Alex Thomson finishes Route du Rhum after recovering from grounding on rocks during the final miles of the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe and while leading the IMOCA class.
Thomson crossed the finish line at Pointe-à-Pitre in Guadeloupe at 08:10:58 local time (13:10:58CET) after 11 days, 23 hours 10 minutes and 58 seconds at sea.
The jury have made the decision to give Alex Thomson a 24-hour penalty following the incident that occurred overnight.
Paul Meilhat on SMA could now be the new winner of the race. He has 141.3nm to go and is travelling at 16 knots. In order to beat Thomson he must cross the finish line by 08:10:58 local time (12:10:05 UTC) Saturday.
His elapsed time for the 3,542-nautical mile course (less the penalty) is a new class record for IMOCAs.
Upon hitting the reef, Alex Thomson had to lower his sails and start his engine to reverse his boat from the rocks. He then rehoisted his sails, set a new seal on the propeller shaft, and continued to the finish.
The International Jury was immediately informed by Race Direction of the accident and filed a protest against Alex Thomson for using his engine during the race. There is no appeal against their decision.
Earlier Friday Claire Pruvot racing in the Class40 collided with a cargo ship just after midnight. After securing the boat, Claire Pruvot was rescued by the cargo ship 45 minutes after the incident.
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