Alex thomson sky walk 3 picture credit lloyd images

IN VIDEO: Hugo Boss skipper skywalks 280ft above the sea

Not content with two previous death-defying stunts on his Hugo Boss-sponsored racing yacht, round-the-world sailor Alex Thomson has now taken to flying behind it.

As this incredible video shows Thomson has now perfected his skywalk, using a kiteboard roped to the top of the mast of his to chase his IMOCA open 60 Hugo Boss yacht to send him 280ft in the air, all whilst wearing a Hugo Boss suit.

Thomson has previously completed Keelwalk and Mastwalk stunts.

The Skywalk was carried out by Alex Thomson Racing, in partnership with sponsors HUGO BOSS and Mercedes-Benz. In total, 35 people were involved in the planning, co-ordination and execution of the stunt, including Alex Thomson Racing Operations Manager Ross Daniel, professional kite-surfer Susi Mai and kite-surfing coach Ray Kasper.

Thomson commented: “The previous two stunts that we carried out – The Mastwalk and The Keelwalk – were so successful that, as a team, we just knew we couldn’t stop there. We were all in agreement; we wanted to do something even bigger and better.

“I’ve always had a love for all things wind-powered so naturally a stunt which involved kite surfing was the next step. The idea of combining two of my favourite sports and executing something which, to our knowledge, had never been done before was really exciting.”

The Mastwalk – which saw the skipper climb the 30 metre mast and dive from the very top into the water – have now been viewed by more than 4.5 million people around the world.

Thomson will compete in the pinnacle event of the Ocean Masters race calendar – the Vendée Globe – later this year, a race which begins on November 6th. The non-stop, solo, unassisted, round the world race takes approximately 80 days to complete. In the last edition of the race, back in 2013, Thomson finished in third place. This time around he is determined to be the first Brit to win the prestigious title.

James Buttery

Editor of WatchPro, the WatchPro Hot 100 and The Luxury Report.

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