Imoca class: The fastest Open 60 will probably not sail the Vendée Globe

Just a few weeks ago, when YACHT was in Gosport, UK, testing the freshly refitted German Open 60 from Offshore Team Germany, it lay deserted on the jetty, its sponsor logos already removed: Alex Thomson's radical Open 60 "Hugo Boss", in which he came second at the Vendée and dominated the field during the last Transat, seemingly sailing faster than the competition at will. When asked on site about the future of the boat, which will be replaced by a new build in a few weeks' time, the British crew on site simply replied: "No comment."

But now the French sailing newspaper "Bateaux" reports on Facebook that the boat has been spotted in the French Open 60 mecca Port La Fôret. Enquiries with the technicians already busily working on board have revealed that the US ex-Volvo Ocean Race team led by Charlie Enright and Mark Towill ("Vestas 11th Hour Racing") have apparently bought the boat for their new team "1 Degree".

When asked, Enright is said to have explained: "We are testing and training on the old 'Hugo Boss' in the hope of taking part in the Transat Jacques Vabre in the autumn, but it has not yet been decided and there are no sponsors yet. We have not yet registered. But we hope to announce our programme for the next races soon." Apparently, the team is planning to use the old 'Hugo Boss' as a platform for the next Ocean Race in 2021, the successor to the Volvo Ocean Race, which is now also sailed on Open 60s.

Should this be the case, Alex Thomson would have elegantly got rid of a serious competitor for the next Vendee Globe. If a capable French skipper had got his hands on it - and various top people such as Paul Meilhat are currently without a boat for the Vendée - and then upgraded it with a new pair of foils, he would probably have been able to give Thomson's new "Hugo Boss" some serious competition.

But Charlie Enright, who has already sailed in two Volvo Ocean Races with the teams from "Alvimedica" and "Vestas 11th Hour Racing", seems to have no interest in the race. Instead, it seems to want to finally put together a winning team for the Ocean Race. And to do this, it is essential to start training on a good platform as early as possible. It seems hard to imagine that he would give up the boat for a Vendée campaign shortly before the race. Whether the old "Hugo Boss" then competes in the Ocean Race or a new boat is built is a question of budget.