Mind vs Body: Crossing the Pacific Ocean with Emilio Valle

We had the opportunity to interview Emilio Valle, crew member of the Patches team before his departure to Hawaii to carry out TRANSPAC 2021. We wanted to know in depth the teachings that sailing has given him that he applies in his day to day.

He told us that primarily you must be in constant physical and mental preparation: “a healthy mind - a healthy body, you have to be prepared for any situation. In difficult situations stay calm, be physically fit to be able to react well in case you need to make an aggressive maneuver. In life it is the same, you have to be taking courses, preparing yourself physically, reading books. Everything so that when those opportunities come, you are ready and can make the most of them.”

Emilio knows that on a night out, as in life, you never know what might happen next. There are thousands of unexpected things that happen and you must be ready to react. But it is not only about being ready with physical abilities but also having a lot of resilience. “You never know how it is going to turn out, maybe the forecasts say something but there may be a totally different change than expected. In those moments, what you should do is set your course well and adjust your sails and go where you want to go. In your personal life it is the same, you have to be clear about your goals and already having a clear idea of where you want to go, you trace your route. On the sailboat they are buoys, islands, in real life they are careers, jobs, projects that you must go through to reach the goal you want.”

The Transpac is an odyssey of about a week where you have to be in competition mode 24 hours a day. It's a physical, mental and emotional drain that definitely tests even the most experienced sailor. For this they must have worked beyond your physical preparation and your resilience to mistakes. Emilio tells us that for him “discipline and order are key. Always be very clear about your discipline. Put together a routine of good habits in your life and the same on the boat. You have to be very clear about your values. Respect, honesty, always with excellence. Have integrity and be able to respect that of others.”

The greatest teaching according to Emilio is “have fun and take advantage of every part of your life. If you are doing something that you like, you have to know how to take advantage of it and enjoy it.”

Learn more about the Patches team on our Patches team blog.