... sail like Santiago Lange

Just under three months ago the Tornado World Champion 2003 was in action with Victory Challenge at the Louis Vuitton Cup in Valencia. In the following interview the 45-year-old Argentinian discloses how hobby sailors – or those who want to become one – can stay afloat at all times.

How do you tell the difference between a sailor and someone who can just steer a sailboat? In other words, what makes a sailor a sailor besides commanding the right technique?

A good sailor is one who respects the sea and wind. On the other hand, you also have to do it from the heart and know and understand your boat inside out.

Because there are separate rules of conduct for each sailboat class, each position, each weather and wind situation, a sailing student could be overwhelmed in the beginning. What goal should beginners set themselves for their first sailing lessons?

Just focus on the basics. Learn to feel the wind and the boat. Remember that sailing is a sport that you can practice for a very long time. Be patient! You’ll have lots of time to keep learning!

In which boat class is the philosophy of sailing easiest to learn – and in which boat class can this be learned most thoroughly?

This will depend a lot on which type of sailing you’d like to do. Normally, it all starts in the Optimist [sailboat]. But, if you didn’t start that young, anything that floats and helps you to enjoy the sea and the wind is good. If your objective is just to sail for pleasure, friends who know what they’re doing can really help. If your objective is to compete, try to do it in a category that has competitions in your home club. Then you can grow from there.

You design and build racing dinghies and have been the link between designers and the sailing team at Victory Challenge. In how much detail does a sailor need to know the particularities of his/her boat in order to use it competitively?

Inside out! The better you know your boat, the more attention you give to detail, the better it gets. But you also need to know the limits, when the development process ends – and then you just have to play the game. We make lots of mistakes by blaming the speed of boats, and haven’t spent enough time analyzing other ways of how to improve.

Those who simply go cruising in a boat naturally use different techniques to someone who races. Can you give us a couple of examples of how Santiago Lange’s maneuvers differ from the ones learned in sailing school?

I think the biggest difference is that when you cruise you want to have fun, be relaxed, and arrive at your destination safely. When you’re racing, the main goal is to be that much faster around the course. We work really hard on maneuvers. Good handling of the boat gives you the opportunity to gain positions when the boats are closer – at the start and at the mark rounding. You need to be good then because it’s the time during the race when you can catch up on a lot of time!

Finally, could you give us some tips on a last-minute holiday? Which spots should every sailor have been to at least once in their lives – and which hitherto undiscovered, secret spots could you recommend?