Interview with sailor Rafael Świąder

Rafael Swiąder is an expert in the oil and gas industry, having worked with the biggest players in the market. His passion has always been sailing the big seas. He started sailing when he was 7, and his greatest achievements are completing the Middle Sea Race in 2020, the Fastnet Race 2021, and the Middle Sea Race 2023, and most recently the Newport-Bermuda race 2024.

You returned from the Newport-Bermuda race last year having participated with the Polish team on board the Ocean Breeze in the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Division, under skipper and owner Johannes Schwarz.

Could you say a little about this experience and what made this race special for you? 

Yes, it was a good performance from the Polish team. Last year’s race was the last big race I participated in, and the whole experience was special, considering the journey to America to set out from Fort Adams in Newport, Rhode Island, and finishing 636 miles away in Bermuda. Being on board a ship for several days and spending so much time with your fellow crew mates, always makes for a special experience and unique opportunity to bond through adventure and challenge.

Every race that I’ve been in has been different, because they were in different parts of the world, in different conditions — that’s what makes each race special. That was definitely the case with this Newport-Bermuda race. The navigation was much more critical and tricky, because if you want to be faster you have to navigate smartly, as you have to match your route exactly to the currents. The most important part of the race is sailing with the Gulf Stream currents. It’s really tricky and not everyone can do it. And if you fail to read those currents well then you could easily lose a few hours everyday. Ultimately, if we had read the currents poorly we would have placed much lower in the race.

Rafael Świąder (seated first on the right), onboard Ocean Breeze during the 2024 Newport-Bermuda race.

Describe an average day onbaord the boat during a race?

The day is usually divided into watches, and the whole crew itself is divided into watches. That’s around four hours per watch. During those four hours, you’re completely focused on everything that’s happening on the deck…manoeuvres, steering, sails, navigating etc. It’s all dependent on your function on the deck. The time during a watch just flies by. After your watch ends, you go to sleep for four hours, and then you wake up and start all over again. Though after each watch you can organise yourself to do something, eat, talk to your crew mates, go straight to bed, it depends what you have energy for. Sometimes, even during your break, you might be called out onto the deck to give a helping hand, depending on what the situation requires. It means there’s never really a dull moment during a race.

How did you first get into sailing?

Frankly speaking, it’s hard to say, it was so long ago. But when I think about it now, it was mostly thanks to one of my neighbours whose life was connected to the sea and sailing. I was invited by him to a summer camp in the early 80s when I was in the first class of primary school. My parents are still neighbours with him in their very small town in Pomorskie, in the heart of the Polish Pomeranian lakes. It’s a perfect place for sailing!

Luckily, our local government at that time did a great job providing sports opportunities for young people, and we had all the equipment and facilities for sailing, and most importantly we had elders and adults with a huge amount of experience who were willing to share this experience with a new generation. It was on this first summer camp that I started to sail.

I remember we started on the Finn or Laser class of sailing boats, and overtime we were sailing with those classes of boats or the Optimist class. The camps were two or three weeks long, and I found the whole experience really exciting. I remember that if you wanted to start sailing solo at that young age, you had to gain a swimming licence.

I was a very ambitious kid. I didn’t have my licence, so after the first camp, I already wanted to pass the swimming licence test, and that was in 1982, if I remember well. I remember the swimming instructor in those days, he took us out onto a canal which connected two lakes near our town. I remember him measuring the distance we should swim, about 250 metres, and then I had to swim another stroke, and even under water for several metres, to pass the test — luckily I did at the first attempt.

But it turned out that I was too young to have a sailing licence as a child, I should have been about 10 years old. But my instructor was great and he made an exception and somehow got me the licence even though I was only 7. After that things moved really quickly. 

So you must have learnt to swim from a very young age? 

Yes, we lived so close to the lakes, I had started to learn to swim from a very young age. 

I even found my old swimming license, which shows how young I was when I got it.

Swimming license 1982, required for being a sailor.

But how did you continue sailing after the summer camp, when you were only 7 years old? 

Well, that comes back to my first point. There were great facilities for sailing in Pomerania where I lived. I started to sail with a club near my home. Even my primary school and the sailing club were closely connected and cooperating to get young people into sailing. I think one of the biggest things was that in those days you could participate in sailing and training for free, We didn’t need to pay for that. But to sail in the club, while we didn’t need to pay, we were given some small jobs like maintaining the boats, cleaning, tidying up, or making sure things were in order in the main storage room for boats.

Do you think that was a big factor in you eventually becoming a sailor? I mean do you think you would be sailing now if it hadn’t been for that early opportunity to participate in sailing for free during the communist-era Poland? 

Absolutely. I’m sure. I think if it hadn’t been for that opportunity when I was so young I wouldn’t be sailing now, especially not at the level I am, having competed in four major world races.

Today if you want to achieve a good result in sailing, or achieve something in terms of a career, in my opinion it’s really different, as it’s harder to enter the professional ranks. I think now you need to invest more money to get into sailing and get to the competitive level. Without the support of the state, schools, local government initiatives, for some youngsters there could be a lot of barriers to getting into this sport. But for countries whose sailing culture is much deeper, the prospects for sailing are much better.

Could a young person without financial backing and means get to the professional youth level?

In my personal opinion, it always takes a strong will and talent to get to that level. Generally speaking youngters need the support of their parents but also of a club, as it's very demanding to cover all the costs.

Is there an ideal age to start sailing in your view?

Well, I think first of all you can start sailing at any age. The most important question is where do you want to get to in sailing. For sure, if you want to be a professional sailor, in my view you need to start as young as possible. If you just want to sail, I don’t think age is a barrier. As a sailor who started very young, I notice these days, I have a different level of awareness on the boat and sea, and different habits and behaviours, thanks to starting sailing so young, compared to those who didn't.

We talk a lot about talent in sport. Often it’s hard to define what that talent really is. What do you think talent is in sailing?

Based on the top-level sailors that I know, such as one of my friends who’s a full-time professional sailor and spends as much of his available time on sailing and training on the water, the fact that he does that, for sure makes him what he is. But at the same time, he has this remarkable ability to read the water, wind, weather conditions to manoeuvre the boat to find the best course, and in my view observing my friend behave and react in really tough situations, it’s hard to imagine that you could teach someone to do that.

Witnessing him sailing, for me this is the definition of talent in a sailor. His ability to read the sea, weather, and everything else, and make the boat perform to the best of its ability, regardless of how tough the conditions are. Not only that, but when I see my friend sailing, I can see he is able to predict several manoeuvres ahead, a bit like a good chess player. And again, I think this is something you just can’t teach. I think of course all his practice, training, and competing has helped him achieve this level of proficiency, but at the same time there’s just something very natural in his ability, especially when it comes to reading the sea and weather, and being on the open ocean. Seeing him out on the sea, I can just see that’s just where he feels most at home. 

Has technology really changed sailing, and even made talent less important?

Nowadays, we have a lot of technology to support sailors and the technical level of sailing has in general improved a lot. Sailing depends on making certain assumptions, the strength and direction of the wind, the strength and direction of the current, and all this determines the sails you need to use in a given race.

The technology and advances in sailing have meant that the overall standard of sailing has improved a lot in recent years. You almost can’t compare things to 30 and even 20 years ago. But you still can’t substitute ability and experience with technology. The boats, the devices for navigation, communications, and managing the boat, the material used for the boat, sails etc have all changed significantly since I started sailing. But that talent as I described before still means a lot out on the open ocean, and separates outstanding sailors from the good ones.

How do the races in sailing work? Could you explain that for someone who knows close to nothing about sailing races?

There are many sailing regattas organized around the world. Some of them are only for professionals and are treated on the same level as other major sports events, like the World Championships in volleyball, tennis, or ski jumping. These regattas involve advanced equipment, professional teams, and preparation crews. Examples include the former Volvo Ocean Race (now The Ocean Race), America’s Cup, or Vendée Globe (the world's most famous solo sailing race). Each of these events use different boats, specially designed for the conditions they face.

Some regattas are open to a wider group of sailors, including amateurs who see sailing as their passion and often dedicate a lot of time and money to it. These events include a series of races called the “600s” (six hundreds — races with a distance of at least 600 nautical miles), such as, the Sydney to Hobart Race, the Fastnet Race, the Middle Sea Race, the Caribbean 600, the Newport-Bermuda Race, and in recent years even newer regattas have joined this group, following the same rules, the Aegean 600, and the Baltic Sea Race.

Of course, this is only a short list of the sailing regattas that take place worldwide. Each of these events, including the Aegean and Baltic Sea Race, has its own history. Participating in them gives sailors great satisfaction and presents many challenges to overcome.

One of the most famous regattas is the Sydney to Hobart Race, organized in Australia. It is legendary and famous. Many sailors dream of taking part and experiencing the unique atmosphere in Sydney and Hobart. The race happens in the southern Pacific Ocean, the Tasman Sea, and Bass Strait. These waters are known for storms and very high waves. The first race took place in 1945 as a way to thank soldiers who fought in World War II. Since then, the regatta has been held every year.

In Europe, one of the most important regattas is the Fastnet Race. It is held in the Irish Sea and the English Channel every two years since 1925. Together with the Sydney-Hobart and Newport- Bermuda races, it is one of the toughest and most important ocean regattas in the world.

In North America, the Newport-Bermuda Race, which I participated in just last year, is another regatta with a long history. It started in 1906 and now takes place every two years, like the Fastnet Race. The route runs from Newport, Rhode Island, to Bermuda, crossing the strong Gulf Stream currents. The finish line is marked by St. David’s Lighthouse in Bermuda. The regatta is demanding in terms of navigation but offers beautiful experiences, ending with the unique atmosphere of Bermuda.

Is sailing a dangerous sport in your opinion?

Like any sport, sailing carries its unique risks and dangers. The sea is a wild and natural place, so in this sense sailing is more intimidating than other sports perhaps.

In 1974, strong winds during the Fastnet Race caused a huge tragedy. Nineteen people, including four rescuers, lost their lives. Over fifty boats capsized, and five yachts sank. This was a key moment to improve safety procedures for the future.

In 1998, during the Sydney to Hobart race, a low-pressure system formed, creating extreme conditions with winds up to 70 knots and very high, steep waves. This was caused by the meeting of cold air from Antarctica and warm air from the continent, along with strong ocean currents. As a result, over half of the yachts withdrew, five sank, and six people lost their lives. After this event, organizers put a strong focus on safety. Strict qualification rules were introduced for both crews and boats.

In 2022, my friends participated in a regatta on a trimaran, and unfortunately they had an accident where the hull broke, and the mast was lost. A rescue operation was needed. Luckily, with the help of the SAR (Search and Rescue), the crew safely returned to Newport on the damaged boat. However, the yacht was so badly damaged that its repair would cost more than its value, making it a “wreck”.

So, as you can see sailing is not without its dangers, and we have to have a deep respect for the sea.

Thank you so much Rafael for your time sharing these fascinating experiences and insights from your time sailing. Just one parting question — do you have your sights set on any other races in the near future?

At the moment, I haven’t made any final decisions. However, this year marks the next edition of the Fastnet Race, which I am seriously considering joining again. There is also an invitation to participate in the TransPacific Race (a race from Los Angeles to Hawaii), for which my friends, with whom I’ve been sailing for a long time, are preparing. Unfortunately, this trip might prove to be out of reach. Another dream of mine is to take part in the Sydney to Hobart race in Australia, which we prepared for five years ago. However, our yacht was removed from the starting list just a few days before the race, due to the fault of its owner.

Of course, there are also several regional regattas held in the Gulf of Gdańsk and the Baltic Sea, and I will definitely take part in those.

Feel free to get in touch with Rafael at rafael.swiader@gmail.com, if you would like to know more about how to get into sailing, or eventually participate in races.