Fight for survival at sea on Channel 4 this Sunday
by Annabel Merrison 1 Feb 2007 17:34 GMT
FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL AT SEA – the tale of Alex Thomson’s rescue in the VELUX 5 OCEANS: Sunday 4th February at 8.00am on Channel 4
‘Ocean Rescue: The Race against Time’, a one-off 60 minute documentary that tells the incredible story of Alex Thomson’s dramatic rescue in the VELUX 5 OCEANS will be shown on Channel 4 this Sunday, 4th February, at 8.00am.
33 days and 7000 miles into the VELUX 5 OCEANS round-the-world yacht race, Alex Thomson was fighting for his life and preparing to abandon ship after the keel on his yacht broke loose in the icy Southern Ocean, 1000 miles from land. Out of range of the rescue services, with a 50-knot storm imminent, Thomson's sole chance of survival was for his adversary, Mike Golding, to turn back and sail nearly 100 miles in a force eight gale to attempt a perilous rescue.
The drama unfolded in one of the most isolated parts the planet; with two solitary skippers battling against the odds. Miraculously, both kept their on-board cameras rolling throughout, with Thomson disclosing his gravest fears from the fragility of his life raft. Just when the extraordinary rescue seemed to have been successful, Golding’s mast – the height of a seven-storey building – snapped, and the pair were fighting for their lives again. Subsequently, Golding and Thomson, who had been openly hostile towards each other before the start of the race, were forced to live together in Golding’s tiny cabin for seven days as they battled their way to safety. A remarkable eye-witness account, Ocean Rescue: The Race against Time charts each tense stage of this breathtaking story.
Andrew Thompson, Channel 4’s Head of Sport, said "This is an extraordinary tale of human courage. We had already committed to covering the VELUX 5 OCEANS race on Channel 4, so we had exclusive access to the amazing on-board camera material at the moments of crisis. This is a documentary that charts first hand a most extraordinary rescue in one of the world’s toughest sporting challenges."
Ocean Rescue: The Race against Time, which was first broadcast on More4 on 18th January, is produced by APP Broadcast and exec produced by Andrew Preece.