HAMPSHIRE round the world yachtsman Alex Thomson said he is eager to put the Southern Ocean behind him after rounding Cape Horn, the most southerly point of South America.

The 38-year-old from Gosport rounded the Cape, one of the most feared and respected maritime landmarks, at 2.38am GMT yesterday as he holds onto fourth place in the 24,000-mile Vendée Globe singlehanded yacht race.

After a month of racing through the Southern Ocean, among the most dangerous bodies of water in the world, Thomson said he was happy to be back in the Atlantic and headed for the finish line in France.

“I am going to be really glad to leave the Southern Ocean behind me over the next few days, but there is still a long way to go,” Thomson said. “The conditions don’t look easy ahead and the amount of strain put on the boats through the Southern Ocean could really begin to tell. “But I have had one focus throughout this entire race – to finish. I will do everything I can to achieve that goal.”

Thomson’s rounding of Cape Horn, part of the Chilean archipelago of Tierra del Fuego, was his first as a solo sailor, having passed it twice previously on crewed yachts.

“It is a huge achievement for me and the team behind me,” he said.

Full story in today's Daily Echo