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Weather beaten, determined

Seafarer Bouwe Bekking, the Sports and Technical Director of Telefónica Team and left, the Telefonica

Living in the sea, devoid of proper sleep or food, and several hours of strenuous work is exhausting. Only the determined mind can take up this challenging task of the life in extreme conditions.

Sailing is a combination of passion and work for Bouwe Bekking, the Sports and Technical Director of Telefónica Team and the skipper of Telefonica Blue, the team that won second position in leg two (from Cape Town to Kochi) of Volvo Ocean Race.

Bekking was 21 when he first embarked on the round-the-world race in 1985. He is a four-time world champion, four-time European Champion; 15 times national champion and has dozens of other recognitions! He is sailing in the Volvo Ocean Race for the sixth time. Bekking’s sailing journey began when he was hardly three or four.

“As a kid you grow up seeing parents as God and you follow what they do. My parents were sailors, and this encouraged me to start sailing,” recounts Bekking.

He was studying to be an officer in merchant navy, when there was a sailing race in his city. The race changed his destiny. Sailing, he decided, would be his profession.

His excitement echoes when he declares what he likes most about Volvo Ocean Race. “What I really like is the teamwork. You are with just nine other guys and you are fighting the elements. When you put a good team together it can mean great success. One of the main reasons I’m doing this is because it is not just about me. I am not going to be successful if I don’t have a good team, and that is what I really like about this. That’s the first thing, but of course there’s the sailing, which is just fantastic. You can’t get any better sailing than this; days and days sailing at 20-25 knots. Where else can you get it? The only race you can do it is in the Volvo Ocean Race!”

What determines the win? “It’s a balance of going very fast (leads to the challenge of damaging the boat) and safety (most important). And of course the target is to finish first.” The boat building technology has changed over years – from aluminium to composites, has increased the speed. The qualities a sailor should have are to connect with other people, should be talented, patient, and must have stamina, courage.

Being a skipper calls for making right decisions. The decisions have an effect on the rest of the crew. The toughest, yet the wisest decision, Bekking would have made in his sailing career is probably when he had to make the choice to abandon the yacht he was sailing in 2005-2006.

He was the skipper of Movistar. The damage was severe and when the keel showed problems and as a storm struck, the water started entering the boat. The gradual sinking made Bekking leave the boat as they were progressing in the race. How did the crew react to the decision? “The whole crew and their families were happy,” and true, they could not have done more about it than saving their lives. His thoughts are practical. “There is no point in talking of what we have lost as we can’t change realities.”

When not sailing, Bekking is fond of ice-skating, skiing and playing golf. He also enjoys ‘independent time’ at home, with his family. Bekking lives in a small village in Denmark with his wife, Rikke and 10-year-old daughter, Laura. Rikke and Laura too are sailors, though not professionals.

Ask Bekking of the best event in his life, and he says with a laugh, “meeting my wife.” A professional and a sailor with determination, yet a man who has deep concern for this family, he continues to explore more avenues in sailing and looks forward for taking part in America’s Cup (one of the most important sailing events together with the Olympics and Volvo), soon after the finish of Volvo Ocean Race 2008-2009.

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