.

Confused and annoyed as he is by the timing of the penalty, Thompson is philosophical about it, and actually believes it might have led to him finishing the race successfully. “I’m still not happy about it, but perhaps it was a good thing,” he muses, “because then I was out of the leading pack and was able to sail my own race. The leaders were going faster and faster until there were only two left.”

While his 5th place is a superb achievement after such a difficult race, it also marks an interesting crossroads for the IMOCA 60 class. His Juan Kouyoumdjian design was widely regarded as the fastest in the fleet, and envied as the dark horse of the race. With its wide beam, tall rig and power, it Mike Golding termed it ‘the nuclear option’.

That power did not turn out to be a decisive factor in this Vendée Globe. Reliability and sea time have proved more important and skippers are looking through different eyes at the development of the class. “It was a designer’s boat,” comments fellow skipper Jean Le Cam tellingly.

Asked probingly if he had a love-hate relationship with his boat, Thompson denied it, though. “I love the boat,” he said. “I know everything about it now and it’s going to be a very competitive boat in the future.”

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A time penalty has been given to Brian Thompson for having crew on board Bahrain Pindar after the four minute warning signal for the Vendée Globe start yesterday. The race committee protested Thompson following the infringement and have informed him he has to stop for four hours during the race.

It is not yet clear exactly what the four-hour stop entails, how or when he would have to make it. It seems this can be done when he likes, but the race committee have yet to clarify this.

Last minute computer problems on board had apparently kept one of the shore crew busy below deck until the final few minutes. Thompson’s crewed pre-start was a very public mistake as a TV camera from a helicopter above was beaming back pictures of crew helping to tack and grind in sheets up to two minutes before the start, to the surprise of the commentators.

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Four and a quarter hours after their damp 1000 start, the first Open 60s began crossing the Squadron line, with Brian Thompson’s Pindar producing a convincing performance, finishing four minutes ahead of Seb Josse in BT. Ecover and Hugo Boss followed, 10 minutes behind Thompson, with Mike Golding stealing the remaining podium position from Alex Thomson by just 45 seconds.
The Juan Kouyoumdjian-designed Pindar once again proved she’s got pace, especially in the experienced hands of Brian Thompson. With a ‘celebrity’ crewing on each of the boats though, there’s no doubt that having Mike Sanderson (Team Director for TEAMORIGIN) on board, won’t have hampered Thompson’s performance! Dee Caffari came in fifth, 16 minutes after Pindar, with the two Artemis Ocean Racing boats (Simon Clay pipped Jonny Malbon’s new boat by five minutes) and Spirit of Weymouth bringing up the tail. In the increasingly intensive run-up to November’s Vendee Globe start, today will have been a brief, but interesting test of pace for the various skippers. The £10,000 prize fund will be donated to Brian Thompson’s chosen charity Earthwatch and the prize giving takes place this evening at 1730 in Cowes Yacht Haven.

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Four and a quarter hours after their damp 1000 start, the first Open 60s began crossing the Squadron line, with Brian Thompson’s Pindar producing a convincing performance, finishing four minutes ahead of Seb Josse in BT. Ecover and Hugo Boss followed, 10 minutes behind Thompson, with Mike Golding stealing the remaining podium position from Alex Thomson by just 45 seconds.
The Juan Kouyoumdjian-designed Pindar once again proved she’s got pace in this around the Isle of Wight race, especially in the experienced hands of Brian Thompson. With a ‘celebrity’ crewing on each of the boats though, there’s no doubt that having Mike Sanderson (Team Director for TEAMORIGIN) on board, won’t have hampered Thompson’s performance! Dee Caffari came in fifth, 16 minutes after Pindar, with the two Artemis Ocean Racing boats (Simon Clay pipped Jonny Malbon’s new boat by five minutes) and Spirit of Weymouth bringing up the tail. In the increasingly intensive run-up to November’s Vendee Globe start, today will have been a brief, but interesting test of pace for the various skippers. The £10,000 prize fund will be donated to Brian Thompson’s chosen charity Earthwatch and the prize giving takes place this evening at 1730 in Cowes Yacht Haven.

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Following the recent birth of his second child, for personal family reasons, British sailor Brian Thompson has made the difficult decision to step down as co-skipper to Guillermo Altadill in the Barcelona World Race. Thompson will remain with the team as coach to pass on his IMOCA 60 experience to Guillermo and a new co-skipper who will be selected in the coming weeks, in time for the Rolex Fastnet Race starting 1 August.

“This has been an extremely difficult personal decision for me, as ever since this race was announced I’ve been excited by the prospect. The new Farr boat we have has been superbly built, and we definitely have a chance of being on the podium with her. The boat went in to the water last week, and I am looking forward to finally seeing her sail and to developing her for Guillermo and the team. But I am very disappointed that I won’t be onboard for the Barcelona World Race but my family has to come first in this case,” concluded Thompson.

In addition to Thompson retaining an integral part of the team, British sailor Neal McDonald is joining the Offshore Challenges Sailing Team as Performance Technical Manager from now until the start of the Barcelona World Race. McDonald brings extensive experience to the team with his background in offshore racing at the very highest level. The team is in discussion with other top-level offshore skippers and an announcement will be made in due course to confirm the co-skipper.

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The news of Brian Thompson leaving Artemis Ocean Racing has, not surprisingly sparked rumours of his future sailing plans and raised questions as to why the partnership between himself and Artemis has come to a premature end.

On 7 July last year at special press event at St Katherine Dock in the City of London to announce the new sponsorship partnership see previous story here, the Artemis/Thompson future looked bright but six months on things are looking a lot decidedly different. Although Artemis is continuing along its intended sailing path with Jonny Malbon now heading the team as skipper see earlier story here , Thompson is no longer involved.

Chatting about future sailing plans Thompson told yachtingworld.com this morning: “I do not having anything to add but what I will say is that I had a good year with Artemis.”

Given his amazing sailing cv which includes 25 world records and more multihull and swing keel miles than possibly any other British sailor it is highly unlikely that Thompson will do anything other than pursue a high-profile yacht racing career.

In typical Thompson humour he added: “I’m actually driving the train at the moment to Waterloo! No only kidding, I’m not becoming a train driver. But hopefully everyone will assume I will let you know my plans immediately something happens.”

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Five days in to the second leg of the Transat 6,50 from Lanzarote to Salvador de Bahia in Brazil, Briton Brian Thompson aboard Lighthouse Life Foundation has taken the leading position in the 52 strong Mini fleet.

Not far behind in fifth place after taking a spectacular easterly flyer is fellow Brit Simon Curwen, who came fifth in the first leg and became the first non-French competitor in.

Thompson suffered a major set back in leg one as he discovered a leak into one of the watertight compartments alongside the keel. This amounted to 400 extra litres of weight to the boat which normally weighs only twice that, and in the predominately light airs of the first leg slowed Thompson’s progress considerably. Depsite this Thompson still finished in seventh on the first leg but was disappointed by not making the top five. Now it appears that he is back on form along with a watertight boat after hauling out and re-sealing the offending keel bolts in Lanzarote.

Other British competitors; Sam Davies is chasing leading woman Jeanne Gregoire in ninth place. Paul Peggs is 21st with Ian Munslow 24th, and Mike Inglis in 28th place.

The leaders are now only 100 miles from the Cape Verde Islands, a major psychological way point for the skippers as it marks a third of the way through the race. After that the Minis will race to the Equator and cross the Doldrums before the final run to Salvador. The leaders are expected to arrive around the 1st of November.

Nathalie Le Pen

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Following a very successful first year in Ocean Racing including sponsoring an Open 60, breaking the Round Britain and Ireland record and competing in the Route Du Rhum, Artemis and Brian Thompson would like to announce that Brian will be leaving the team and a new skipper will be appointed shortly.

Artemis would like to thank Brian for the experience and expertise he has brought to the team over this first year and wish him all the best in the future both on and off the water.

Brian Thompson comments: “Artemis is a great company with a fresh and real passion for the sport and I wish them success in the next phase of their involvement in sailing.  Artemis has been a great partner in my goal to complete the Route du Rhum this year.  It’s been a pleasure to be involved in such a professional and high performance team.”

A new skipper will be announced in due course who will then join the team in the Caribbean where the boat is currently undergoing a mini re-fit. The boat will then undertake some sailing events in the Caribbean including participation in Antigua Race week.  The rest of the schedule will be confirmed shortly.

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