How does he do it?

Andy Rice talks to Tim Hancock - 505 and 14 champion, RYA coach, Commodore of Hayling Island and head of a £30m business

Tim Hancock is a man in demand, on and off the water. The sailing world is full of people who are at the top of their field, whether it be in their sailing or in the world of business. But there are few who achieve excellence in both arenas simultaneously.

But when he is not running a £30m division of global corporation WS Atkins, he is supervising the building of a brand new, Lottery-funded super-club as the commodore of Hayling Island Sailing Club, or coaching the Team GBR Tornado Squad as the RYA's official catamaran coach, or standing on the podium at a 505 or International 14 World Championship.

In his time, 40-year-old Hancock has won the 505 Worlds, Europeans and Nationals - in 1993 he achieved the hat trick crewing for Ian Barker. He has won numerous other titles such as the Pre-Olympics in the Soling, the Tornado Europeans and the Fireball Nationals. Most recently he came second in the 505 Worlds crewing for Ian Pinnell, and has recently returned from Bermuda where he also finished second in the International 14 Worlds, crewing for Zeb Elliott.

How does he fit it all in? "Well, I suppose I'm good at time management," he says, "and I'm not in a steady relationship. That's the part of my life that has always suffered, but I suppose things will change when I've found the right person."

Hancock never does things by halves and throws himself headlong into any project he gets involved in. Supervising the rebuilding of Hayling Island Sailing Club would be enough to keep most people fully occupied, but Hancock seems to be taking it in his stride.


Hayling Island SC construction at early December 2001

Some sailors have commented that even in its temporary accommodation the club is a better place than it was when the old building was still standing. A lot of that comes from the atmosphere the commodore has engendered in the first year of his appointment.

"The place has been a lot more relaxed than it was in the past. The staff are happier. We've introduced pay incentives and bonuses. We're just applying practices from the business world."

Despite the compliments he has received for the halfway-house Hayling Island that currently exists, he reckons the final version will be well worth the wait. "There is a real drive to create something quite special. The aim is to have a venue that can provide the highest quality racing and training for our members and visitors."

Hayling Island has not always been the friendliest of venues to visitors but that is something he has been keen to see changed. "The atmosphere of the place is very important to us. We're really trying to listen to what people want." One of those things the club has responded to is to run two course areas every Sunday, one in Chichester Harbour and one in the bay outside.

The social side is equally important however. "It's all about asking what the end user wants, and one of those wants is a good social calendar. It's not just about revenue generation but about getting people to come back on a regular basis."

Click on page 2 to read about his exploits on the water in 2001