Smash hit

If it wasn’t for Mirabaud, our sponsor, I wouldn’t have two pennies to rub together.

Don’t you get any financial support?

Around 40% of our costs are covered by lottery funding. We have to raise the rest — around £130,000 a year — through commercial sponsorships or donations from friends and family. As with any sport, it is expensive at the top end. Much of the money goes into transporting our boats around the world — we either have to drive them around, which means we have to have a car capable of doing this, or we have to put them in a container ship. In that respect, it is probably one of the most expensive sports.

Sailing is different to some other Olympic sports because we own our own equipment and we decide whom we sail with. With rowing, for example, the federation owns all the boats and it decides whom you row with.

How much did you earn last year?

Our lottery funding, which pays us a basic salary and some living allowances, totalled about £24,000 each.

How much you get each year depends on performance. If you are in the top three at the world championships then that is what you get. If you fall down to the top ten you get something like £19,000.

What if you’re a gold medallist?

It doesn’t make any difference in terms of funding. However, I’ll be looking to do some corporate speaking and sailing to try and clear some of the debts we’ve accumulated through training costs.

I did some corporate speaking after the Athens Olympic games and it pays very well. For a speech, you would get something in the region of £10,000 a night.

How much was in your first pay packet?

I worked part time for Pizza Hut earning the minimum wage — I think it was just over £3 an hour at the time. After my A-levels, they offered me a full-time manager’s job. I was probably on something like £12,000. I did that for a year before leaving for university.

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