Fernando Martinez 42 —- best formula sailor of 2008 . Winning US Nationals and the National Tour
You just won the 2008 US National and the National Racing Tour. How do you feel about this?
I feel extremely happy about it. I think the conditions in Worthington, MN resembled a lot the venues where we are used to race in Argentina, where being aware of wind gusts and shifts can make a huge difference. I am at a pont in my life where I can’t dedicate more than perhaps a day per week to sailing, but I knew going to Worthington I could have an edge against my competitors who put a lot of time training in the water. I didn’t have the hours in the water, especially having had my first baby weeks prior to the race, but made sure all the other things I could do to prepare were taken care off, such us spare parts, some high performance fins, and most importantly physical training to prevent getting too tired or having an injury. The committee run 17 races which is definitively exhausting. The Nationals this year added the ‘nuking’ wind component. Two days with winds gusting over 35 mph, even with a tornado warning the first day! I was surprised to win 4 races in a row under those conditions.
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