Ian and Meredith: The Full Interview

By Eddy Patricelli

WS: Ian how many years have you been windsurfing?

Ian: 17, I started windsurfing in 1988 at the age of 13 on a man-made lake called Represa Guarapiranga in Sao Paulo, Brazil. My brother, friends and I found some unused windsurfing equipment at the Sao Paulo Yacht Club, of which we were members, and put it together with our natural engineering skills. Although my parents had windsurfed before, they had given it up due to the heavy, clunky and unreliable equipment. So, we discovered the sport by looking at pictures and through trial and error. I remember the greatest challenge in learning on that board was trying to keep the mast base attached to the board: and then of course there was the wobbly boom. Some part of me always wondered if we were missing any parts or if there wasn't some better way to put it all together. Beginners have it easy these days, but I don't tell that to Meredith. We were young and learned quickly because, if nothing else, falling involved the possibility of swallowing water that carried any number of undesirable critters.

WS: Places windsurfed?

Ian: Well known windsurfing places visited and sailed include: Aruba, Bonaire, Cabarete, Gorge, Maui, Tarifa and in Brazil Jericoacoara, Ibiraquera and Ilhabela.

WS: Favorite place to windsurf?

Ian: By far my best all around windsurfing trip has been to Jericoacoara in the northeastern part of Brazil. I am biased of course since I feel at home with the food, music and rustic accommodations, but the place is magical and enchants even to the most skeptical tourist. Filled with wonderful things to do from dune jumping in jeeps to sand surfing, horse-back riding, beach soccer, "Capoeira" dancing/fighting at sunset, "forro" dancing at night or just listening to some MPB (musica popular brasileira) behind a soft solo guitar while sipping on a "Caipirinha" or a "Batida de Caja" under the stars. And, if you are lucky and you just can't hold on any longer to your 5.0 you will probably get rescued by the crew of a jangada (an ancient style of balsa-wood sailing vessel still used today by local fisherman who keep the tradition alive). I speak from experience here. The side to slightly offshore winds reminds me of the Venturi effect experienced off Kihei in Maui.

The principal challenge for visitors to Jericocoara is that it is so remote. A long flight to Sao Paulo and then back up to Fortaleza is grueling even for the avid jet-setter, followed by a taxi or bus trip of several hours to the town closest to Jeri. Jeri itself can only be reached by jeep or truck over unmarked sand dunes and through several rivers. So, go prepared for an adventure of epic proportions. Once you reach this oasis though you will feel like you are in heaven. The effort required makes it feel like it was all the more worthwhile, and, we hope, will keep it something of a hidden treasure, even among windsurfers. Having found Jeri, though, opens the question of how many undiscovered windsurfing treasures still exist in the Northern part of Brazil.

On the water, Maui is by far my favorite, but it requires a lot of work, rigging and de-rigging, and the place has no atmosphere.

My favorite spot in the Caribbean is Cabarete although Bonaire is probably the best beginner spot.

The Gorge, to me, is like windsurfing in a washing machine. While it provides the most extreme windsurfing I have ever seen, it is probable that only about 5% of the windsurfing community can truly take advantage of its conditions. The rest survive the best they can.

WS: Jobs within windsurfing (ie. Sailboard's Maui - others?):

Ian: I worked as a kid camp instructor for a summer at the Rhonda Smith Windsurfing center in the Gorge. I was fifteen years old. It was my first solo trip and an incredible growth experience.

My next windsurfing job came the summer before I went to college. My brother and I traveled to Maui and we worked for Sailboards Maui doing everything from sweeping floors to selling equipment to Japanese tourists with cash filled pockets. It was also my first experience in wave sailing and that added a whole new level to the sport. I windsurfed every single day and, regrettably, didn't see anything else the island has to offer.

I once planned to spend a month working in Paros, Greece while traveling through the Mediterranean. Unfortunately, the season was slow and the windsurfing less than great, so I decided to keep moving. I landed on the island of Corfu where I bartended instead; another story for another time.

WS: Ian, what had you more nervous with Meredith: Winning her affection against 25 guys, or teaching her how to windsurf?

Interesting question and I don't know how to answer it. Can we really compare the two, windsurfing and reality TV courtship? There are a lot of parallels. Let's see&

Both are considered a sport or a game, and to some they are "war". Why? Perhaps it is because so few survive? The strongest of men and women show-up. Confident and excited they embark on what they think will be just a lot of fun-in-the-sun, and at worst a story to tell their friends. But, within days or weeks all are found swimming back to shore, egos in shock, private thoughts exposed, and some even humiliated& The "elements" have the upper hand and whether you believed it or not, there is NO fighting it. The odds of making it are against you so you ask yourself, why am I here? These ARE dangerous waters and you can't see the sharks. Is it really worth it? But your instincts tell you to rig up because, if you don't, you will always ask yourself, what if? The environment is new and everything you've learned seems not to apply. I'm out I say. You promise yourself that at the next ceremony you will not go on. Then suddenly you are surprised by what you see and stoked by this new sensation? For those who do and even some who don't "get it" you finally get hooked in and feel that you can plane past the other guys. Before long, though, you realize you have to make a move or you'll run ashore. Spectators abound and they are staring at you, judging you. You have to admit to yourself, for once, you are scared! You visualize your next move and go for it. When you "make it" you practically jump out of your skin in excitement. I did it! The more you learn the more you like it, and the more you like it the more you want it; suddenly you find yourself in trouble because you are in love. Rules no longer apply. Sometimes you can forget about it for a while, not listen to the other guys, but you soon realize you are hooked and that it will always be a part of you. It dawns on you that this is not a competition, not a game, much less a war. It is a search from within. It is about reading the wind and waves and whatever other vibes may be coming your way and allowing them to take you to where you need to be. With Mother Nature in sync you discover your reality is very different from what others see. But, it no longer matters, because the journey and your soul mate are your reward.

WS: What about you Meredith? Was picking Ian easier than learning to windsurf on a windy day in Cabarete?

Meridith: Yes, being with Ian was easy from the start, despite what may have been shown on TV. My first days on a windsurfer though were anything but easy. This is the hardest sport I have ever tried to learn and I have developed true respect for you windsurfers. I am generally pretty good at these things and so it was all the more frustrating to run into so many obstacles. I haven't given up though and will give it another shot some day. A lake or a place with smaller waves and less wind would be better for me.

WS: Ian, how would the learning session have been different if an ABC camera crew had been filming both of you?

Ian: Well, hard to say. Maybe it wouldn't be that different. Meredith felt like the world was watching her every time she fell off her board. Even the little fishies were making fun of her. She is very competitive and a good athlete so it was difficult for her to deal with not being good at windsurfing right off the bat. I told her that nobody is a natural at this sport. An Olympic Penta athlete would fall off and get blown down wind. The only way to develop the muscle memory is by spending time (read hours) on the water. You can't let it get the best of you. On this point, the added ABC crew might actually help make the experience a little easier. First we would have a floating, motorized bar serving us everything from champagne to Mama Juanas on the go. Even though our balance and motor skills might suffer we would be more relaxed and not so hard on ourselves. We would have expert instruction all day long and we would take very frequent and welcomed breaks for "ITMs" (in the moment) interviews. The camera, lighting and audio guys would be scrambling on the beach to deal with the wind and the changing light. The fake background would be blown away. Can you say COMEDY! The editing would then show Meredith throwing flat-water, forward loops while I would still be struggling to up-haul. No hard feelings&

WS: Ian, you windsurfed seriously for years, disappeared into the corporate World, showed up on a reality TV show and now find yourself with some free time to play with the woman you love. Will windsurfing be a permanent part of your and Meredith's new reality?

IAN: Before leaving Brazil for the US windsurfing was all I did on weekends and holidays. But boarding school in New Hampshire and college in Maine made hitting the water difficult. Fortunately, my family shares a love for windsurfing and with my parents still living in Brazil we turned our family reunions into windsurfing vacations. Then the corporate world truly did get ahold of me. While working on Wall Street windsurfing became just a memory. I even gave up my Windsurfing Mag subscription! Today, having just returned from my first windsurfing vacation in a long time, with new goals in mind, I am determined to make it a bigger part of my life. I now live in LA, have a car, and if Meredith decides to stick with it maybe we will be able to start exploring the windsurfing spots in SoCal and Baja together. I just turned our first vacation into a windsurfing jaunt, so I am not sure how long it will be before I can sneak another one by her&

WS: Meredith, you've said that you found Ian's adventurous spirit attractive. Was his windsurfing part of that allure? Weren't you just a tad curious to see Ian in a harness?

Meredith : Actually I didn't know much about windsurfing before I met Ian, I still don't, so I can't say that it was something that really attracted me to him. Sorry guys. I also had no idea that windsurfers needed a harness. I thought that was something you would put on a horse. The show cast Ian's adventurous spirit as a risk for me but given that I also share that same spirit it was something that brought us together and will keep us together. I won't share my fantasies with you but I tell you that seeing Ian in a harness wasn't one of them. Now that you ask though he did wear a harness one day that made him look like an overgrown baby in diapers. I hope that when it is time for me to wear one that I can use the waist one. I think it looks better on a woman.

Meredith, you're from Portland, Oregon. Any chance your and Ian's next visit home might mean we'll see you two on the water in the Gorge?

Meredith: We will make it to Portland soon again and I am sure we will visit Hood River before long. But, I don't know if you will see me windsurfing there. Ian says it is very windy, wavy and that the water is very cold, which I don't like at all. I know he will take me to the best place for beginners and try to get me on a board. It is hard for me to say no to him, so we will see. He may have to leave the heater on in the car for when I get out. And then I am sure he will join the rest of you guys on the water.

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http://www.windsurfingmag.com/article.jsp?ID=34032