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TWENTY QUESTIONS WITH… MARCILIO BROWNE

LIFE, WAVES AND WORLD TITLES!

Here at Windsurf.co.uk we thought… why not sit down with some of the biggest names in the sport and ask them twenty questions that really reveal what makes them tick? For the very first edition of our new ‘Twenty Questions With’… series, we caught up with three-time world wave champion Marcilio Browne.

From life on Maui and testing magic boards at Ho‘okipa, to family life on tour, ageing in professional sport and the future of wave sailing, Marcilio answered with thoughtful, honest and insightful answers. As always with Marcilio, there’s a calm intelligence and professionalism behind everything he says whether he’s talking about refining a bottom turn or balancing priorities with his family on the world tour together. So, grab a coffee and settle in for twenty questions with one of the most talented all-round wave sailors of all time.

Photos: Fish Bowl Diaries / Goya …WWT/ Goya…John Carter / PWA

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INSPIRATIONS

WINDSURF: What sailors inspired you when you were a young rookie on tour?

MARCILIO BROWNE: “I feel like I was inspired but a lot of riders as I progressed through my career. At first, it was the classic sailors like Robby Naish, Jason Polakow and Francisco Goya! Then as I became more of a teenager, I was influenced by Kauli Seadi a lot and also sailors like Levi Siver who was really inspiring and still is today. Kauli inspired me by mainly how tight he stayed with the wave, how he really finished his top turns and his overall flow on a wave. I also loved his approach to being fully committed to training and really preparing for events.

Those guys have always been my favourites to watch on a wave and I always tried to pick aspects of their sailing and mix it up together.

I was also really inspired in my career by the way Victor Fernandez, Ricardo Campello and Phillip Koester sailed and competed in the Canary Islands (and still am!). I feel like those guys took jumping and onshore sailing to a new level not only in extreme conditions, but also in the way that they made really average days look like a lot of fun.”

MAUI WINTER 

WINDSURF: How was the winter season in Maui this season. Did you get to ride Jaws at all?

MARCILIO BROWNE: “This winter has been a different one. I would say up until January, it was amazing and then it really slowed down afterwards. We only had two Jaws sessions. One short but kind of fun, nothing epic and another OK one, but I would say we got less than we normally usually score for a Maui winter. After February, we had a crazy run of storms, lots of rain and onshore winds …I was actually snowboarding in Canada with my family during the worst of the rain. We were together with a big group from Maui and had planned the trip three months prior. It looked pretty bad on Maui from the news, lots of people lost a lot of their things it was wild. 

As for conditions…it was ok for jumping sometimes, but very far from the usual Maui reality! It felt like it rained for nearly three months straight, so not a typical Maui winter!”

NO SWITCHING OFF!

WINDSURF: Do you ever completely break away from training for the world tour or is the tour always on your mind?

MARCILIO BROWNE: “The tour is always somewhere in my mind if I am honest, but as I am getting older, I am getting better at breaking away from it. This spring, I went for a two-week snowboarding trip with the kids with was incredible! I was fully disconnected from sailing and had a blast! By the time I was back on Maui the batteries felt recharged and I got all that excitement back. I think those breaks are super important! Now I see disconnecting as something that just needs to happen from time to time!”

MINDSET

WINDSURF: When you are not competing…what is your mindset when you are free-sailing at Ho’okipa?

MARCILIO BROWNE: “I am always working on something when I am sailing! Refining technique or experimenting with boards and sails. It all depends on how good the conditions are and how much I need to test. Usually, mid-winter when conditions are firing, I like to work on my Ho’okipa boards and really take my time to test them in a variety of wave sizes and wind directions. We only get to do that for two or three months out of the year! The rest of my time is all fully dedicated to the events, onshore gear and training heats! I also always like to have one little goal each day, as small as it is, but just something to strive for! It might be a new line on the wave or a hand adjustment on the turn! Anything like that to keep it interesting and keep my mind engaged.”

BOTTOM TURN HEROES

WINDSURF: Who do you think has the best bottom turn in windsurfing and why?

MARCILIO BROWNE: “I would say Levi Siver, Jason Polakow and Francisco Goya. It is so hard to pinpoint one. I love how tight to the wave they all stay, the speed they carry and also how their bottom turns set them up for a power top turn.”

DREAM CREW

WINDSURF: What four guys would you like to take on a trip to Cape Verde and why?

MARCILIO BROWNE: “I would say I would take my close friends as we would having to be hanging all the time. There is a lot of people I would like to bring but the first friends that come to mind would be Levi Siver, Kauli Seadi, Swifty and Ricardo Campello… For sure they would be pushing it on water and on land!!”

CUTBACK KINGS

WINDSURF: Who do you think has the best cutback at Ho’okipa and why?

MARCILIO BROWNE: “That’s a hard one but the same names keep popping into my mind! Guys like Kauli Seadi, Levi Siver and Jason Polakow are on the top of that list… Kauli with his amazing rail turns all the way around, Levi for going super vertical and fast and Polakow for his aggressive approach! Polakow still rips for sure, he is not sailing as much as he was but you can still see how much talent that guy has whenever he hits the water. He is one of those people who does not need a lot of practice its incredible!

I love a lot of things about Levi, his bottom turns, tweaked airs and vertical approach are all insane. His sailing has always been so progressive and it is amazing how he seems to still be improving and sailing for many hours after all these years. He is a big influence for me.”

COMPETITION RIVALS

WINDSURF: Who do you think is the most competitive wave sailor on the world tour?

MARCILIO BROWNE: “At the moment I believe Marc Pare is up there! He is very competitive, dedicated and has been doing all the work on a variety of conditions as well as working on his equipment! It was a well-deserved title for him.

Then in certain conditions Philip Koester is phenomenal, he is very hard to beat especially in Pozo. Victor Fernandez is also an incredible competitor and also has lots of strong points in most locations. Fernandez is just an incredible all-round sailor and has the titles to prove it!”

NEW HORIZONS OR CLASSIC MOVES

WINDSURF: Are there any aerial moves at Ho’okipa you have in your mind that have not been done before?

MARCILIO BROWNE: “I am sure there are lots of new moves in the pipeline, but my emphasis has kind of gone away from those types of new moves in recent times! I have been more and more focused on my turns, speed and tightness on a wave! That is what brings me the most joy by far in wave sailing and that is what I enjoy watching from other riders the most. I really appreciate it when a rider reads a wave well and takes surfing lines instead of just searching for a trick! But yes, I am also seeing the future is bright with the other riders rising up. That no hand goiter from Titoun (Antoine Martin) was insane. 

PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES

WINDSURF: Did you enjoy sailing in the finals of the Maui Pro Am when all the finalists were ripping so hard and pushing the boundaries of the sport?

MARCILIO BROWNE: “Yes I had a blast and it was at my home spot! We were really lucky with that event. We had rain and onshore winds for three weeks prior to the event and also right after the weather was crappy again. We just had that couple of days with conditions that month…and they were for the Maui Pro Am…it was meant to be he-he!

It was a bit lighter and more onshore than the usual Ho’okipa, but still overhead waves and enough wind to get around. It is nice to have that challenge of competing in different conditions too. All the finalists ripped during the event, Morgan had some solid points on every round, Titoun nailed the crazy no hand goiter and Bernd once again found the magic wave in the final minutes to take the win. I am just stoked to still be on that mix and making another final! I was super happy with that result!”

FINDING THE MAGIC RIDE

WINDSURF: How do you know when you have found a magic board when testing?

MARCILIO BROWNE: “Usually the really magic ones you know right away, pretty much after one or two waves its very obvious that they have that speed, forgiveness and feel lively. Then there are some other boards that feel really promising but just need some tune ups, especially if they are slightly different concepts. They might not feel amazing at first as they might need different mast-track and fin settings but then they can turn incredible after the tweaks. It has happened both ways for me.

You know if you have found a magic board when it is the one you always want to go back to when the waves are firing. Also, while you are sailing you are not thinking about the board at all…then you know it has something special. During a season including all the Goya protos and other riders boards, I test over 20 for sure. I won’t really use single fins anymore…I feel like they have good things but it is not as progressive or tight on turns as a quad for example. I also like staying on track with what I am riding and not doing too many changes. That keeps it simple in my mind and I can focus more on improving my sailing on the gear I already know well.”

SEASON SHIFT

WINDSURF: How do adjust your mindset after a winter in Maui when you are adjusting to head to the Canary Islands to compete?

MARCILIO BROWNE: “I think naturally my body starts getting excited when summer is approaching. I start sailing other spots, test a bunch of new gear and let the feeling from those Canary Island conditions build up slowly by just going over to the other spots on Maui, a lot over the spring. By the time Pozo comes around I am normally pumped to go sailing there and excited for the event. I love that feeling of extreme sailing, but I like to ease into and get settled in! That is why I always arrive early in Pozo and do a lot of training in Maui beforehand! By the time I get there, it doesn’t feel like such a shock rigging up in 50 knots ha ha! But I am 100% excited about going to Pozo every year! It is a place where windsurfing boundaries get fully pushed to the limit, I love it. The set up in Pozo is very unique and that kind of sailing can literally only be done on that one spot. I love the feeling of getting in a rhythm there and pushing everyday with everyone. The many good sailors training together and that really elevates everyone’s level.”

HANDLING LOGISTICS

WINDSURF: Who takes care of all the travel arrangements and logistics when you are on tour?

MARCILIO BROWNE: “It is all me he-he! Making all the bookings is a full-on specialty now with four people traveling. Luckily, by now we are all dialed in, as we always return to the same places each year, so we have our usual accommodation we can book and car rentals we use. Some other locations on tour like Japan and Chile the locals are extremely welcoming and always take such good care of us. I would say by far the biggest challenge is finding good flights for a decent price…that is more than half the battle for sure! The other big one is checking in with all the board bags I have! The rest is relatively easy after that he-he!”

FAMILY AFFAIR

WINDSURF: Do you find it more or less stressful to take the family with you when you go to an event?

MARCILIO BROWNE: “I love it and bring the family when I can! It brings that home feeling to the tour! You don’t feel like you are missing out things at home and it always feels amazing to have them there experiencing all the travels, to have them there at breakfasts and dinnertime etc. The family also helps with my mind set, as I am continuing with my normal routine, training, playing with the kids, spending time with my wife and then I go compete. I find that balance a lot better than being alone at a contest solely focused on that! Competitions can get really intense that way and things often feel heavier than they are when you are alone.

Sometimes it is too difficult and doesn’t make sense to bring the family. For instance, going from Maui to Sylt for ten days costs a lot to bring everybody, so in some situations is easier if I go alone. But when the trips are going to be longer then they are coming for sure!”

TOUR STATUS

WINDSURF: Are you happy with the way the WWT / PWA world tour is working out?

MARCILIO BROWNE: “Yes, I feel like the tour has taken a positive turn. We are having more events in better conditions with higher wave quality spots as well as the locations that have traditionally been reliable for wind. On top of that we have more starboard tack events, which helps balance the tour more fairly, which I think is key. Off course there are still lots of things to work on, but it feels like its moving forward step by step!”

STAYING IN SHAPE

WINDSURF: How important is the physical training you do at home in Maui with Sarah Hauser?

MARCILIO BROWNE: “It makes a huge difference, especially now I am getting into my late 30’s. I feel like it is the key to compensate the muscles we don’t use as much while sailing so we can keep windsurfing for longer and avoiding those pains and injuries that are very common in our sport. Also, the training builds up your body so you are able to sail longer for many days in a row and have the strength to absorb crashes! I feel like the training is essential and the older I get, the more I feel it is beneficial!

I usually train three days a week, I feel like that is a good number. Depending on how much sailing I am getting that week, I will complement it with other things, like surfing or cycling. At my age I feel like it is also as important to give the body a chance to recover from all the sailing. I used to not allow myself to do that 8 or 10 years ago!”

OLD AGE!

WINDSURF: Do you ever worry about getting old?

MARCILIO BROWNE: “I do a little bit! I try not to get stuck on those thoughts and just keep moving and doing what I love in the present. I have been extremely blessed so far and just want to enjoy life with my loved ones as much as possible!”

OTHER INTERESTS

WINDSURF: What are you interested in outside windsurfing?

MARCILIO BROWNE: “I am pretty much always with my kids when not sailing, just hanging out with them feels incredible…it is my favourite thing to do by far. We go do all kinds of stuff together, I don’t really have a favourite. Lately we have been rock climbing and windsurfing together.

But for myself I still love surfing, tow-in surfing and also a bit of cycling, gym, yoga and that is it. It is a very simple life he-he! I think mixing up other water sports help out with sailing too! It is better than a rider that only sails! Especially surfing…that really helps to read a wave and with your timing etc.

I don’t really watch TV or read a book or anything like that! Not anymore no! It has been full on with the kids, action all the time…surf…sailing…beach…building legos, and climbing! When i have a moment usually just fall asleep … ha-ha”

A DAY IN THE LIFE!

WINDSURF: What is a typical day for you at home in Maui during the winter?

MARCILIO BROWNE: “Wake up, do a workout, then have breakfast with the family, hang out for a bit, answer a couple of emails. Then after the morning routine, I normally go sailing for a few hours from 11:30am onwards usually! By around 3pm I head home to be with the kids! Then we do whatever they want, surfing, sailing, biking or skating. When the kids have had their fun…we usually have dinner around 8pm and then go to bed. That is a typical day most of the time!”

THE GOYA FAMILY

WINDSURF: What is it like to work with Francisco Goya as a sponsor…does the relationship go a lot deeper than that?

WINDSURF: “Fran has been incredible to me. We have been working together for 14 years now and it has been an amazing journey. We are both very busy with life so it is not like we hang out every day! But we do get along very well, and I see him as a friend as well as a boss. I am very grateful for the freedom he has given me with my career, as well as Lalo and Keith. From working with the gear, to trips I choose, to the choices I make, to them sharing all their knowledge and connections. Working for Goya has opened a lot of doors for me and has been essential to my development as a sailor.

The Cannery (The Goya / Quatro HQ) feels like a second home to me and I love hanging out with everyone there.  It feels amazing to be part of a company that has such a positive work environment.”