World Sailor of the Year | About | ISAF | World Sailing | Official Website : Mike SANDERSON (NZL)

It was one of those days when you dream of a good log fire and a captivating book but despite the rain and cold, the sailors put on all the warmest gear to start the first races of the 2013 Delta Lloyd regatta.

The last day of the Delta Lloyd North Sea Regatta 2013 showed a repeat of last year, when a persistent sea fog made an early end to the competition. This time it was a lack of wind that happened to be the game breaker.

The fluky conditions of Saturday persisted into the second and final day at the Chicago Match Race Center's Grade 3 Spring Invitational, forcing organizers to determine a winner from the results of only six complete flights in the field of ten teams.

After an inauspicious start to the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-2006 when Mike SANDERSON and his team on ABN AMRO ONE finished sixth in the first In Port race, there was no looking back.

Victory in Leg 1 from Vigo to Cape Town was one of eleven first place finishes for SANDERSON in a highly competitive fleet featuring many of the world's best sailors. SANDERSON and his team secured their overall victory five months later when they sailed into Portsmouth to take first place in Leg 7. Their massive cushion of points was unassailable by the rest of the fleet but the team continued to perform to an exceptional standard, taking three more podium spots from the remaining legs and In Port races.

Through the race, SANDERSON and ABN AMRO ONE picked up maximum points at all but one of the scoring gates, and from a maximum of 108.5 points available they picked up 96 - clear indication of their sheer dominance of the event.

ISAF Rankings in 2006

6th - In-Port Race 1 (Vigo)
1st - Leg 1 (Vigo to Cape Town)
1st - In Port Race 2 (Cape Town)
1st - Leg 2 (Cape Town to Melbourne)
1st - In Port Race 3 (Melbourne)
2nd - Leg 3 (Melbourne to Wellington)
1st - Leg 4 (Wellington to Rio de Janeiro)
1st - In-Port Race 4 (Rio de Janeiro)
1st - Leg 5 (Rio de Janeiro to Baltimore)
6th - In Port Race 5 (Baltimore)
1st - Leg 6 (Baltimore to New York)
1st - Leg 7 (New York to Portsmouth) - overall win secured
1st - In Port Race 6 (Portsmouth)
2nd - Leg 8 (Portsmouth to Rotterdam)
1st - In Port Race 7 (Rotterdam)
6th - Leg 9 (Rotterdam to Gothenburg)
Maximum points were claimed by ABN AMRO ONE at all but one of the scoring gates
1st - Class 0, Skandia Cowes Week, Isle of Wight, Great Britain - 29 Jul-5 Aug 2006

Name:	Michael James SANDERSON (NZL)
Place of birth:	Auckland, New Zealand
Date of Birth	29th May 1971
Profession:	Sailmaker
What inspired you to take up sailing?	My family went cruising or racing every weekend when I was young
What was the first boat you sailed?	Optimist when I was 6 years old
How did you buy your first boat and what was it?	I built it with my father at a yacht club building scheme
Name your first sailing club:	Omerahi Yacht Club
What was the first event you competed in?	Kids Sailing Camp in 1977
What was the first event you won?	Age Group Regatta in 1981
What are the main achievements/personal highlights of your sailing career?	Trimmer/Helmsman New Zealand Endeavour, 93.94
What are the main achievements/personal highlights of your sailing career?	Whitbread Mainsheet Trimmer Oracle BMW 2003
What are the main achievements/personal highlights of your sailing career?	2 other America's Cup campaigns
What are the main achievements/personal highlights of your sailing career?	Skipper Mari Cha IV - Transatlantic Record holder
What are the main achievements/personal highlights of your sailing career?	Mari Cha IV - Race Record skipper
What are the main achievements/personal highlights of your sailing career?	3rd - Transat Solo Race Open 60
What are the main achievements/personal highlights of your sailing career?	Winning Skipper Volvo Ocean Race 2005-2006 (ABN AMRO)
What are you future sailing goals?	To lead an America's Cup team to victory To win a solo Transatltantic race open 60 Reclaim 24 hour record (monohull) Set solo 24 hour record (monohull)
What does sailing mean to you?	It means a lot to me, I love the challenge of making boats go fast and trying to sail them faster than the competition
Who has had the greatest impact on your sailing career and why?	Grant DALTON, as a teenager I worked very hard to get on NZ Endeavour at 21 years old, ever since I have been working hard to be the leader of the people he is
Who is your sailing hero?	Russell COUTTS for his ability to make boats go fast. Grant DALTON as a leader
What other sports do you enjoy?	Motor racing, cycling, skiing
What does being nominated for the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards 2006 mean to you?	Just being nominated is a huge honour. I really feel that I still have such a huge amount to do in the sport, ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year I have followed since it started and it is just amazing to be nominated.
If you were voted as the winner, what would this mean to you?	It would be the most amazing honour and I would enjoy sharing it with the whole ABN AMRO team.