Multi-Talented

Back in the early days of windsurfing the overall world title was a major thing, however, nowadays sailors generally specialise in one particular discipline, so in a way Amado Vrieswijk (Future Fly / Severne Sails / Z Foils) breaks that mould - especially having just earned a maiden podium in Slalom X, which is the third discipline he has podiumed in. The Bonairean is a former Freestyle world champion, while in 2023 he finished as the Foil Slalom vice-world champion, so if the overall world title was still a thing, it’s hard to look much further than the 29-year-old as the best all-round windsurfer in the world. Racing is truly in Vrieswijk’s blood as when he’s not racing on the water he’s often found racing on a Formula 1 simulator. Having just notched his third different discipline podium in Tenerife, we caught up with Amado for an interview:

Hey Amado, congrats on your latest podium in Tenerife, which now means you’ve podiumed in three separate disciplines (Freestyle, Foil Slalom and now Slalom X) - how do you feel about that?

“It obviously feels amazing, I think there aren’t many riders that can say that, so I'm really proud about that. Just need to start doing some waves now and who knows if I can snatch a podium there as well :P." 

You’ve previously concentrated more on foil racing than fin racing - did you spend more time this year preparing for Slalom X than previously or something else just clicked?

“Yeah, it's funny actually as I'm also not fully understanding it yet where the speed came from… 
It’s not that I’ve been slow in previous years, but last year I was very sick with corona during the Pozo event, which of course didn’t help at all. 

In Fuerteventura I still hadn’t fully recovered from the virus, but I went ahead and did the freestyle before the slalom, which of course wasn’t the smartest decision (YOLO).  

After the foil event in Guadeloupe I didn't foil anymore, but I went back home and spent some time on the new Point-7 gear. So having a bit of fin sailing together with Taty [Frans] which for sure really helped as he is one of the fastest guys out there.”

You and Taty are both obviously from Bonaire - how much time do you spend testing with each
other? It must be pretty useful with you both being on the same equipment - both boards and sails for tuning… And what do you think of racing on the fin compared to foiling?

"It definitely helps that Taty has been sailing forever and is really in tune with the gear. He helped me with tuning and getting back up to speed, because in my first three sessions on the fin I honestly felt like a beginner again.

Fin and foil racing are very different and require a different approach. For me, fin racing is much more physical while foil racing is more mental. 

On the fin you’re pushing the gear and bouncing through the chop, while with foiling you’re locked in but need to stay focused and ready for every small movement. Also, in fin racing there are fewer lines to take around a mark or other riders, but with foiling there are so many different ways to attack."  

How much more physically demanding is it to compete on fin compared to the foil?

"1 hour of fin sailing vs 1 hour of foil sailing is a very big difference.

With the fin you're bouncing on the chop and really need to fight the gear to make it go fast, while with the foil you're floating in the air and you don't feel any of that bouncing, but instead you're trying to keep it locked in and steady in the air.

With all that bouncing and pushing the board on the rail it makes it very tiring physically, but on the other hand when your powered up on the foil, and try to squeeze every ounce of speed out of the gear, the focus is insane as every chop you need to calculate to not go too high on the foil, to ensure the front wing doesn't come out of the water, while at the same time not touching down as 90% of the time this turns into a crash."

In just over three weeks, Sylt will begin, are you looking forward to competing again on the foil?

“Yes, it's time to get the foil gear back out and get back into sorting the gear out and in general to get some hours on the water in.
So yes looking forward to getting racing and pushing the limits again.”

How are you preparing for Sylt and what’s your goal?

“For now I’m in Holland, sailing with some of the Dutch boys and trying to organise marks for gybing, and hopefully finding someone to train starts with us, which will be very useful.
Foiling at this level also comes down to a lot of tuning, so it’s going to take time and plenty of testing to get the best settings for Sylt.
My goal is always to win, but I also need to be realistic.
At the moment it’s not easy fighting against the PATRIK Foils while I’m on the Z Foil, but that’s another challenge, and it will make a good result even more satisfying.”

Thanks, Amado and congrats again on your latest podium. Good luck in Sylt in a few weeks time.