The Sky is the Limit: Fantela Brothers Preparing for the Sailing Championships

After two years marked by the Covid-19 pandemic, the brothers are finally looking forward to the sailing season and the regattas ahead, especially the European Championships in Aarhus, Denmark from 5th to 10th July and the World Championships from 31st August to 5th September in Halifax, Canada.

They are not hiding their excitement and are enjoying everything that sailing offers, in all the excitement, but also in the preparations, which are extensive and complex.

“Preparations consist of a part on land and at sea. The land preparations consist of conditioning training in the form of strength training, endurance, running, cycling, rowing and gym. The sea part is training in boat driving technique, work on manoeuvres, speed and all other important things”, explained the lads, whom we met before another training at sea in Vitrenjak Bay.

“We are brothers, so we have learned throughout life to be next to each other. We go to morning and afternoon training with gusto and we really enjoy what we do”, Mihovil revealed to us.

And what does their day look like during the preparations? “In the morning at 8 or 9 o'clock we have conditioning training, then an hour or two training with a conditioning coach, Mr Edi Stipić, and in the afternoon we are here around half past noon or 1 p.m. Depending on sea conditions, we sometimes stay until 4 p.m. or even 5 p.m. That sounds a lot to someone. It may be a lot, but it is not difficult”, they told us.

However, they admit that the life of sailors is not easy, because a lot of it consists of sacrifices, especially separation from family.

“The sacrifice is great on both sides, but we are somehow used to it and we are always looking for the ideal balance. But then again, that changes depending on the year. In the pre-Olympic period, it can happen that we spend 200 days a year during preparations and regattas, and then a year after the Olympic Games, we spend more time at home. We are trying and we manage to sort it out”, Šime told us.

“For example, before the Olympics we were in Spain and the Canary Islands. We found good conditions there, because we always try to simulate the situation that awaits us in the competition that we "pick". The last time it was Tokyo, so we went to Lanzarote because there are a lot of waves, which are common for Tokyo.

The next Olympics are in Marseille, and there are of course Mediterranean conditions, so we have to choose the place that is most similar to that. But I hope that we will still be able to train right there in Marseille”, announced Šime.

Both Fantela brothers, like all athletes, take a lot of care of their diet because it is an important element of endurance and strength.

“There is a big focus on proper nutrition, because we are both naturally relatively thin. As soon as we stay longer at sea and get into the grind of training, we start losing weight. Everyone says that it is difficult for them to lose weight, and it is difficult for us to increase it. We have no limits, but, like all athletes, you always want to eat as healthy as possible. You will not eat chips, flips or the like to gain weight, because you will not benefit from it later, you will not have strength”, Mihovil revealed.

“This is a very specific sport because the competitions last five or six days and are a combination of marathons and sprints. In one day, we have three to four hours of regatta, then rest and tomorrow yet again, and five days in a row. Nutrition is really important to keep that energy level high, to endure the last fifth day when medals are awarded, to be at your strongest without "burning out", so that after the second or third day you have no more strength and concentration. There is great focus on that because the days are really long, we depend on the wind, the start can be scheduled for 11 a.m., we arrive at the club as early as 9 and then there is no wind so you sit and wait. By the time you sail the regatta, it is already 6 p.m. Then you make dinner, then you analyse the day and it is already 8 or 9 p.m. So, you are in the programme from eight until eight, and if you did not pay attention to your diet, you lose energy”, the brothers revealed this important detail to us.