FAMILY MAN
My life has changed for sure because we have a new member in the family. It is a positive thing for me because I wanted to have children for a few years now. There is a lot of different organization now we have our son travelling with us. I feel that I am strong in the way I organize my travel and lifestyle so it is not so much of a problem. Paula is super good with Alini, she really takes care of him and we are a solid team so it is perfect. They are travelling with me to Korea and Japan and any other events where it works. Most of the other events are in Europe so that will be easier. I always wanted to have children and now I have a son it feels awesome. When I was 18-20 maybe I did not think about, it but now I am older (44) the time feels right.
BAD SEASON
Last year I was not so fast on my light wind gear. In the years before I was extremely competitive in light winds but last year it did not click for me. My speed was not fast enough but this year I feel much more confident with the gear and all of my preparation. I am looking forward to finding out how it goes this season. I would like the title back, I know it will be hard, it is never easy but I would like to finish the season at least on the podium. I feel more competitive this year. Since the beginning of the year I went to Tarifa to train and I saw how my speed was against the guys. In Maui also I felt very fast and very in tune. I lost a few kilos and I feel motivated. Even though it was disappointing last year in the light winds, I showed in Fuerteventura that I could dominate. That event saved the season for me as it was one of the best high wind events in a long time and I sailed very well and was in control. It was the first time I have dominated an event for a while. For the rest of the season it was mostly super light winds, so when you are not feeling competitive there then it was game over for me. There are a lot of guys who can win a final and it is very hard these days.
THE LEVEL
For a long time the level in slalom has been going up. I was lucky to be on top for many years and the guys challenging were changing year to year. Now there are more guys than ever who can win races. More guys training harder and more guys who can potentially knock you out in early rounds. I prefer it now fighting against a lot of contenders than only one big rival. I know I can be super consistent in any wind so if I can sail my best this year I can be back on top again.
