Chloe Martin
Chloe was top female youth sailor at the 2006 and 2007 Radial Nationals and is now stepping up to make her mark at international level.
Last year she won the European Laser Radial Youth Girls Championships in France and was a member of RYA Team GBR’s 2008 ISAF Youth World Championship squad.
The 19-year-old, from Tonbridge, was presented with a RYA Young Sailor of the Year Award by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston at the 2008 London Boat Show.
Profile
Date and place of birth: 1st July 1990, Bromley, Kent
Current ranking: GB - 1 (Youth Girl), 10 (Ladies), World - 8 (Youth Girl)
Career highlights to date:
» GBR Laser Radial National Youth squad 06/07.
» Selected as part of the British team and achieved 9th out of 34 at the 2007 Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship in Canada.
» 8th at 2007 World Youth Radial Championships in Holland (5th in Europe).
» Top female youth sailor at the 2006 & 2007 Radial Nationals.
» Won the Nesham Driver Memorial Award 2006
» RYA website identified Chloe as one of GB's best young sailors.
Olympic dream edges closer to reality
I've received some great news recently with notification from the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) that I've been accepted into the Olympic Ladies Laser Radial squad. The RYA has selected me as a prospect for 2016, but I'm still firmly setting my sights on London 2012.
My training schedule is very intensive and I've started training with the University of London Boat Club to improve my general fitness levels. Over the winter my schedule is packed with sailing regattas in Spain and Majorca and I'm now joining up with the Olympic Ladies squad for week-long training camps.
Challenging times at Cornwall
At the end of August I competed at the RS200 Nationals in Looe, Cornwall, with my crew Suzy. We were in a field of 130 very competitive boats, featuring a number of past National Champions and an Olympic medallist.
The first two days of competition were difficult and we achieved mid-fleet results, before bouncing back on day three with two top twenty results. On day four we consolidated our position in the top half of the fleet and then faced strong winds and high seas on the fifth day, which dented our progress. We finished 59th overall and 4th of the newcomers.
In the Laser Radial class, I started the qualification series for the Laser Radial Worlds, which take place in Scotland in 2010. I did well in the first two races and qualified for the top Gold fleet for the second day. In the third race I had to retire with a gear failure and then racing was suspended because of the weather conditions. I finished 11th overall and I'm now working on my fitness in preparation for the next qualifier at Eastbourne.
Tricky test for new crew at Youth championships
I sailed for the first time in my new boat, an RS200, as part of a two-woman team at the RS200 Youth Championships on Southampton Water. The wind blew hard throughout the whole regatta weekend which made boat handling in the three sailed RS200 a challenge. We finished 12th overall and were 2nd of the all-girl crews, which was a bit disappointing, although our sailing improved throughout the event.
After the Youth Championships we were straight off to Hayling Island to train in Laser Radials and we then competed in the RS200 at Carnac in France. The wind blew hard again for the first three days of the regatta and we suffered a boat failure with a bent mast on the second day. Our performance improved during the event, but a cancelled race on the last day because of weather conditions didn't help our cause. We finished 30th overall and were 4th of the all-girl crews.
New boat brings a new challenge for Chloe
I have now moved from the Laser class into a new boat called an RS200, which I sail as part of a two-woman team. The RS200 is a competitive class and gives me a chance to practice my fleet sailing whilst broadening my experience and I'm really looking forward to the challenge of sailing it in competition. It will be a busy summer for me with a host of events lined up around the UK and France.
Chloe clinches European title
I represented Great Britain in the Laser Radial class at the International Sailing Federation Championships in Denmark. I sailed in a tough 40-strong fleet of competitors and finished 13th overall after achieving three top ten positions, including a second place in the penultimate race. My results helped the GB team to win the Volvo trophy as the most successful nation at the Championships.
I also had a great week at the European Laser Radial Youth Girls Championships in Douarnenez, France. I won the event after sailing consistently all week and only finished outside the top ten in one race. I was up against 77 other sailors from all over the world and was part of a team of 11 British girls.
Chloe shines in New Zealand
Chloe is celebrating selection as the first member of RYA Team GBR’s 2008 ISAF Youth World Championship squad.
She secured her place for the girls’ Radial class following her impressive performance at the World Laser Radial Youth Championships, staged in New Zealand in March.
By finishing top of all the British girls, and eighth in the world, she now looks forward to the ISAF Youth Worlds, which take place in Aarhus, Denmark, in July. It is the second consecutive year that Chloe has been selected for the ISAF Worlds, reflecting her consistency at the highest level.
Chloe said her trip to New Zealand was nerve racking as she’d set her heart on coming away first GBR Youth girl.
By the end of the first day she was top GBR Youth Girl, with the light winds her favourite conditions.
Day Two was a different matter though. “My early morning look out of the bedroom window confirmed my worst fears, the weather had changed and the wind increased to predominantly over 17 knots. This favoured my heavier rivals. I hung in there and even managed a third in one race when the wind dropped.”
On the last day Chloe was just three points ahead of her nearest GBR rival, with two races left. And by losing the first of those races by three places it was neck-and-neck for the last.
“I got a good start and worked as hard as I possibly could on the first beat, my legs hurt so much. My rival was just in front but with my downwind speed I passed her and got a fair distance ahead and won by two points overall.”