BENGALURU Wednesday 10 December 2008
DC
sport
42
TRIVIA: In 1999, Andre Agassi became the fifth man to win all four major tournaments — Wimbledon, the US Open, the Australian Open, and the French Open — completing a career Grand Slam. The other four are Don Budge, Fred Perry, Rod Laver and Roy Emerson.
It’s definitely not a sport for the faint-hearted. A bruising sport that requires as much brawns as brains, sailing throws you into the deep sea where you combat nature at its ferocious best. But for sailors like Mueller, it’s pure adrenalinepumping stuff
MAN VS SEA a battle of unequals MAXIN MATHEW BENGALURU
T
here’s a moment in the sport of sailing when you are dangling from a pole at a terrifying height above the rest of your crew and struggling to control the mighty headsails amidst howling storms that threaten to launch you overboard. It’s the moment when man is at the mercy of the sea. When every ounce of strength pours into your arm and wrist as you grind the winch against vociferous waves crashing onto the deck, leaving you with a mouthful of saltwater, the odds are indeed stacked against you. “It’s an addiction. It gets in your blood,” says Michael “Michi” Mueller with a smile, one of the youngest sailors to take part in the Volvo Ocean Race. The 24-year-old plays the multifaceted role of bowman-cum-trimmer-cum-driver for Puma’s Il Mostro or The Monster, a Volvo Open 70 which is the world’s fastest class of monohull racing yacht. A job that requires agility, strength and speed, Michi fits the bill perfectly. With rippling forearms and bulging biceps, the six-foot German, backed by his sound proficiency and technical know-how,
Whether its manning the bow during rough seas (extreme top) or grinding the winch, sailing has become an addiction for Mueller. has been an asset for skipper Ken and drenching conditions throughRead and crew. It is said that the out the race. “It gets on your bowman plays an instrumental nerves at times, but then it’s not an part in almost every strategic easy job,” says Michi. “We have to manoeuver that is adopted be constantly alert as there is no onboard. room for errors. Getting seasick is Apart from signalling to the another problem as we are conhelmsman the distance from the stantly bouncing at the bow. But starting/finish lines and that of the then you have to master the art,” he opponents, he also acts as the added. team’s eyes at the front of the boat It’s not only a tough job, Michi and has to adjust to the biting cold rues, it comes with added injuries.
“At times we are the ones who are sent up the mast or to the end of the spinnaker pole (a spar used to control headsails which runs from the base of the mast out to windward side of the boat) when there is a problem. And in case the weather is rough, we are the first to get hurt,” he added. Addicted to the seas from when he was 13, Michi comes from a family of windsurfers. “I was very keen on windsurfing as a child. My parents and my siblings are all into windsurfing and what started as a hobby became a passion,” he said. Furthermore, Michi said sailing and water sports are gradually gaining popularity in Germany, a country with a minimal coastline that has soccer as its main sport. “We have quality yachting and sailing clubs in some parts of Germany and we need to have a centralised club or domain where everyone can pursue the sport together,” he said. Over the years, Michi contested in numerous world meets and European championships, establishing his prowess in the sport. His biggest break came last year when he represented his country in the America’s Cup in Valencia, one of the most prestigious and the oldest regattas in the sport of sailing. Aboard the Il Mostro, Michi shares a good rappo with Ken. “He
It gets on your nerves at times, but then it’s not an easy job. At times we are the ones who are sent up the mast when there is a problem. And in case the weather is rough, we are the first to get hurt is a great guy to work with, a good team player. We had a good training session before the race and he was of valuable help to us. The Volvo Race is one of the toughest sailing tournaments and Ken is the right man for the job,” he said. With Puma in second place behind Ericsson 4, the third leg to Singapore will prove crucial for them to snatch top honours. “The Race is still open as we are just seven points behind them. We have some good plans working out and probably the third leg may prove beneficial for us,” he signed off.