British actor, Alfie Allen, who plays Theon Greyjoy in the award winning HBO series, swapped his furs for a wetsuit to join the team aboard Land Rover BAR’s foiling catamaran as it flew past the Manhattan skyline on the Hudson River last week. Allen joined Britain’s America’s Cup sailors in New York as they prepared to do battle in the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series.
Allen took time out from his busy schedule to join Sir Ben Ainslie and the Land Rover BAR team for a showdown with America’s Cup Defenders Oracle Team USA and four other contenders in preparation for this past weekend’s sailing spectacle.
Despite limited sailing experience, the celebrity ‘sixth man’ proved equal to the challenge. Sitting on the stern just behind Sir Ben Ainslie, Allen admitted he’d never experienced anything like it. “It’s still sinking in really that I’m here with this amazing team – Ben’s a legend! I’ll be honest I’m not an avid sailor but being ‘sixth man’ is a once in a lifetime opportunity. It’s incredible watching how the team and the boat operate on the water, we got foiling – it was amazing.”
Land Rover BAR Team Principal and Skipper, Sir Ben Ainslie, said: “The lads are big fans of Game of Thrones so it was a pleasure to meet Alfie and give him a taste of America’s Cup racing. I know he’s a big Formula One fan and this is effectively the equivalent on water. I think he must have enjoyed it because he’s coming back to cheer us on tomorrow.”
Unfortunately the actor’s appearance didn’t impact the outcome as team Land Rover BAR finished 5th, ten points behind the weekend winner, Emirates Team New Zealand.