Alex THOMSON arrived in Cape Town, South Africa this morning and officially notified Race Direction of his abandon from the Vendee Globe. He took nearly one week for him to sail HUGO BOSS the 1800 miles to the South African haven. Thomson suffered irrepairable rudder damage which left him with no alternative but to retire.
University of Miami oceanographer Lisa BEAL and others spent 26 days at sea in the Cape Cauldron off South Africa measuring the dynamic mixing of Indian Ocean and Atlantic waters in an effort to learn more about weather and climate.
Parts of South Africa are still reeling nearly a month after heavy rains and catastrophic floods wracked the coastal city of Durban and surrounding areas, killing hundreds of people and destroying thousands of homes. Now, scientists say the extreme rainfall was worsened by the influence of climate change.