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With
a complete ass kicking administered to the rest of his class in leg one
of the Around Alone Race, Brad Van Liew has served notice that he is the
man to beat in the 50 foot class. Brad has typically not been thought
of when the best offshore single handers are mentioned, but we could be
witnessing the emergence of a new American factor in this largely European
domain. So far it is a great story. With the start of the next, 6,800-mile
leg delayed a bit due to very high winds, we grabbed Brad for a quick
ten questions. Enjoy.
I'm
certain you were as surprised as anybody about your crushing victory in
leg one. What was the biggest factor?
BVL
Yes,
very surprised and very pleased. Without a doubt I made an aggressive
decision to get North to a front that was coming through the Grand Banks
area. Luckily, I was able to ride it across.
Unfortunately,
even with that win, the race is far from over. Who do you now consider
your toughest challenger, and why?
BVL
Tim
Kent and Derek Hatfield seem to be very tough with very good boats. During
the last leg Tim made a bad decision to go south and then turned his mileage
deficit into a 3rd place finish. Derek sailed a tactically perfect leg
and he is definitely serious about racing to win.
Will
you factor your big initial lead into how you sail this next leg?
BVL
Unfortunately
I cannot. The race is now scored with points and I am only 1 point ahead.
The good news is that by finishing 600 miles ahead, I have had significantly
more time in port for repairs and preparation.
To
us, weather routing appears to be a very complex problem to solve. What
software and other assets are you using to figure it all out?
BVL
No
doubt weather routing is where this race is won and lost. I personally
use a software program called RayTech made by Raymarine. The program is
a potent crew member and helps me to choose routes. I first download weather
charts via my Iridium satellite phone then download it into RayTech for
analysis.
How
do you like your boat so far? Strengths, weaknesses?
BVL
Tommy
Hilfiger Freedom America is everything I had hoped for. It is a bullet
off the breeze but painful to windward. An open boat is all about trade-offs
so I think it is important for me to maximize my off the wind potential.
Tell
us a bit about your sail program.
BVL
I
am using Honeywell's Spectra for fiber. The cloth has been manufactured
by Bainbridge and is a woven cloth. I am using two sets of sails one of
which is specific for the Southern Ocean legs and another for the other
3 legs. Quantum in South Africa has built the sails and they have proven
to be very reliable and we have taken a conservative approach with reliability
as a priority.
How
did you train for the event in terms of the physical aspect of this event?
BVL
I
have done 3 transatlantics in the last year - 1 solo, 1 double handed
and one in a crewed race and all on open boats. My philosophy in the long
distance game is that offshore time is the best training physically and
mentally so I try to do miles.
One
cannot sail this race without decent funding. Look at the struggles poor
(literally) Bruce Schwab is going through. You secured Tommy Hilfiger,
a major coup. How did you manage to bring them on board?
BVL
Well,
there are two approaches to managing an Around Alone campaign - one is
based on philanthropic donations and the other is to deliver real marketing
benefits to corporate entities. I chose the latter and my wife Meaghan
has been a crucial element to our success. We definitely understand how
deep one must dig to realize dreams. We launched this campaign in July
1999. Dry Creek Vineyard, California Yacht Club and Ridgestone Corporation
were involved early on. We cherish this early belief in our efforts and
the ability to build an American dream. Tommy Hilfiger came onboard in
April 2002 and they have been absolutely incredible to work with and deserve
recognition for making the bold move to become a sponsor in the sport
we love. Our goals matched their philosophy of "living the American
dream" and priorities placed on resourcefulness and ambition. They
will also be launching a Spring 2003 line of nautical clothing based on
the campaign. Their logo was actually developed based on nautical flags.
I
have and will always try to help anyone (especially Americans) to reach
for the goal of competing in this sport. I hope Bruce Schwab and Tim Kent
can continue to move forward with their incredible achievements. I know
Bruce has been enormously successful in fundraising. He has some very
generous fans who want to see him finish and I commend him on his fortitude.
What
is the approximate budget of the entire race?
BVL
I
think you would be surprised at how cheap a competitive class II program
is. Our budget is about the same as the initial cost of building an Open
60.
Looking
forward to the next leg, what are the areas that you feel you need to
be better?
BVL
Always
weather routing. This leg is a tactical mine field so not tripping into
no wind or bad winds will be key.
Good
luck Brad, and we hope to check in with you after the next leg!
BVL
Thanks
for the enthusiasm and I will look forward to checking in once I reach
Cape Town. Only 7,000 or so miles away!
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