Alex Thomson, skipper of Hugo Boss, third in the last Vendée Globe, made an impressive video last March. For a publicity film for his luxurious sponsor, the British skipper, dressed in a black suit, white shirt and sunglasses on his nose, climbed to the top of his mast.
While the Imoca, 30 metres high is leaning to one side, Alex Thomson climbs on the boat and gets back on its mast, without any protection. Helped by the stunt coordinator, Andy Bennett, but he was not less afraid.
" We weren't sure it was possible. There were so many things to consider to make it work: wind speed, weather conditions, boat speed, mast tilt and our ability to communicate during the climb
Things could have gone wrong. I could have fallen into the water at the wrong time or in the wrong place, or even fall on the deck of the boat. A medical team was on site in case of an accident. Fortunately, everything went well, despite my vertigo. What an experience! I had a lot of fun. But it was a lot more dangerous than I thought. There's only been one try and that's more than enough." he said.
When the skipper reaches the top of the mast, the boat heels at 60 degrees and its speed is about 10 knots, with a wind of 18 knots. It then launches out to dive into the water at a height of 12 meters. In all, the scene lasts only 45 seconds.
To be able to carry out this dangerous operation, numerous training sessions in the pool were necessary and the team did not lack courage to hold the helm during the skipper's show.
