JC: Where do you keep your trophies?
BD: I have some on Maui, some in the Canaries and some are standing in my garage. There are a lot around but I don’t really have a special room for them all.
JC: Do you know what percentage of competitions you have won?
BD: In Sylt they came up with the statistics and it is actually written down. I won 163 world cups which up until Sylt was around a very high victory rate out of around 212 world cup starts.
JC: Do you have a most memorable victory that you look back on?
BD: I guess the one to remember must be the 1st one! Then the 5th overall title was special because that equalled the Robby Naish record. Then ten overall was a good one and twelve overall as well! Definitely the last one for Starboard and Severne which was twenty five years apart from the first was kind of special, so that was a world title in 1988 and I did it again in 2011. I have had so many amazing days on the water luckily and I know there will be many more to come. I am also one of the seven windsurfers that have actually done 50 knots. Albeau is leading the pack with 52.04, I believe. That is definitely not the end of it, I think the 100km/h top speed is going to happen pretty soon and if the channel and the wind is right, also the 100km/h can be achieved over a 500m average.
JC: Do you still wave sail when it’s howling in Gran Canaria?
BD: I have been, I prefer down the line kind of situations and I will have more time for that now that I have less slalom contests to get ready for. I have been respectful to my sponsors and preparing my equipment for the slalom competitions so obviously I have not been able to go out there to ride and jump before a contest. Now I have more time, I can go out and wave sail again even more. With Liam getting older and wanting to jump more, his next step is going to be the forward loop which obviously he wants to learn already. I guess I will have to get back on the wave equipment more frequently to help him on his way !
JC: Do you think some people used you at all over the years?
BD: Some people have used me to step up the ladder, that happens all the time. There are obviously a lot of people who like to stand in the sunshine with you, but when you are not in the spotlight anymore you don’t see them anymore either! Over a career as long as mine, thirty years, you meet so many people and you know some are going to stay around and some are not! Part of being the strongest competitor is not letting your enemies know exactly who you are so they can’t find any weak points. That is what helps me to stay stronger. That’s why I have always fenced myself off a little bit.
