Gleistein Ropes continues partnership as “Official Rope Supplier” to Alex Thomson Racing on board of HUGO BOSS

Sights set on winning the 2020-2021 Vendée Globe race

Bremen/Düsseldorf, 21 January 2019 – Leaders in their respective fields, Gleistein Ropes and Alex Thomson Racing announce the renewal of their partnership for a further two years. Gleistein Ropes first teamed up with Alex Thomson Racing in early 2014 and has remained the “Official Rope Supplier” on board of HUGO BOSS since. The partnership continues with the joint development and installation of a highly complex rigging system on board of Alex Thomson Racing’s new IMOCA 60, using state-of-the-art running rigging from Gleistein to ensure maximum performance and reliability. The new yacht is being constructed to succeed in reaching an ambitious goal: victory in the 2020/2021 Vendée Globe race.

“Offshore racing is arguably the most gruelling discipline in yachting, taking man and material to their absolute limits, and leaving virtually no room for second chances,” comments Dr. Heide Giese-Bothe, Market Manager Water Sport at Gleistein Ropes. “The partnership we have enjoyed since 2014 with Alex Thomson Racing has been as enriching as it has been challenging. Besides providing rope solutions that achieve an unsurpassed level of performance, our primary task is to ensure complete reliability – under some of the toughest conditions that yachts are ever subjected to. We are delighted to be continuing as the Official Rope Supplier to Alex Thomson Racing and aim to jointly bring the team’s new HUGO BOSS yacht across the finishing line in first place at the next Vendée Globe”.

Ross Daniel, Technical Director at Alex Thomson Racing, explains his team’s decision to stick with Gleistein: “Reliability is of paramount importance in our sport – rope failure is simply not an option – and so it’s vital that the rigging onboard the new boat is of the highest quality. We chose to extend our partnership with Gleistein for a number of reasons. They have an unrivalled level of experience when it comes to rope specification and selection, and are able to cater to the complex degrees of customisation that we demand. They also offer incredibly robust covers and hugely reliable core breaking strength.”

The renewed partnership will see Gleistein Ropes remaining the Official Rope Supplier to Alex Thomson Racing on board of HUGO BOSS until the end of the 2020/2021 Vendée Globe race.

The Vendée Globe is a solo, unassisted, non-stop, round-the-world race and is regarded as the world’s toughest offshore sailing challenge. The Alex Thomson Racing team has its sights firmly on winning the 2020/2021 edition of the race, following Alex Thomson’s second place in the 2016/2017 instalment.

About Gleistein Ropes
Gleistein has been manufacturing ropes since 1824 and is the oldest family industrial company in Bremen (Germany). Together with its Trencin (Slovakia) plant the company boasts two of the most modern rope manufacturing facilities in the world with a total production area of more than 19,000m². Modern chemical fibres, sophisticated designs and future-oriented rope finishing equipment and procedures offer a definite quality “plus” that directly benefits the consumer. Gleistein offers a complete service, provides its customers with industry-leading know-how and assists in selecting the perfect rope – whatever the need. Ready-to-use finishing of products, execution of contracted tests and the development of tailor-made solutions round out the comprehensive range of services. www.gleistein.com

About Alex Thomson
Alex Thomson is the youngest skipper ever to win a round-the-world yacht race. When he triumphed in the 1998/1999 Clipper Round-the-World Race he set a record which still stands today. Thomson also holds the British solo, unassisted round-the-world monohull record, which he set in 2017 when he finished the gruelling Vendée Globe race – ‘the Everest of sailing’ – in just 74 days, 19 hours, 35 minutes. Having achieved third and second place finishes in the last two editions of the iconic race, Thomson and his team - together with their long-standing sponsor, HUGO BOSS – now have their sights firmly set on becoming the first British team in history to win the race in 2020/2021.
www.alexthomsonracing.com
www.hugoboss.com/alex-thomson-racing

Press contacts:

Thomas Schlätzer
Geo. Gleistein & Sohn GmbH
Heidlerchenstrasse 7
28777 Bremen, Germany
Tel: +49 (0)421 69049-31
Fax: +49 (0)421 69049-99
Email: schlaetzer@gleistein.com
Web: www.gleistein.com

Markus Woltmann
slant‘ PR & Native English Text
Leuschnerdamm 13
10999 Berlin, Germany
Tel: +49 (0)30 36 44 11 04
Email: press@slant.de

This release was published on openPR.