WordsJohn Carter & Amado Vrieswijk// PhotosJohn Carter.
Jack of all windsurfing trades and master of them all, Amado Vrieswijk is one of windsurfing’s ultimate all-rounders. From incredible double air culos in freestyle to being one of the top foil racers in the world, his skills are not confined to one discipline. Born in Bonaire, he continues to keep up its tradition of producing world-class windsurfers. The talented Dutchman tells us more about his life.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
FULL HOUSE To be honest it is really tough juggling four disciplines. During the competition season in Europe I have to carry a mountain of gear around to different events as I compete in foiling, slalom, wave and freestyle. I like all four styles of windsurfing, they are all fun but transporting all the equipment is a bit of a nightmare. I was lucky in the Canary Islands this year, as my mum brought my slalom gear over for me and helped me also on the way back to Holland.
The various disciplines require different physiques. With slalom you want to be heavy, otherwise you cannot compete with the bigger guys. Luckily in the Canary Islands it is always windy for freestyle so I can get away with the extra weight when I compete in Fuerteventura. In some ways it has worked out for me as I have more power being heavier.
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ADAPTING There were so many events this year that I didn’t really have the chance to train for them separately. I went to Maui in April for the JP photoshoot and after that it has been competition after competition. I have had a few spells where I have been in Holland for three or four days but the rest of the time I have been on the road at contests. The winter time at home in Bonaire is the only time I can train for all disciplines, but there we mostly have just flat water so it does not necessarily prepare you for the likes of windy slalom in Fuerteventura or waves in forty knots in Pozo! Right now I am a bit over living out of a van or a hotel room and I am ready to go home! I left Bonaire in April to fly to Maui and I don’t return home until after Sylt in October. Even after the Canary Islands I had events and clinics organized in Silvaplana and Greece.
After the high wind slalom in Portugal, which was like 30-40 knots every day, I went to Denmark for some clinics. The wind was really light so we concentrated on foiling which was fun. Straight after that I flew to Pozo switched to a 4.0m sail and went out wave sailing. The first hour was really weird just getting used to this tiny sail and board versus a 9.0m, 6 knots and a giant foil board. That transition was actually fun and a great feeling.
This year I entered the waves in Pozo and really enjoyed competing in that discipline. I need to focus more on wave riding because we don’t have any real swell in Bonaire. I think for next year I will head out to Pozo at least two or three weeks before the event so I can raise my game in the waves.
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ON THE ROAD I have a tonne of equipment to move around. In slalom my one set for competition is five sails, then I have two or three more sails for foiling. In freestyle I rig at least five sails for most competitions and now I have waves which is another four sizes. On top of that is all the masts, booms, and different boards. As you can imagine it is a hell of a lot to organize. For the Canary Islands I had 9 board bags full of equipment.
I am a bit tired right now. For the past few months I have barely had time to sit still in one place. I have always been living out of a bag in a hotel room or sleeping in my van. It means I don’t have a routine, every day I am doing something different. After the past five months it has worn me down a little bit. I miss my own house and my own bed back in Bonaire. Sometimes you need to recharge before you go again. Next year will probably be similar, I am only 22 so I am young and still enjoy this lifestyle.
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DISCIPLINES What is my favourite discipline is a tough question. I love all of them. The hardcore slalom is incredible fun. Foiling is technical and can be amazing during the PWA races. I love freestyle in Fuerteventura when it is high wind and more big air style action, just flying, and waves in Pozo is all about going as high as possible which is an adrenaline kick and so cool. I basically love it all.
The jumping in Pozo just came to me. I have been to Cape Town twice and of course you jump there but it is only one month of training and it is not always that great for jumping there. Most of my sailing is slalom, foiling and freestyle. The other disciplines still help I think with your rig control and general sailing skills.
In each discipline you have to work your way up from the bottom of the pack. I started off down the ranks in freestyle. Your initial aim is to perhaps make the top sixteen. I don’t expect to rank high in slalom or waves but I am doing my time, gaining the experience and gradually working my way up.
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In Japan I made a losers final and the top 16 which was awesome. I was in a semi-final there with all the big guns and that was so much of a thrill. At whatever level you are at it is a new challenge. In freestyle I have climbed right to the top echelon with the likes of Gollito Estredo and Adrien Bosson, so to beat those guys now and compete for the title is a battle of the highest order. You have to start somewhere. In windsurfing there is no way to start in any area and be the best already on the PWA tour. You need the experience. Even foiling took a lot of races to understand the tactics whereas some of the guys who used to do Formula and course racing knew a tonne more about the courses than me. Slalom is largely about tuning the sails, knowing what combinations to take and the correct fin for the conditions. You don’t just rock up and know automatically how to get the best out of the gear. It takes time to rise to the top and that is what I like, the challenge!
All the different families within the disciplines are totally different. The slalom guys are older and wiser. They are all friendly guys and everyone will help you out with tuning to a certain degree. Slalom is a whole different vibe to all the young guns in freestyle where the atmosphere is much more relaxed. The freestyle guys are there to have fun until you reach the very top seeds who are chasing down titles and have big money bonuses on the line.
Foiling I think is great for windsurfing. I am curious to see in which direction it is going to head. Costa Brava was a great example, if we didn’t have foiling we would have just done one elimination in slalom over seven days. It helps keep the event active and is much better for the organizers. I guess next year we will opt to go foil only over slalom, let’s see what happens.
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BEGINNINGS My family has an apartment close to Amsterdam in Holland, so that is my base in summer and place to recharge when I get a small break in the schedule. Bonaire is still home, but that is just between October and April.
I was born and raised in Bonaire and learned to sail in the crystal clear lagoon there. Every time I come back home I am still blown away how beautiful it is. Other places around the world are also nice, but to me there is nothing better than home. My parents are car dealers and also run a repair shop, that is what they do full time in Bonaire. I learned windsurfing in 2002 when they had the King of Bonaire. I saw freestyle windsurfing taking place and asked my parents for a lesson to try it. I stood up and I was gone. The only thing they taught me was when you put the sail backwards it goes upwind and forwards makes it go downwind. That was all I knew. After that I went every day straight to the beach after school.
The first event for me was in Bonaire when I was fourteen. I started out racing and was doing a lot of IFCA events around Europe and then the pro kids events that were happening every year in Bonaire. I started out as a racer but then I saw Tonky and Taty jumping around on freestyle equipment and I wanted a piece of that. I really love both slalom and freestyle and started training for both.
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RACING BLOOD My need for speed comes from my grandfather, Wim Janssen. Back in the day he had a motor racing team and travelled through Europe. He was several times European Champion in the Speedway Midget Class. He began racing in 1964 when he was 24. I turn 24 next year and just got my racing licence at the Zandvoort Formula 1 track in the Netherlands. It’s great to share an interest with my grandfather, best friend and biggest sponsor.
THE GYM I tried a few different types of training with Taty Frans to figure out what is best for PWA level, especially with the different disciplines. In freestyle you don’t want to be too heavy, but in slalom you need the weight. I have tried to find a balance. If I didn’t go to the gym I don’t think I would have made it this far. I have a lot of competitions to stay fit and strong for and I would not be able to handle it without the preparation I have done. You do not want to know how hard we train. We go to the gym three times a week in Bonaire; the day after you feel dead, but the hard work really pays off.
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AMBITIONS My main ambition is just to enjoy windsurfing. In waves I have no expectations to be at the top just yet, but in Pozo I was still top 16, which was a nice surprise. That motivates me more for next year. Pozo kind of suits me, but down-the-line conditions would obviously be another challenge. When you do well it just motivates you more. You learn from the mistakes and that is how I keep going. In freestyle I would love to be world champion. I had a bit of a shocker in Fuerteventura but I was injured going into the single elimination. I did not even know if I would be able to sail. I still made the top four but I am not sure if that is enough to win the title against Gollito. It could have been much better. In slalom I hope to make the top 16 this year and it is looking good so far. For foiling I am already top three so I’m hoping for a good finish to 2018!
