Alex Thomson formally retires from Vendée Globe race as he reaches Cape Town

The Gosport-based former runner-up had to pull out of the this year's competition because of irreparable.

Thomson's journey to Cape Town and the mainland took nearly seven days with just one rudder.

He said: ‘I’m certainly relieved to be back on dry land but I have very mixed emotions today.

‘I’m still coming to terms with what’s happened and I’m obviously utterly devastated that this is how the race has ended for us.

'But, as I’ve said before, it’s in our toughest moments that we find our greatest strength.

'Now we have to pick ourselves up and move forwards, and I’ve no doubt that we can do that together as a team.’

Thomson was one of 33 skippers who started the race on November 8.

The ninth edition of the iconic race has already seen a number of boats suffer technical failures, collisions or fall victim to the tropical storms and changing weather conditions.