Hugo Boss update: Ross Daniel, Technical Director, Alex Thomson Racing 

Alex and Neal have got off to a good start. In our upwind leg towards the mark on day one, we seemed to struggle with performance so we lost some miles. But it was interesting to see HUGO BOSS sail upwind against the other boats. This is the first time we've had the opportunity to do that so it's given us a good understanding of where we are and what work we have to do. “After rounding the windward mark, Alex and Neal had a great night. They were able to pull back the miles lost and push forwards towards the front of the fleet. 

The routing had all the boats heading to the southerly option, between Ushant and the TSS exclusion zone. 

Now there will be a transition where Alex and Neal will have to tackle the low pressure centred to the east over the Azores Islands. We expect to see the boats all slow down over the next few hours as they sail in more of an upwind angle through the night. 

Overall, we're comfortable with how HUGO BOSS is performing so far. It's clear she is fast in light to medium conditions.