Brad Van Liew: The 43-year-old sums up his approach to life this way: “Full noise or no noise.” He wears it on the sleeve of his sailing shirts, and it’s his way of telling the world that a person should put up or shut up. Van Liew is one of the most successful single-handed racing sailors the United States has ever had. His most recent triumph was winning every stage of the 2010-2011 Velux 5 Oceans solo race around the world aboard the revamped 2000 Open 60 Le Pingouin, which fits into the new Eco 60 class. In doing so, he became the first American to win overall in the race’s eight editions, and he did so without corporate sponsorship.