With his voyage, Thompson completed the Atlantic circle, which he had already started two years ago as part of the Mini-Transat. "It was always his plan to bring the boat back to France on its own keel instead of putting it on a freighter," his wife Natasha Gonzalez told YACHT yesterday.
The professional sailor and preparateur in Sam Davies' Imoca team "Initiatives Cœur" had to abort his first attempt on the challenging west-east route south of Newfoundland last summer due to a hurricane. Now the conditions were right - even if the record-breaking trip was anything but an easy crossing.
However, the finish at Lizard Point was not the end for Thompson. The welcome party is not until Tuesday evening in Brest. That's why he continued south towards the French coast on Monday. During the night there was no wind for the most part, but the current sucked him north-eastwards towards the English Channel. But the record hunter did not let this spoil his mood. Visibly well rested and full of positive energy, he sent a video from on board when he had mobile phone reception. "I hope to be in the harbour by 6 pm," he said. He is now sailing close to the rocks, "Figaro style", to avoid the current as much as possible. He and his wife Natasha will continue to document the end of the journey on Facebook and Instagram.
Thompson sailed close to losing control
During his record-breaking journey, Thompson had to cope with strong winds for days on end, especially in the middle section, and poisonous gusts of well over 30 knots. In his readable blog on the website of the tracking company Yellowbrick he describes impressively how tense he was over long stretches and how close he came to losing control.
On several occasions, he experienced violent sunshots and the dreaded "nosedives", where the boat rides a wave in full surf, only to bury the bow in the back of the sea ahead. Then the rudders come out and the boat flies crashing onto its side. Anxious minutes pass before everything is clear again.
On a boat of this size, with a filigree hull laminate of barely a millimetre of carbon fibre, foam core and more carbon fibre separating the skipper from the thousands of metres of dark blue depth, there is always an ambivalence, a feeling between euphoria and concern. Because here, with this project, unlike the Mini-Transat, there are no competitors within radio range, no support boats to help in an emergency. For two and a half weeks, it's just Jay and his "SpeedyG", as he calls his Mini.
"I feel like a small duck in a huge pond"
On day 4, he writes: "Time has passed quickly, although at this stage of a long voyage there is a dominating feeling that we still have two weeks to go. That makes me a little uneasy. I brush the thought aside and get on with the tasks that never end on board. I experience every ocean passage like this: It takes the first two or three days for me to settle in, then there's a brief moment of being overwhelmed by the vastness that still lies ahead. And then the phase of letting go sets in ... This is my favourite stage. It's fascinating and lures me out to sea again and again. I am in the moment. I am a man of the sea."
On 9 August, south of Newfoundland, things get tough for Thompson. He writes:
"I've seen it coming for a few days ... a small low in a sea area where it can get intense. When it started blowing, I had already prepared everything to reef; the boat and I were ready. The wind angle was quite high at 60 degrees; I hoped it would still turn, because sailing downwind at 35 knots is very difficult with a mini. But it didn't turn. At 30 knots and more, it became too much even for the storm jib and the main in the third reef. I drop a little, but that only leads to the boat accelerating to 12 to 15 knots and shooting over the three metre high waves - a sure way to self-destruct. So I drop to a downwind course, pick myself up, go forwards and take down the flapping jib. When I get back on course, the gusts reach 38 to 40 knots. I feel like a small duck in a huge pond."
Thompson is aiming for a Vendée Globe participation
Jay can't get out of his heavy weather gear for days. The moisture is everywhere, splashing from above and dripping with condensation below deck. "I've never been so soaked, inside and out," moans the solo skipper. Only when the last front has passed, four days before arriving in the English Channel, does the weather become warmer and friendlier.
The American, who lives in France, hopes that his record will attract the attention of sponsors for his ultimate ambition: to take part in the Vendée Globe. He has not yet succeeded in doing so. But his latest project could change that, as the media response to his pioneering achievement has been huge on both sides of the Atlantic. And he has repeatedly proven that he has stamina.
Together with his wife Natasha Gonzalez, he rescued the single-tonner "Messenger", which was barely ready to sail, from the wrecker in 2010; the young family then went sailing around the world with it and became the "Coconuts Sail Team". Seven years ago, they moved to Brittany because it is the centre of solo sailing. Jay Thompson initially worked for Conrad Colman's Vendée campaign, and later for a few months for Boris Herrmann's Malizia team, before joining Sam Davies as a boat builder. There was only ever time for his own goal "on the side". And yet he succeeded in everything he set out to do.
New York-Lizard Point in Mini 6.50- A success for the history books
To build his own proto-mini, he converted a barn into a makeshift shipyard. He laminated and sanded there at weekends, sometimes late into the night. He took a respectable ninth place at the Mini-Transat 2021. He also impresses in the media with his commitment, skill and honesty. He benefits from the experience of his wife, who most recently accompanied The Ocean Race as a TV commentator for Eurosport, has an excellent network and is an expert in her field. As a preparateur, Jay has earned himself an excellent reputation in Imoca circles. The best prerequisites for a successful career as a single-handed skipper. Especially as his success today is one for the history books as soon as it is ratified: the first transat record for a mini 6.50 sailor on the classic New York-Lizard Point route.
The day before yesterday, shortly before the happy arrival, but still tense due to the increasing ship traffic, his last post is characterised by confidence, pride and the anticipation of seeing family and friends:
"Wow, what a feeling after 16 days at sea! It's the last 24 hours before the finish line, and they come with mixed feelings ... relieved and ready to arrive, but at the same time nerve-wracking because the last few miles can be very tricky. Everything is on the line and I have to be vigilant," writes Thompson. "The (penultimate) night was full of stars, but no moon. The Milky Way travelled across the sky. Today the sun is shining, there is almost no cloud - it feels good. I really need to dry out after the wet North Atlantic. I dream of bathing in the warm sun, on land, after a big lunch: Hamburgers, chips and red wine, of course!"
He has really earned it!
