Tue, 05 Dec 2006 12:00:00 UTC
Simon Fisher talks about events in 2005-06 which will stay with him for the rest of his life
Simon Fisher wears his heart on his sleeve. As navigator of ABN AMRO TWO, he displayed the full spectrum of emotions, from the utmost joy and satisfaction of accomplishment to abject misery when losing a friend. He showed great tenacity and skill as a navigator, and considerable character, warmth and openness when facing the world’s media.
In an interview with Louay Habib, editor of www.bangthecorner.com, Si-Fi, as he is known, gives us an insight into his life and his thoughts on the next race.
Q: What was the first boat you ever sailed in? A: I first sailed when I was just a few months old on board my Grandfather’s cruiser-racer in Burnham. I first started racing as a crew in Cadets when I was about seven. I’ve been hooked ever since.
Q: What was the first competition that you won? A: I think it was one of the weekend series in my Cadet.
Q: Besides sailing, what sports did you do as a kid and were you any good at them? A: I was the goalie for my school hockey team and I played a bit of football, but sailing was always my big passion. I was always happiest when I was sailing or just tinkering with my boat. I also enjoy all the board sports like surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding but have never been as good at them as I’ve wanted to be.
Q: Who were your sailing heroes when you were growing up? A: When I was a kid sailing at the San Diego Yacht Club in 1988, I was pretty impressed with Dennis Conner. He really was Mr America’s Cup at that time. I always looked up to The Whitbread guys too. Not only the big names in the race at that time, but also the young guys from Dolphin and Youth. I am lucky that many of the guys I looked up to and who inspired me and helped me with my sailing career, are now my good friends.
Q: What are some of your earliest sailing memories of the Volvo Ocean Race or Whitbread? A: I remember as a kid watching The Whitbread shows on TV and thinking one day that’s what I want to do!
Q: What incident stands out for you in the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-06? A: I think the incidents of leg seven, losing a friend and rescuing the guys from movistar will live with me for the rest of my life. Those days are as clear in my mind now as they were then.
I think what we had all been through on that leg was really driven home to me when we turned the corner into the marina at Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth. To see everyone from the race lined up waiting for us in support was a very tough and emotional moment for me. I cannot express enough gratitude for the support that came from everyone in the race, friends and family and the companionship the movistar guys offered us when they came aboard in the Atlantic.
Despite everything we went through as a crew on that leg, the 2005-06 event was still a fantastic experience with too many good memories to count. We all surpassed our expectations and breaking the 24 hour record was pretty special.
Q: What do you think are the qualities required to be a part of the crew on a Volvo Open 70? A: There are many qualities you need to do this race. I guess it’s a given that you are a good sailor and good at your specific role, but I think it really helps to be a bit of an all-rounder. That way you get more out of it for sure.
I’d say mental toughness is important too. You have to put up with a lot of different things and it can be very stressful, not only when it’s windy and your are on the edge, but in the light airs too. I guess everyone deals with it differently, but what matters is that you can.
Then there is fitness, not only strength for dragging sails around, but aerobic fitness too. If you are fit then you get less tired and I think your brain works better too. I’ll definitely go into another race looking a bit more athletic!
Above all I feel that teamwork is the major player when it comes to success in the Volvo. It’s a long race where you live in each other’s pockets for extended periods, so it helps if you are a good people person and a sense of humour is a must. I think having a good, cohesive team goes a long, long way in this race. I think one of the reasons ABN AMRO TWO worked as well as it did was because we had a lot of fun while we were out there.
Q: How will the new route effect boat design? A: I’m not sure you will see a massive change in the boats next time round. I think because of the changes in the rule, they should be a little more even and an extra spinnaker should help in the light, but I don’t envisage at this stage a massive shift in the performance profile. ABN AMRO ONE was designed to be fast in 12-18 knots and in these conditions she was a good chunk faster than the rest of us. However, in the lighter airs she could still hang in there and it never took long for her to catch back up when the breeze arrived! Even though there is more equatorial sailing, I expect the average winds won’t be far different from the last race. Even though we will probably do even more sailing in that range we still have to have a boat that will take us round Cape Horn!
Q: What about crew choice? A: Again I cannot see a massive change in how the boats will be crewed in the next race. I am sure a few teams will bring their in-shore specialists onboard for the in-port races, but I think if you have a good all round team you can could take on any route.
Q: What effect will the new route have on the work load for navigator? A: With the new course there will be a lot more homework to do on the parts of the world that this race hasn’t been to before. There is a lot of historical data for the ‘traditional route’ and we benefit from the old hands who have done this race before. Despite the last race being my first, I went into the legs feeling pretty well prepared with the help of Mike Quilter, Ken Campbell and Stan Honey who have been at this game for a long time. We could look back at what had happened in previous races and have a good idea of what to look out for. In this respect Mike’s experience and advice was of massive benefit to me. I guess there won’t be that for the trip through Asia!
Q: What sailing are you doing at the moment? A: Since the Volvo I have been working with Victory Challenge in Valencia and racing in the Med-Cup with the TP52’s. I’m already missing the speed excitement and camaraderie of the Volvo. However, the TP52 racing is fantastic - so close and competitive. With a fleet of that standard you learn a lot every day. It’s good to be back in the America’s Cup too. We are doing a lot of technical development right now, which is really interesting. We have a great team of guys at Victory Challenge and the learning curve is really steep, so it quite an exciting time for us.