Aksel Magdahl is a Norwegian sailor widely recognised in professional racing circles for his role as navigator in two editions of the Volvo Ocean Race, in particular for Ericsson 3’s remarkable victory on leg 5 of the 2008–09 edition. It was the longest leg in the event’s history, running from Qingdao in China to Rio de Janeiro via Cape Horn, and was won thanks to an original and daring strategy that made the most of navigation and weather-modelling software. His experience spans a range of boats, from offshore multihulls to maxi yachts, but this is the first time we’ve seen him racing on smaller keelboats. We spoke with him during the Range Rover Sardinia Cup, where he was racing in the Sardinia Cup 2 class aboard Nola, representing the Yacht Club Repubblica Marinara di Pisa as part of the RocketNikka team.
Aksel, you’re well known for your role as a navigator in major offshore races. Do you enjoy sailing amongst the islands of the La Maddalena Archipelago just as much?
The biggest regattas I’ve done are probably the offshore ones, including a few round-the-world races. Even so, returning to sail in Sardinia is always a pleasure. I’ve taken part in about 20 regattas here on maxi yachts, but this is my first time racing on smaller boats. It’s a new experience for me, because it means getting to grips with sailing much closer to the coast, the rocks and the specific features of this race course.
Have you taken part in the Sardinia Cup before?
I’m too young to have raced in the original Sardinia Cup or Admiral’s Cup, but last year I took part in the return of the Admiral’s Cup with this team, on a different boat, and it was a fantastic experience. I really like the team competition format: each crew works not only for their own result, but also for the team. It’s an aspect that adds value to the event and makes the competition even more engaging.”
How do you find the racing conditions here in Sardinia? Does the Costa Smeralda race course have any distinctive features?
Racing in Sardinia is always something special. As a navigator, you have to factor in so many elements here: the rocks, the islands, the boats marking each other closely while constantly looking for clean air. Today, for example, the wind shifts caused by the headlands and cliffs played an important role. It’s one of the things that makes these waters technically very interesting. At the same time, it’s impossible not to be struck by the beauty of the surroundings. I was saying this to some of the crew as well: you only have to look around to realise how extraordinary this place is. Many of the sailors had never raced here before and were absolutely blown away. It’s truly fantastic to be able to sail in Sardinia.
