My life in sport: Brad Van Liew

Brad Van Liew aboard his yacht Le Pingouin at the Velux 5 Oceans race village in Wellington. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The countdown has begun to the start of sprint three of the Velux round-the-world yacht race - a 7000 nautical mile leg from Wellington to Punta del Este in Uruguay. In two days the fleet of international ocean racers will blast out of Wellington Harbour on the next stage of their solo adventure around the planet.

One sailor expecting to be leading the charge around Cape Horn is American Brad Van Liew, who has set the pace in the opening two ocean sprints and was the first of the four sailors to arrive in Wellington nearly three weeks ago.

The 42-year-old from Charleston, South Carolina, is taking part in his third solo round-the-world campaign, having finished third in 1998 before winning the event in 2002.

Solo ocean-racing is something Van Liew, a self-proclaimed adrenalin junkie, has been hooked on since his late teens.

It is a feat that has always had a certain romanticism about it - it is just man (or woman) alone against the elements. It isn't entirely glamorous - it means long stretches at sea surviving in spartan conditions, sleeping on the floor, washing with baby wipes in the absence of a shower, and using the "bucket-and-chuck-it" method of waste disposal.

But Van Liew says the sense of accomplishment he feels when he completes a passage successfully makes it all worthwhile.

Typically what does this week leading up to departure involve for you?
Well it involves preparing all the sort of stuff you'd expect - food and supplies and that sort of thing. But the big thing is also making sure we deal with all the maintenance issues on the boat that might pop up in a leg, so we have a few last minute repairs we're working on.

What sort of shape was the boat in when you arrived in Wellington?
It was in pretty good shape. We have about three issues we're still working on - we've got to work on getting the sail figured out and a computer issue.

Can you describe the feeling when you hit the startline and are about to embark on another arduous leg?
Well each leg has its own flavour and feel and this leg in particular will have the emotion of getting around Cape Horn safely. That's the biggest issue here, so what I'm focused on the most is looking at the weather and trying to get around Cape Horn without causing any damage.

What is the weather looking like?
Well there's a big low south of New Zealand right now that is coming through and will pose good winds, so it's looking like a pretty good start to the race at the moment - hopefully that will actually happen and we'll have a fast run down the coast of New Zealand as we head in to the southern ocean.

Is that leg around the Horn typically the most challenging passage on the solo round-the-world race?
It can be, in some ways it's the most challenging because it is so remote and there is so much wind involved. But tactically it is not as difficult as some of the other legs, so it has its own set of challenges.

So how did you come to be sailing yachts around the world by yourself?
I started racing dinghies when I was really young and fell in love with off-shore racing when I was in my teens. By the time I was around 18-19-20 I had fallen in love with single-handed ocean racing, and I was finally able to do this for the first time in 1998 [van Liew competed in the "Around Alone" race in 1998], when I came through Auckland, and I did it again in 2002 and so now this is my third one.

What's the appeal of solo racing for you?
The fact that you have to be a jack of all trades on the boat and the nicest thing for me is the sense of accomplishment you get when you do something well and you know you're solely responsible for your own results. It can be very difficult emotionally if you mess it up, but if you do it right it's very rewarding.

Has there been anyone that you would say has had a key influence on your solo ocean racing career?
There's been a few, but one in particular that was sort of my mentor was a guy called Mike Plant who did this race in 1986 and 1990. He was an American guy and he sort of befriended me and helped me out with my goals. The big thing he did was allow me to get involved with his team at a very young age so I could learn in a hands-on way what was involved. So that was his biggest gift to me. And also the attitude that anyone can do it if they just focus.

This is your third solo round-the-world campaign. Is there a race that sticks out in your mind as being the most challenging for you?
This one so far seems to be the most challenging. It involves so many different legs and getting in and out of the ports is a big challenge.

Why is getting in and out of the ports proving difficult?
Just with the weather I think. Having to force your way in and out of each port rather than bypass them and use the weather easily always seems to pose a big tactical challenge.

How do you manage to live in such cramped quarters for that long?
You know, I just have to think of it as a job. It's work for me - you get stuck into it and turn off all those societal things, like getting a decent meal, decent sleep and just focus on the job at hand. I always look forward to being in port when I can be, but other than that I just try to get stuck in and put my mind into work mode.

So what is going to be your last meal before you set out this weekend?
Oh I haven't really figured that out yet, but I usually have a big fat steak or something.

You've won the race before in 2002 and are leading this series. What does winning the race mean to you?
I won the last one I did and that was a very pivotal moment in my life, so I've sort of done that. This time I'm just trying to do the best that I can and have as much of a good run as I can and it would be a huge bonus if I can pull it off and win a second one, but I'm just going to sail to my ability and let what happens happen and not get too emotionally wrapped up in it.

A lot of solo ocean racers talk about the emotional toll those long stretches at sea can take on you. How do you deal with that?
It does get very emotional, especially now I've got a couple of young children [Tate, 8, and Wyatt, 6] and I just try to communicate with them as best I can when I'm at sea and have fun with them when I'm in port and cherish the time we have.