As charismatic as he is attractive, as charming as he is photogenic: that’s Mark Vanderloo (Netherlands, 1968). Discovered while studying history in Amsterdam, he became the icon of male beauty in the ’90s as the face of Calvin Klein, Hugo Boss, and Valentino. None of that seems to matter to him as he hums “I’m not a sailor, I’m a captain!” aboard the impressive Kumbra 43, where we conducted both the photo shoot and this interview, off the coast of Ibiza.
What does the ocean mean to you?
The sea is freedom. I’m Dutch. Some nationalities are like water and fire, but we’re like water and water. We Dutch learn to swim from a very young age.
It’s in our blood. We used to steal gold from the Spanish galleons. We’re great pirates, even though we seem a bit more sophisticated these days (laughter).
What was your last trip?
This summer I was in Greece with three friends, taking a week-long catamaran course to learn night sailing. It reminded me a lot of a trip I took through Africa last year: everything is flat, there are no marked trails, and there’s no cell service either. Luckily, both in Africa and at sea, GPS does work, so you don’t have to navigate by the stars.
And what will be next?
One of the friends I took the course with in Greece wants us to charter a catamaran next year and sail on our own from the Caribbean to Europe. The thing is, it’s a four-month transatlantic crossing. You can’t go anywhere—just imagine it! I’m the kind of guy who always needs to be on the move. If after just two days in a city I’m already thinking, “Where’s the next flight?”, then stuck on a boat with no helicopter, where am I supposed to go?
According to Herman Melville, “meditation and water are forever linked.” Do you feel that ideas flow more freely when you’re sailing?
Ideas never just flow through my head—it’s a total mental block (laughs). On the trip to Africa, it was different: you drive for five or six hours without seeing anyone—just desert. That’s when the ideas really flow. I suppose that if I take that transatlantic trip, when there’s nothing else to do or think about, maybe I’ll finally be able to clear my head.
According to another writer, Terenci Moix, beauty was a bitter gift. Do you agree?
I’ve never heard that before. I haven’t found it yet—I have to keep looking for the downside (laughs). The search isn’t over yet.
The full interview and photo shoot can be found in issue No. 8 of Nautik, now on sale.
