28 PROFILEANT BAKER
You’ve a long and fruitful history within windsurfing. Tell
us when and where it all began.
At what age did you start competing? Wow, I think I was
around nine years old when I had my first enchilada of
excitement on the race course and man did I love it. My dad
and I didn’t always see eye to eye back then as he wanted me
to be fully focused but as a kid you have a different view - this
is only too apparent now with my own kids!
What was your first taste of success?
I won quite a few youth events when I was young but what
stands out is the Production Board Worlds on one of the
islands in Greece. It was super windy and therefore perfect
conditions for me to go out and take the win; all I had to do
was win the final slalom race and I was world champion. Sadly,
it didn’t exactly go to plan as I was so eager to get out and was
in fact the only person on the water that I went over the line
early so that race didn’t count and I ended up second overall.
Not a great experience but this is racing and you wake up the
next day and get on with it! I went on the following year to win
the Europeans and pretty much everything else as a kid.
How was windsurfing competition back in the day? Very
different to now we imagine.
Racing is racing – I think everyone takes a different view of it
and some can handle and some can’t. Back in the day the
prize was bigger and with this came more stress and larger
fleets but overall the feeling inside when I start a race is the
same. I can sit on the beach and say it doesn’t matter, and
then as soon as I touch the water BAM I want to win! After
taking time out and being successful in recruitment, I felt I
needed to find that spark again, and yes, it’s still there!
uk
WIND
SURFING
Can you remember your first pro event? How did it go?
My first event was Gran Canaria and it was 40-50 knots and
we ran slalom. I was on F2 and Rushwind I think and all I
remember is my first race when I was going towards the line. I
saw Anders so moved down the line to see Bjorn then Patrice
and then I was at the pin end and had to slow. I watched as
the entire fleet rocketed towards the first mark while I followed
at what seemed like a slower rate, that was until Anders
exploded and took three others with him and I laid it down and
came out in second to Bjorn and made it in to the next heat. I
was so pumped! I get reminded of that feeling every time I do
something thrilling but it’s nothing like when on a race course.