Sailor McIlwaine mixing with world's best as career progresses

Erin McIlwaine never dreamt of becoming a world-class sailor but has now found herself mixing with the world's best.

The Northern Irish star started sailing aged six, following in the footsteps of her older brother and being taught by her mum.

The sport was merely a hobby, but a surprise competition victory spurred her to change her outlook forever.

"I started competing when I was about nine or ten years old. I never really wanted to compete but once I got to my first competition and ended up winning it, I was like: this could be my future," said McIlwaine, who benefits from financial support from Boost Drinks - a company born over 20 years ago with a vision of energising everybody in every way and is committed to supporting its local communities, whether this be fuelling them with its range of Sports, Energy, Iced Coffee, and Protein Drinks, or by getting more involved to help them achieve their goal.

"I sailed a boat by myself until I was around 14 years old. The last event I did was the Topper World Championships in China in 2018, and I ended up being the female world champion of that event which was pretty cool; a nice way to end my time in that junior class before I moved into a youth class.

"The youth class was called a 29er which is a two-person dinghy. It was a bit of a change going into sailing with another person and not just sailing by myself the whole time.

"You're no longer just reliant on yourself but another person as well. It makes it fun as well, knowing you can share enjoyment of the sport with someone else in the boat."

SportsAid supports over 1,000 athletes each year - in the early stages of their career - by providing them with a financial award to help towards training and competition costs.

This acts as a real motivational boost as it is often the first recognition they receive outside of their support network, with most of them relying heavily on their parents as they have no other funding.

These athletes are Great Britain's brightest sporting prospects, nominated to SportsAid by the national governing bodies of more than 60 sports based on set criteria from each.

The typical value of a SportsAid award is £1,000 with money generated through a combination of commercial partnerships, trust and charitable funds, and fundraising activities.

McIlwaine has now transitioned into the senior ranks and has twice had the chance to attend Sail GP events, where she has mingled with some of the sport's greats.

Sail GP is one of the biggest sailing competitions in the world and experiencing that environment has proven to be a special experience.

McIlwaine added: "The first one I went to was in Plymouth in 2021, it was pretty amazing. I went across and met some of my idols - it's crazy.

"Then I went again to Copenhagen back in August and I did some work experience. I was very much involved in helping the event run and run smoothly.

"You're walking alongside some of the greatest sailors of all time. I met two of my idols, [Olympic Champions] Peter Burling and Blair Tuke. One of them gave me a private tour of the big foiling boats which was insane!

"It's definitely not something you come across every day and once you open the doors, it's a once in a lifetime opportunity."

Boost Drinks provides young athletes with financial support, recognition, and personal development opportunities through its partnership with SportsAid. Each athlete receives a £1,000 award which contributes towards costs such as travel, accommodation, and equipment - for more information visit www.boostdrinks.com

Sportsbeat 2022