Alex Thomson is one of Britain’s most successful and well-known sailors. Now, over a year since stepping back from offshore racing to spend more time with his watersports-mad family, I found out how he has got his own kids into sailing, and asked whether they have ever tried to re-create his famous Hugo Boss stunts…
Alex Thomson sailed into the spotlight in 1999 when, at the age of 25, he became the youngest skipper to win an around the world yacht race, mentored by yachting legend Sir Robin Knox-Johnston. From there, the charismatic up-and-coming sailor gained support from one of the biggest names in the sport, Hugo Boss. He began an offshore campaign in the IMOCA 60 class that would go on to span 20 years and include five campaigns for the Vendée Globe – a notoriously tough 26,000nm solo circumnavigation.
During that time, he broke numerous world records and became the fastest Briton to sail solo non-stop around the world in just 74 days, 19 hours and 35 minutes and claiming an impressive second place in the Vendée Globe. Throughout his 20-year career, he also captivated global audiences with uniquely daring stunts, including the MastWalk.
But after years of spending weeks and months at a time at sea, Alex has recently taken the decision to step back from active racing in order to spend more time with his family – wife, Kate and their two children, Oscar (11) and Georgia (8).
Home for the Thomson family is Jersey, where an idyllic beach-front set-up enables them to spend any spare time they have on the water, as Alex describes: “For us as a family, pretty much all activities take place on the water, whether we are fishing, wakeboarding, kitesurfing and or hydrofoiling. We’ve also got a sailing dinghy on the beach, a couple of kayaks, stand up paddleboards, kite surfers…”
His dream, he says, has always been to “have my own little mini watersports centre just outside the house” – he’s not far off!
Early influences
Alex’s own childhood experiences have a big influence in the way he has gone about introducing his own children to watersports. He recalls learning to sail and waterski at any early age; other watersports soon followed. Growing up, he describes plenty of time spent at the beach – both in Jersey and also in Oman, where his dad was a pilot for the Sultan. The common denominator was plenty of opportunity to nurture a love of watersports and a passion for the lifestyle that goes with that.
He recalls: “I learnt to windsurf at the age of 11; I remember the guy teaching me had several windsurf rigs rigged up in his garage which was right next to beach; all he had to do was grab a boom, pull the downhaul on, connect it up and off he went. I’ve always wanted that.”
Of three years spent in Oman as a child, he says, almost every weekend was spent at the beach. The stand-out memory from that time was being fully able to waterski at the age of four – a hugely impressive feat.
“We used to go to the beach with a few other families,” he describes. “It would be deserted and we’d camp on the beach, wake up in the morning and there would be millions of crabs all over the sand, and then we would waterski all day long. For me it was like heaven, I was living a dream!”
No surprise then that Alex was keen to give his children as many similar opportunities as possible, and when his own son learn to waterski at the age of three he was delighted.
Seeing his children’s achievements on the water has been hugely gratifying for Alex – an emotional experience any parent will identify with. He says: “My son likes to hydrofoil behind the boat and now I expect in the next six months he will be doing it with a wing or with the kite. It’s amazing to see, and it is far more satisfying than being able to do it yourself.”
Skills for life
Alex’s kids are clearly following in his footsteps with both talent and enthusiasm; although he admits that, by nature, his son can be a little keener than his daughter. “Oscar seems to be a happier person when he’s on the water – he’s a bit like his dad in that!
“He is at the sailing club twice a week, and you can see how much he enjoys it. He’s not too bothered about the theory side of it, but he just loves the racing and getting out there and doing it.
“I think it’s really important that he just enjoys it. And if he wants me to help him then obviously I will, but he’s got to drive that, not me,” he explains.
“They choose what they want to do. I don’t push them at all; if they want to go sailing or do any sort of watersports, they can; if they don’t, then they don’t. If I say, ‘do you want to go wakeboarding?’ and they don’t, there is no point in me pushing it; if I did I would just push them away. So, it is entirely up to them.”
Many parents who grew up with a watersports lifestyle will already identify with the mental and physical benefits children derive from spending time afloat. For Alex, his extensive offshore racing career has given him an even greater insight, and he wishes more children had more opportunities to explore that.
“For me, being out on the water, especially if you can’t see land, it just gives you perspective,” he says. “In France, where the majority of offshore race campaigns are based, they have a huge amount of culture built around watersports. The kids learn to sail because they believe it’s a life skill. And it is, in many different ways: you put a kid in a singlehanded boat, it teaches them independence and confidence; you put them in a doublehanded boat, they learn teamwork and communication.
“There are so many life skills that you can get from sailing, that I would always encourage people to get out there and to get their kids active on the water.”
If you are looking to learn to sail or try any watersports, what’s the best way to get started? How can you encourage children to try watersports?
Alex says it’s down to something very fundamental – and that’s water confidence. “The starting point is making sure they are confident in the water, so being able to swim, and swim confidently, is really important.
“But once that skill is in place, get out there! It doesn’t matter what it is – whether it’s wakeboarding or sailing – just get them out there. The rest will follow.”
What’s next for Alex Thomson?
Alex Thomson may have retired from offshore sailing, but he is still very much involved with the sport. Through his company, Alex Thomson Racing, he is leading a mentoring and campaign management consultancy project with Scott Shawyer’s Team Canada Ocean Racing, a aiming to be the first Canadian professional offshore sailing team to complete the Vendée Globe solo circumnavigation event.
It’s a role that has enabled him to pass on his knowledge, experience and passion for the sport, while also spending more time at home with his family. He admits the decision to spend more time on dry land wasn’t an easy one to make, and describes the transition as “a big change”, but says, “I’m really enjoying being able to spend this time the kids, especially at the ages they’re at; as any parent knows, you click your fingers and they’ll be leaving home!
“Time is going quickly. I’m so glad I didn’t wait another year or so. It’s great, especially the ages they are at now.”
Does he ever wish he was still racing? After five Vendée Globe campaigns, could he not have been tempted by a sixth?
“One of the hardest things with offshore sailing is that it takes you away for long periods of time, and the only way really to train is to spend time sailing in the ocean,” he reflects. “If that wasn’t the case, I would still be doing it.”
But even if he’s not on the startline, he hints at a chance of more daring on-the-water stunts… Incredibly, the MastWalk, SkyWalk and KeelWalk together have been viewed by over 14 million people – a phenomenal reach. An opportunity to inspire millions more would be hard to turn down. Alex’s latest passion is foiling, which could well feature; it’s something he loves to introduce people to. “As soon as the whole thing comes out of water and they feel that kind of 3D feeling that you get when you’re foiling, the smile on people’s faces shows they just love it. It’s great to see,” he says.
“One thing I’ve always wanted to do would be to foil-surf some proper big ocean swells so maybe that’s something I will do with my son yet. I suspect that he will be better than me very soon!”
Until then, his achievements to date have provided more than enough inspiration for his two mini mentees – given the chance, Alex’s children love nothing more than showing off the videos of his daring stunts. Asked whether they ever tried to recreate any of his past stunts, Alex quickly replies “not yet!” before laughing, “I’m not sure my wife will be very keen on that!”
We’re sure it won’t be long…!
