Alex Thomson at the "Skywalk"
The clips were always something special: the first time the Brit ran over the keel fin of his extremely heeled Open 60, then he went up the mast after the boat had been turned extremely on its side again. Always stylishly dressed, of course, in a black suit from his main sponsor Hugo Boss, who has supported the one-handed Open 60 skipper for many years. Now he did an even more daring stunt: With a kite and the appropriate board, the Briton surfed after his Open 60, grabbed a line that it dragged and let himself into the air spectacularly at around 85 meters above sea level with the board and kite pull. Up there he disengaged himself and sailed back to the surface of the water, only hanging on the small surf paraglider. The pictures are once again spectacular.
Alex Thomson at the "Skywalk"
The shooting took place in front of the Portuguese Algarve. How the new film came about, the Briton explained in a press release: "I was already thinking about a new stunt after we had completed the mastwalk. I was often asked: What's next?" Thomson is a private kite surfer, so the idea came about.
Infographic about the process of the maneuver
In lofty heights. Click to enlarge!
The preparations for the action were meticulous. "I trained for a few weeks in Portugal, where I developed this special technique of latching in and taking off. We first practiced behind our rib before we tested the stunt behind the 'Hugo Boss'. In contrast to the mastwalk, there was this stunt because of kitesurfing there were more factors that had to be coordinated. We also had to be prepared for different scenarios and possible consequences, even if something went wrong. The biggest challenge for me was to overcome my fear of heights."
During the maneuver, the Open 60 had to keep the speed constant and sail a steady course - this was the only way the Briton could get hold of the rope at the right moment and latch into place. Thomson's kite trainer Ray Kasper watched his every move. "Within two days, I performed the stunt 13 times, and the camera team captured everything from different perspectives - from the helicopter, from the coast and from the rib," said the one-handed skipper.
The main risk was that Thomson could not control his kite properly and it would hit the water from a height of 85 meters. Divers and emergency physicians were there the whole time. After the successful PR coup No. 3, the adventurous Thomson is now preparing for his ultimate goal: In autumn he will compete for the fourth time at the Vendée Globe, which he finally wants to be the first non-French to win.
© AlexThomsonRacing / Mark Llyod