Sailing through life

Magnus Holmberg has been ranked the best match racing sailor in the world and now he's getting ready for the America's Cup. This tall Scandinavian is not shy to admit that he has a job to be envious of.

Startled by the unusual questions being thrown at him, Magnus Holmberg's bright blue eyes flickered on occasion, as he looked to the sky for answers about things that he admitted, he never considers on a daily basis. Or perhaps he was just shy. Regardless of which, his answers came in a calm and consistent flow — his strong Swedish accent sometimes spiced up with an honest and charming chuckle.

Fractured rib

But today he winced in pain every time he moved. “I fractured a rib playing ice-hockey a couple of days ago, and it really hurts. The thing I've learnt is not to sneeze. When that happens it feels like a knife is piercing my body,'' Holmberg said, shifting uncomfortably.

It's quite an unfortunate accident as Holmberg is the skipper and helmsman of the Swedish sailing team, Victory Challenge, who is currently in Dubai training for the America's Cup which is being held in Valencia later this year.

Wind conditions

He chose to bring the team to Dubai because, in his words, “the wind conditions here are perfect. We can train on the water every single day, and it's exactly what we predicted and hoped for before we came''.

Dubai has certainly lived up to his expectations, and when I asked him if he thinks they will win the cup, he instantly puffed out his chest in an unconscious act of pride (wincing in pain simultaneously) and said: “I think we have a great chance of winning. We might be smaller than the rest of the teams, but we have such a strong team spirit. We're not doing this for money or fame. We sail from our hearts.''

Ice-hockey star

This is evident as his eyes light up when he talks about his passion. His interest started when he was only 8 years old, and at 13 he was already racing. But sailing has not always been his No 1 sport. When he was younger he dreamt of being an ice-hockey star but finally chose sailing, when he realised his talents in hockey were not good enough to give him a chance in the professional league.

Championships

So he focused all his energy on sailing — but put enough time into getting his Masters degree in engineering at the same time (just in case) — and competed in countless European and world championships, not to mention three Olympics.

He's been ranked the world's number one in match racing, but now says he's reached the time of his career — and life — when he'll focus solely on the America's Cup. Holmberg is thankful for the fact that he chose a sport in which he can continue to participate even when he gets more “seasoned''. And he loves the fact that he can travel to beautiful places.

He lived for more than a year in New Zealand while he trained for the last America's Cup, and now lives in sanctuary amongst tapa bars and perfect sailing weather in the city of Valencia, Spain. His wife and three children also live there with him, but his Spanish, he says, is non-existent due to his long working hours.

Nevertheless, for a brief moment he found time to throw down his anchor and have a chat with me about his personal thoughts, the Vikings, and his fear of heights — “I prefer to stay at sea level''. And that he does.

10 questions

1. Most embarrassing moment:
Oh, that's gotta be plenty! Well, when I was about 25, I was on my way to a regatta in Italy when I accidentally put diesel in the car instead of fuel. It resulted in me coming a day late...

2. Zap yourself to which place on the planet right now: Sydney, Australia. I've never been able to spend enough time there.

3. Likes and dislikes of your body: I'd like to be lighter. But I'm proud to be tall!

4. Favourite time of the day: It's not the mornings, that's for sure! Getting home from work and eating a really good dinner.

5. Three famous people, dead or alive, to have dinner with: Paul Elvstroem who is the most outstanding sailor in history. Jack Nicholson - I think he'd be pretty fun. And Nelson Mandela - it's so incredible what he's been through.

6. What makes you laugh: Good British humour.

7. Last day on earth to live: Spend it with my family.

8. Bring to a deserted island: Another person - preferably a woman.

9. Best and worst thing about Dubai: Best: The drive in this city. It's as though nothing is impossible here. Worst: All the construction work is annoying, but I guess that kind of contradicts my first answer.

10. Final words: “Do unto others as you would like it done to you.''

Personal stats
Age: 45
Star sign: Libra.
Food: At the moment I'm hooked on Indian.
Film: Hound Dog Afternoon - an old movie with Al Pacino.
Actor: Sean Penn.
Sexiest woman: Sharon Stone.
Breakfast today: Scrambled eggs, a hot dog, mushrooms, potatoes and tomatoes.
Eggs should be: Sunny side up. And how come hotels never make boiled eggs the right way. They are either too runny or too hard.
Book: Well...I used to read a lot of books...
Perfume: Issey Miyake.
Country: Spain.
Sport: Ice hockey.
Car: BMW. But otherwise, I'm not really that picky.
Season: Late spring.
Introvert or extrovert: Introvert.
Hobby: Music, skiing and relaxing! That is just pure luxury.