'I didn't realise you could make sailing a career'

Meg Niblett, 25, is the youngest female double-handed skipper in this year's Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, widely acknowledged as one of the most challenging yacht races in the world.

Not bad for someone who was once terrified of getting on a boat.

"We used to go on family holidays and mum and dad really couldn't get me into a sailing boat, I was terrified," said Niblett, from Bantham in south Devon.

"My mum eventually managed to persuade me to get into a boat with two instructors and I sat in the middle pretty much with my eyes shut."

But the session ended with her conquering her fear of boats.

"When I came back I loved it, it wasn't as scary as I thought and I just got hooked," she said.

Salcombe Yacht Club, where she joined the cadets, gave her the confidence to take a sailing instructor's course run by the Royal Yachting Association, which has advice for anyone interested in getting involved.

The club's sailing co-ordinator Jayne Morris was central to her success, she said.

"I think she saw quite a bit of potential in me as a sailor, and how excited I was about sitting in the cold, wet and windy weather, racing and coming last," she laughed.

"I didn't even realise I could make it a career until I got my instructor's qualifications," she said.

Aged 17, she realised she could "go and work in Greece and go teach sailing all summer and make a bit of money".

One day she was asked to help look after a yacht during a storm.

"After a rough night of rolling around and watching lightning strikes, I woke up to the most beautiful sunrise while sitting on the bow of the boat," she said.

"In that moment, I knew this was where I wanted to be for the rest of my life."

Moving up to bigger boats was about being "able to network quite well and show a lot of enthusiasm", she said.

'You'll meet the right people and doors will open.

"It's a pretty tough industry to get into, but there's still a lot of work out there."

The yacht she is sailing in the Sydney Hobart is a Figaro 3 owned by Marc Depret, who started an offshore racing organisation called Offshore Racing Center Australia (ORCA), which aims to help young sailors become professional offshore skippers.

Niblett has now clocked up more than 20,000 miles (32,187km) of ocean sailing and taken on some of the toughest races in the world, including the Fastnet, a race of 719 miles (1,158km) from Cowes on the Isle of Wight to the Fastnet lighthouse off Ireland and back to Normandy.

For the 725 miles (1,167km) Sydney-Hobart race she will be skippering her boat with her friend, Australian Wendy Tuck, taking turns on the helm.

She has raced the route, which takes in the notorious Bass Strait between Australia and Tasmania, once before as crew in 2021.

"There's a lot of water moving around Tasmania so it can get pretty rough," she said of the race which is due to start on 26 December with about 200 boats taking part.

Beating seasickness is a constant battle for her.

"I just loved the sailing so much I've learned how to deal with it," she said.

"Sailing still has the same thrill I felt as a 12-year-old Meg, battling through a cold, windy, rainy race in my little Topper (single-handed dinghy).

"Crossing the finish line and achieving something so tough is a unique satisfaction, though I still can’t tell if it’s the adrenaline or the celebratory beer that makes you want to do it all over again."

Sailing the Fastnet in 2023 was "quite hairy" at the start.

"I was hearing Mayday being called on the VHF from a boat sinking," she said.

Safety is something she "doesn't take lightly", she said.

"You've got to be quite thorough in Australia because they are pretty strict on regulations with the yachts and and all the safety gear you have to carry.

"And with the weather forecasting these days, it's a lot easier to predict what's going to happen.

"So I feel quite safe as long as you're prepared for what you're going into."

Further sailing races beckon after the Sydney Hobart, with races with her partner Ben around the west coast of France.

"I've just got one goal at a time, and for now it's doing Hobart double handed with two chicks on the boat," she said.

"I'm pretty excited about it and there's going to be a lot of people watching so I just want to do a good job, and I want to get down there safely and and arrive with a big smile on my face."

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