Home comforts key for participating pair
TWO local sailors say they can’t wait for a taste of the action as an elite-level youth sailing spectacle gets set to begin in Bangor.
Bobby Driscoll and Daniel Palmer are six of nearly 400 sailors from around the world are descending on Ballyholme Yacht Club as the venue prepares to host the ILCA 6 Youth European Championships between July 27 and August 3.
In a week which promises intense competition, the Championships act as an important step for young sailors towards representing their countries at the Olympic Games. Eleven aspiring sailors from Northern Ireland are confirmed to be competing in the event, six of whom are members of the host club.
One sailor tipped to perform well over the coming days from a local perspective is 16 year-old Bobby Driscoll, son of Irish Olympian John. The Sullivan Upper student recently starred for Ireland at the World Sailing Youth Championships and now hopes to make his mark much closer to home.
“This event is a very good opportunity for sailing to grow in Northern Ireland,” he said.
“I think home advantage is important because getting used to jetlag and different accommodation are things that aren’t spoken about enough.
“It’s obviously nice to have a competition at home because of the support you get. But in sailing anything can happen, my goal is definitely to be around the top and fight for a top-20 position.
“It all comes down to very minute details and I just want to be as consistent as possible.”
For Bobby, who has just returned from Italy where he was competing, sailing is somewhat of a family tradition. His father John is a former Olympian having competed in the Finn event at the 1996 Summer Games in Savannah, Georgia and Bobby is determined to follow in his footsteps.
“Sailing has obviously been in my family for a long time,” said the 16 year-old.
“It all started when my grandad used to take me out to Strangford Lough and I have grown up at the Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club (RNIYC).”
A member of the Irish Sailing Youth Academy, Bobby has the opportunity to travel abroad nine days per month. Through the national academy he has benefitted from strength and conditioning training away from the water and the Bangor teenager revealed he’s got his sights set on a lifestyle in sailing.
Daniel Palmer, another member of the Ballyholme club, says he’s relishing the week ahead and aims to use the experience of last year’s European Championships to his advantage.
“I’m really looking forward to it,” admitted Daniel (17), a lower sixth pupil at nearby Bangor Grammar School.
“This event was actually scheduled to happen four years ago but due to Covid it didn’t happen, so I’m now at the age where I can actually compete.
“Sleeping in your own bed, not having to pay for accommodation and so on are probably the biggest advantages you could ask for,” he said.
“Yes, you have your tidal knowledge and everything, but having everything close by and that overall feeling of familiarity is going to be great.”
As well as the sailors themselves, the city of Bangor is also welcoming close to 100 accompanying performance coaches and many more supporting family members and friends.
Reflecting on the scale of the event, Daniel added: “It’s an absolutely massive accomplishment for Bangor.
“For all of the local B&Bs to be able to take this many people and even managing to fit all of the camper vans in is quite an achievement.
“I’ve been competing in ILCA 6 for two or three years now. I was at the Europeans in Poland last year, but I was quite young for the boat back then and things didn’t really go my way.
“This year I feel I’m the right age and the right weight to be at the top end of things and my goal, really, is to be gold fleet (top 60).”
