Hugo Boss abandoned

Alex Thomson and Guillermo Altadill are winched off their floundering IMOCA 60 + video

Alex Thomson and Guillermo Altadill, skippers of yacht HUGO BOSS in the Transat Jacques Vabre set off their emergency beacon this afternoon at 13.25 UTC. 

The Spanish Coastguard was informed and sent a rescue helicopter to their location 82 nautical miles from the Spanish coast.  Both sailors were rescued from the location by helicopter and are on their way back to land.
 
Hugo Boss incurred some structural damage earlier this week forcing her crew to stop racing. They had made a repair and were en route to La Coruna where the technical team was 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. The technical team are in A Coruna, Spain awaiting further information from the coast guard.
 
Managing Director Stewart Hosford expresses: "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."