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Brian Antel:
Australian-born Brian Antel, 19, has been windsurfing ever since his freshman year of high school. "I was instantly addicted," he says. "Even though I had been sailing since the age of five, making it to the Nationals when I was nine, as soon as I started windsurfing, I pretty much gave up competitive sailing." When Antel's family moved to Cape Cod, shortly after the nationals, he became the youngest person on the racing team of the local yacht club. Even then, sailing was more than a pastime. A preteen himself, Antel spent his out-of-school hours as a sailing coach for younger kids. "I love the ocean," he says, "Whether it's surfing or kayaking, I like any sport that gets me out on the water."
As a full-time college student in South Carolina, Antel lives at Station 22 on Sullivan's Island, near Charleston. "I windsurf absolutely every day that it is blowing. If there is any wind at all, you'll find me out there, cruising on a big board, or playing in the waves," he says. A hurricane chaser, Antel smiles when he remembers the time that Hurricane Dennis swept through Charleston. "Over 45 knots, sideshore, with 15-foot breakers onshore, and who knows how big the swells were inside?" He laughs, adding that "it was the most challenging, expensive, and fun day I have ever spent windsurfing."
Although he loves sailing conditions in South Carolina, Antel finds that "you can't beat a nor’Easter on Cape Cod in late fall. It is freezing cold, there is usually no one else out on the water, the waves are huge, the wind is blowing about 40, and it is either pouring down rain or snowing. Definitely some challenging conditions."
His love of challenge and adventure bring Brian Antel to TeamUSA. "I have always wanted to cross the Atlantic on a sailboat, but this would be more challenging physically and mentally. It would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. All of which, for me, adds up to more fun," he says. "I have no idea what it must be like to find yourself with no one around, in the middle of the ocean. Whenever you're windsurfing at home, you know that if something goes wrong, you'll blow back to the beach, or you can call on your friends or someone passing by in a boat. Windsurfing, alone, in the Atlantic will be the greatest challenge of my life."
John Chao:
For TeamUSA Captain John Chao, 46, excellence is "caring more than others think is wise, risking more than others think is safe, dreaming more than others think is practical and expecting more than others think is possible." For Chao, the opportunity to lead TeamUSA across the Atlantic is more than a windsurfing challenge; it is a metaphor-in-action for achieving the highest against seemingly impossible odds. "The image of a lone human being, harnessing his body, mind, and spirit to the tiniest of craft ever to attempt an Atlantic crossing, has to be one of the most inspiring visuals of the human adventure," Chao smiles. "To accomplish our best, we need to look at every obstacle as a chance to find a better solution," he says. "The quicker we focus on the best way through a problem, rather than the difficulties, the stronger our team will be."
Dedicated, solution-focused, visionary thinking comes naturally to Chao, who, single handedly publishes and edits American Windsurfer. "John has incredible vision," commented Wind Tracks Journal publisher Clay Feeter, when the two magazines merged last summer. With a circulation of 120,000, and a website (www.americanwindsurfer.com) that has gotten more than 1,600,000 hits in the past six months, American Windsurfer is the largest windsurfing publication in the world. "Nobody believed it was possible to start a new magazine when I got the idea, five years ago," says Chao. "Publishing gurus, colleagues, and businessmen all laughed at me. But if you never attempt to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow."
Following his dream meant putting everything on the line, but the Taiwan-born American follows the saying that "a ship in the harbor is safe, but that's not what ships are built for...or windsurfers, for that matter." Refusing to be intimidated by the daunting risks ahead, Chao gave up working as a photographer for National Geographic and Outside magazines, moving into American Windsurfer's office in Gilford, New Hampshire, where he began putting in 18-hour days. In addition to this 110 percent commitment of time and resources, Chao invests imagination, perseverance, and hard work into every venture that the magazine promotes. "Whether we are holding clinics in Aruba, testing boards at Club Paradise in Maui, introducing a new line of Wind Wear clothing, or sponsoring the American effort in trans-Atlantic racing, American Windsurfer stands for the highest standard of quality, production, and service," says Chao.
Energized by the spirit of adventure, he looks forward to pitting his own athletic skills against the force of the ocean when TAWR2000 gets underway on March 18th. As an Olympic windsurfer, for Taiwan, in 1984, Chao is an avid sailor who keeps in shape during the long, New England winters by ice skating with a Skimbat wing. He is also looking forward to the finale of the race, in Fortaleza, Brazil. "My dad worked in South America and our family lived in Sao Paulo and in Peru, for several years. So when we sail across the finish line, for me, it will mean coming home," he says.
For Chao, the challenge of windsurfing in this event is not as important as leading the five-member U.S. team through all the hazards of this grueling ocean crossing. "Our main concern is safety, and it's my responsibility as captain to make sure our sailors never lose sight of the team's boat, even if it seems to slow them down," he points out. Even before the team leaves for the airport, it is the captain's job to oversee such tasks as organizing equipment, coordinating with TAWR2000 organizers in the U.K., locating sponsors, and finessing travel arrangements for everyone. Like Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Starship Enterprise, John Chao understands that "there will be many unsettling things" up ahead, including not having all the information needed to make the best technical decisions. "How we approach these weaknesses is as important as how well we sail," he says, adding that "positive energy in the midsts of chaos will lead to positive results. This will be our mantra for the journey."
Marco DeMoraes
Ever since 37-year old Marco de Moraes uphauled for the first time, in his native Brazil, in 1976, he has been hooked on "that great sense of freedom and power." DeMoraes, who has been living in Greenwich, Connecticut since 1986, rarely misses a chance to get out on the water, even during the cold New England winters.
"Enthusiasm, energy, and excitement" are the three words that best describe his high-level drive and contagious good humor. "Along with physical strength and knowing your own limits, teamwork and motivation are essential for success," he says. ""That's true, regardless of whether we're talking about TeamUSA and TAWR2000, windsurfing, or any other sport." An excellent athlete in a number of disciplines, he has been a competitive swimmer since the age of nine, a champion bicycle racer, at 14, and a purple belt in judo and karate by the age of 16. As his father's co-pilot in national Motocross races around Brazil, every Sunday, de Moraes took off on his own after a few years, winning first place in the 100cc category. He also worked for offshore powerboat world champion John D'elia, helping him break the world record in 1988. His secret? Polishing the bottom of his boat with "carnauba," a special wax from Brazil. "Even when I was competing in other sports, I always spent a lot of time in the water. I started surfing in 1973, and really loved it. But as soon as I discovered windsurfing, I became a fanatic," he says.
Marcos' gear includes three boards--Mistral XLE 278, Screamer 268 Convertible, and Tiga 254 Wave--a quiver of seven sails, from 8.5 V8 to 3.5 combat wave, seven fins and assorted carbon masts, extensions, and booms. "My favorite gear is the 4.0 and wave board, which, together give me the greatest adrenaline high," he laughs. "My favorite place to windsurf is Maui, when it's blowing 20-25 knots, sideshore, logo high. But I'll sail in just about anything, as long as it's killer wind." De Moraes, who has been sighted chasing hurricanes, once got into trouble in gusts of 67 knots. "My mast broke and I was picked up by a fishing boat," he says. "But that hasn't slowed me down."
If anything, chasing the edge has sharpened his ability to think fast, on the fly. The tactical genius of TeamUSA, deMoraes insists, "You have to be 100 percent mentally fit. No day dreaming allowed." For practice, he enjoys the high-pressure work of maneuvering celebrities and executives through mountains of traffic in the tri-state (New York-New Jersey-Connecticut) area, as a chauffeur for the top brass of the World Wrestling Federation. "I am thankful that WWF has so much confidence in me that they are going to the mat by sponsoring me in TAWR2000," deMoraes says, adding, "They understand the excitement of a big competition." Just as important to him as the race, is the opportunity to follow the same trade winds and nautical footsteps as his Portuguese ancestors who discovered Brazil 500 years ago, he says. "When I windsurf across the finish line to my own land, I will have a better idea what they must have felt when they saw Brazil for the first time. Following the path of such great explorers is an honor and it is the best possible way for me to travel to my homeland!"
(When the TAWR2000 windsurfers enter the waters of Ceara, Brazil, on April 6, they will be greeted by fireworks and official celebrations marking the 500th anniversary of the discovery of Brazil.)
Renata Fuzetti
"Crossing the Atlantic on a short board, connecting to the wild forces of nature, will be the adventure of a lifetime," says Renata Fuzetti, the 22-year old Brazilian pro windsurfer who will join TeamUSA in Cabo Verde for the race across the ocean to Fortaleza, Brazil. The only woman to participate in TAWR2000, Fuzetti, who will turn 23 on April 1, says, "For me, windsurfing is all about instinct, self-control, and facing the unexpected. In this race, all of that will be taken to the limit...and beyond."
Fuzetti's windsurfing career has been about pushing the envelope ever since she started, in 1996.. As a student of marketing at the University PUC in Sao Paulo, she was also attending business classes and working at a pharmaceutical company when she decided, "I needed a radical sport to break up the intense work routine, so I took up windsurfing on the Guarapiranga Dam in Sao Paulo, and on the island of Ilha-Bela." About six months after she took up the sport, Fuzetti visited Hawaii, where she fell in love with the windsurfing conditions on Maui. "I transferred to the marketing program at Maui Community College and began racing in the amateur division, where I met the legendary Robby Naish," she says. By the next season, when she entered the Open Division, she was sponsored by Naish Sails. After two and a half years on the pro circuit, she ranks 9th in the world, according to the Professional Windsurfing Association. In South American overall rankings, Fuzetti ranks fourth; and she holds the number one title in the Brazilian nationals' women's division.
"Since I moved to Maui, I have been windsurfing every day. My favorite site is Hookipa, where I love wavesailing in four to six foot waves and side to offshore winds of 20 knots. For racing, I love bumpy conditions and 25 plus knots," she says. "The most challenging conditions I have ever faced came during the 1998 PWA Aloha Classic Wave Final, where the waves were huge, and the wind, extremely light."
As she prepares to meet TeamUSA in Cabo Verde, Fuzetti believes that the most important qualities needed for TAWR2000 are "health, strength, and both physical and mental training. You need to believe in yourself and control your emotions. You need to know when to stay calm and when to be aggressive. You also need to balance being realistic and being instinctive." She adds, "Above all, you need to treat the ocean and your teammates with respect." Fuzetti, who will be the only woman on the five-member U.S. team, is looking forward to the experience of living on the 35-foot inflatable boat when she's not actually windsurfing. "Every obstacle is going to be a chance to make something positive happen. We have a great team and I know we will all be tuned in and helping each other to go for it!"
Guy Miller: Racing Captain
If you had to describe 44-year old Austin resident Guy Miller in three words, they would probably be "Precision, dedication, and adventure." The British-born software developer says, " I love challenge and like to push my limits without taking stupid risks." While this means that he would not sail Jaws "at my current skill level, as I would probably die," as a National Senior Masters champion and semi-pro racer, Guy believes he has the right stuff to take on the challenge of racing in TAWR2000. Adventure runs in his blood. It might even be in his genes. "My father was a daredevil, war time bomber pilot and hero who survived being shot down, then escaped from captivity. I am so like him in so many ways, it is scary," Guy observes, adding that he wants to dedicate his participation in the race to his dad.
The strategic lynchpin of TeamUSA, he has been making sure that as many technical details are ironed out before March 18, when the racers line up at the starting line in Algarve, Portugal. Whether he is researching airfares, or looking into the cost of renting satcom equipment to give TeamUSA a navigational edge, Guy believes "open ocean windsurfing is a different game from normal windsurf racing, in addition to board handling skills, an ocean racer's knowledge of weather systems and patterns, ocean currents, and speed are crucial." Just as critical is "mutual trust among members of the team."
Guy Miller has been windsurfing for 22 years, having started in Indonesia while he was working for an oil company. "They had an original windsurfer, but no one knew how to put the thing together, let alone sail it." Since he had been sailing dinghies since the age of nine Guy figured that windsurfing "couldn't be that hard." A few sessions of fumbling around, getting laughed at made him even more determined to learn how to windsurf. "When I was transferred to Australia in 1981, I bought my first board and started racing." Since moving to the United States in 1984, Guy has sailed in hundreds of races and, in his spare time, built diviny cell sandwich boards, around the same time that Gary Efferding of Hypertech was starting out using the same process. A team rider for Neil Pryde, he likes to sail his own boards, although he also has Mike Zajicek and Mark Bassett designs.
A permanent resident of the United States, Guy is married, with two children, ages seven and nine. Not only does the entire family windsurf--Guy met his wife windsurfing, and they got married on two windsurfers! His employer, Trilogy Software, is sponsoring Guy and giving him the time off to compete in TAWR2000. "I'm looking forward to this event, not simply for the adventure and challenge of it. I want to do something unique so that I can build a memory that I can carry with me for the rest of my life."
Monty Spindler:
Whether windsurfing or designing Loft sails, Monty Spindler, 43, believes, "What we're doing is an art." Although this expatriate from Annapolis, now based in Tarifa, Spain, has been windsurfing since 1976, he remains fascinated by the sheer mystique of flying around on the water. "There's this certain mystical quality about what we do that I find fascinating. I thank God for that, because if it was quantifiable and definable, absolutely, it would lose all of its magic," he says. Yet Spindler's genuine respect for the spiritual essence of windsurfing is grounded in practicality. Asked to describe himself in three words, he chooses "resourceful, animated, and human." Why? "Because," he adds, "I make do. I am Alive. I am homo sapien."
Spindler's fascination with windsurfing began in 1976, after several years of competitive dinghy racing. "I was sixth in the Laser Worlds in Brazil in 1977," he recalls. "Ken Winner became my 'teacher' by throwing me in the water and laughing as I floundered and he sailed around me!" Determined to show Winner he could do it, Spindler bought some cranky used gear, including a hand-made pine daggerboard, from his mentor and practiced until it, literally, fell apart in the water.
Nowadays, Spindler's quiver is up to speed, "with more than 25 masts, maybe seven booms and "MANY, MANY sails," he laughs, adding that "it's the slimmest it has been in many years." He owns an F2 30 raceboard, a custom 100% Fun 275 slalom, a Copello 268 slalom, and two Copello wave boards. "My favorite gear is the stuff which fits the conditions," he continues."I enjoy slalom racing but it is a bit out of style. I really like the speed slalom gear provides, along with longer and higher jumps. You CAN play in small waves with slalom gear as well, but don't let the rig get worked!" His favorite windsurfing sites are "the big, clean waves at Hookipa, the Canos de Mecca near Tarifa, and Essoira/Sidi Kaouki in Morroco, if the waves are in." Although Spindler has fond memories of Hookipa, he cautions, "The vibes there are so heavy that the fun can be taken away."
That spirit of lightness characterizes his windsurfing life on and off the water. One of the world's premier sail designers, he places a high priority on making sure he gets out, on the water, three or four times a week, whenever possible. High on his list, as well, is spending time with his wife, who is expecting their first child in August. "I'm glad TAWR2000 will not conflict with our due date, in August, as it is a great adventure that I cannot pass up," he says.
Spindler's career has been intrinsically connected with the heart and soul of windsurfing since 1981, when he met Neil Pryde through Ken Winner, and signed on to design Neil Pryde sails in Hong Kong. "My work at that time was primarily designing sails for HiFly, Tiga, and Sailboard Alpha, all the windsurfing companies for whom Neil Pryde manufactured." In 1984, he moved to Lake Garda in Italy, because of its central location to manufacturers in Europe. "Everything was rolling fine until Neil had trouble with his business in '85. HiFly went bust, Windsurfer USA went out, Windsurfer Japan went down, and the Irish loft in county Cork ended up going bankrupt because the market that the loft was servicing dropped out," he remembers. But instead of wiping out, Spindler was able to jibe adversity, signing a contract with ART in 1986. Since 1994, he has lived in Tarifa, Spain, eight miles from the crossroads of Europe and Africa, where the Atlantic and Mediterranean seas merge. As he ponders the view, and the challenge of windsurfing across the Atlantic, Spindler's thoughts are, as usual, both pragmatic and spiritual. Asked what he thinks are the most important characteristics needed for TAWR2000, he says, "Endurance, fortitude, and confidence. Confidence in yourself and in your gear, as well. The fascinating thing is that there isn't anything more efficient than our craft on the water. But there's no way you can analyze what we do on the water with sails and masts and spars. It's an art."
One that Spindler believes he will never tire of. "I'm sure I'll be windsurfing when I'm ninety years old."
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