Matt Gill - a madforsailing profile

Chelmsford, Essex.

What age did you start sailing?
At the age of six.

What was your first regatta win?
The Cadet Nationals when I was 12.

What’s your biggest championship win?
The British Volvo/RYA trials for the Youth Worlds.

Do you like school?
I don't mind college, along as I keep on top of my work!!

What other sports do you do outside sailing?
I windsurf when I'm not sailing, and that's about it for other sports.

Which sailing club do you belong to?
I am currently a member of the RCYC in Burnham, but I have also joined the new Sailing Centre of Excellence at Portland in Weymouth.

Which class did you first race in?
I first competed in Cadets in 1990, when I was seven, crewing for Jamie Mears.

Have you ever used a coach?
We were coached in Cadets by Andy Hemmings, and then by Mike McNamara. When I was helming 420s, Jim Turner did a lot of one-to-one work with us, which proved very useful. Since I've been crewing for Paul (Campbell-James), we have had Rob Wilson coaching us.

What’s your most memorable moment in sailing?
I remember winning the Under 15 Cadet Nationals the most, as I was only 12 and I wasn't expected to win. But eventually winning by 12 points was a big confidence boost to me at that stage in my sailing career.

What’s your biggest goal in sailing?
My short-term goal has always been to go to Sydney for the Youth Worlds and get a medal. But long-term I would like to compete in the Olympics.

How much time do you spend on the water each week?
It's very hard for Paul and myself to sail during the week, but when we train at weekends, we do about five hours of sailing each day.

Do you have a sponsor, and if so, who?
We have a clothing sponsor, Helly Hansen, who provide us with all our sailing clothes.

Who are your sailing heroes and why?
My sailing heroes have got to be all of the GBR 2000 Olympic Team, I was inspired by them so much to win.

What’s your favourite sailing venue?
Favourite sailing venue in the UK has got to be Weymouth, you can have every possible sailing condition there, and it's amazing sailing in the bay with a 25 knot south-easterly blowing!! In Europe, I think Nieuwport in Belgium is a good place, very exciting, you don't quite know how big the waves are until you actually get out there.

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