Seb Ripard
Seb Ripard
Born in December 1986, into a family of sailor,s I had no choice but to be immersed into a sea going lifestyle. However given my intense competitive character it wasn’t long before a hobby turned into a sport and this is where my passion for sailing thrived. I jumped into my first single handed boat at the age of 7. It was non other than the world famous bath tub, the opi. Given that I was the first person to sail Optimists on the island and that our fleet only remained 5 strong for the first three years, the Maltese dinghy scene was very primitive to say the least.
Looking back on my early Opi days and recalling the dinghy experience from a Maltese perspective, I have come to acquire a love hate relationship with my identity as a Maltese sailor. I am a patriot at heart and love my island dearly, the good food, even better weather mixed with a charm that only the Mediterranean knows how to produce. However I must admit that I am bitterly jealous of Northern European sailors, especially the British. With all the natural elements on the Maltese side my sailing career has been a constant struggle. It has been an endless battle to receive the necessary funding and home facilities in order to compete on the national stage. Yet how come a country such as Britain with the most appalling sailing conditions, manages to build the resources and administrate the funding that produces medal winners? It’s not money, it’s not time; it’s drive. The Maltese motto seems to be nothing is possible while the British one; anything is possible. So despite the obstacles that any Maltese sailor faces when trying to put together a successful and ambitious campaign, I am determined to show that anything is possible given the right drive. I am determined to succeed.
At 12 I competed in my first international regatta, the Opi Europeans. We were annihilated. The next year I came back and managed to place 24th after having spent the entire event in the top ten dropping down to 24 on the penultimate day with a black flag and an OCS. That was the end of my Opi scene and I was sent to boarding school in the UK to shift my focus from sailing to my studies. There I still managed to find a way to compete, this time team racing. In 2004, as captain, I lead my school to victory at the BSSA Midland Team Racing Championships. Finishing School in 2005 I took a year off and worked/raced in the classic circuit onboard a beautiful Fife build, MARIELLA.
2006 back in the UK, this time university in Southampton. After spending a few months working and saving up to buy a car and a laser I spent my time either training at Stokes Bay or studying for exams etc. 3 months down the line I decide to take part in the ISAF Worlds in Cascais. There I found that 3 months on the laser is no where enough to achieve the results I wanted and only place mid-position in the bronze fleet. Realising that I couldn’t run a serious laser campaign whilst at university, I decided to spend 2007 keel boat racing. I managed to get hold of a J80 through the Yacht Race Academy, and put together a team to do the nationals and the worlds. Heavily inexperienced in the J80 we managed to come 4th at the nationals. The worlds didn’t go so well due to a lot of tension within the team and here I learned how crucial a positive team atmosphere is in succeeding. Thus with a much less experienced crew but more positive atmosphere we managed to come 2nd in the J80 class at Cowes Week winning Skandia Young Skipper of the Year. Throughout my university years I also spent sometime racing on other interesting classes such as Farr 52s/Farr 45s and others. I also ran a little match racing campaign with a bit of success, winning a grade 4 and placed well in a few grade 3s, working up an ISAF ranking of 149. Yet even though I am very excited by both the match racing scene and the pro-keel boat scene I believe that at the moment my focus should be an Olympic campaign. Mainly because winning a medal or even just taking part in the Olympics has always been my biggest dream, but also I believe that a successful Olympic campaign would be very beneficial for my sailing career.
Thus in 2009 I started crewing for a Uni friend who had a 49er. Whilst trying to study for our final year we managed to get a few days on the water through out a 5 month period. By the beginning of July we were in Lake Garda living in my VW estate and competing at the worlds. With the heaviest boat in the fleet and the oldest sails we still managed to finish 11th in the bronze fleet. With university out of the way I am well over my pathetic excuses and now ready to take the necessary steps in order to achieve my goal. Taking part in the 2012 Olympics and winning Gold in 2016.
Highlights before I teamed up with Benji:
1997
Helmsman of the Year
Optimist National Champion
1998
Optimist National Champion
2000
Optimist Europeans: 24th Overall and 1st Maltese
2002
1st Overall in Rolex Middle Sea Race on Jammin , J109
(helm/trim)
2004
1st UK School Team Racing Championships
2006
1st in Class and 2nd Overal in Rolex Middle Sea Race on Artie, J109 (Co-Skipper)
2007
ISAF Worlds in Laser class
2008
1st Malta Match Racing Championships (Straight Dealer Cup)
1st Scarlino Match Race (Grade 4)
3rd Brindisi Match Race (Grade 3)
4th J80 UK Nationals
18th J80 Worlds (2nd British boat)
2nd J80 Class at Skandia Cowes Week, winning Skandia Young Skipper of the Year
MOC Gold Sports Award
2009
2nd Hayling Island 49er Open
11th Bronze Fleet at 49er World Championships
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