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NEWS
Alex Thomson attempts the keel walk
Film crew proves it wasn't a set-upSurely you have seen UK sailor Alex Thomson’s famous ‘keel walk’ stunt on the IMOCO 60 yacht Hugo Boss?
You may remember the image from his last attempt several years ago. It’s a great picture, but many people doubted its authenticity and thought it might be Photoshopped.
So Alex decided to get a camera crew involved. And here’s what happened. See video below...
THE HARD FACTS:
- Keel walker: Alex Thomson (Follow @alexthomson99)
- Yacht skipper: Ross Daniel
- Yacht: IMOCA 60 ‘Hugo Boss’, Designer Finot-Conq
- Combined sailing experience of crew: 45 years
- Weight of yacht: 8.2 tonnes
- Weight of keel: 4 tonnes
- Jetski engine size: 255 horsepower
- Required wind speed: 17 – 19 knots
- Required sea state: Slight (waves 0.5 – 1.25 metres)
- Required sailing speed: 9 knots
- Sailing angle of yacht to lift keel out of the water: 45°
- Maximum angle of yacht: 70°
- Maximum sailing time with keel out of the water: 45 – 60 seconds
SKIPPER’S BIGGEST CHALLENGE:
- Getting the keel out of the water and keeping it there requires precision sailing and knowing the boat inside out.
- From his position at the helm, Ross cannot see either Alex or the jet ski, so he relies on the information given to him by the spotter (port side of stern / left back).
MAJOR RISKS:
- The boat coming down on top of Alex, the jet ski and its driver.
- The wind is unpredictable; a momentary gust or drop will affect the direction and speed of the boat in an instant.
- The keel hitting Alex – 4 tonnes of lead moving at 10mph – the equivalent of being charged by an elephant!
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Written byBoatsales Staff
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Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
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