THE efforts of Helensburgh’s Olympic sailing heroes attracted attention around the world last week – but nowhere were the cheers louder, or the eyes more glued to the live TV coverage, than at the Royal Northern and Clyde Yacht Club (RNCYC) in Rhu.
Anna Burnet, Charlotte Dobson and Luke Patience all learned their craft at the RNCYC as children, coached by a team of mothers before going on to much bigger things in adulthood.
And those mums, along with other family members, former schoolmates and friends, gathered at the club’s base last week – shrugging aside the early morning alarm calls – to cheer on the trio in their bids to secure Olympic glory.
None were prouder than the Burnet family after Anna partnered John Gimson to silver in the Nacra 17 category last Tuesday, with mum Louise, dad Colin and sister Fiona – herself a notable achiever after winning EuroHockey II gold with the Scotland women’s hockey team in 2019 – all present to watch every moment of the medal race.
Fiona said: “We have seen the tears and the highs and the lows, just the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes, even to get to the Olympic qualification. Then to go out and to do what they did this week and get a medal, is just, well I’m sort of speechless to be honest. Having a sister that is an Olympic silver medallist is inspiring to all of us.”
Louise Burnet said. “We are bursting with pride. My heart has been thumping with nerves and now pride. It has been unbelievable. It is a really fantastic achievement.
READ MORE: Local sailors Burnet, Dobson and Patience reflect on Tokyo test
“Thanks to all the mums here at the Royal Northern and Clyde.
“In the early days when Anna was just five, there was a team of mums who were all qualified RYA instructors and they just made it such fun for the kids to go sailing.
“They would go out and play games on the water, they’d have water fights, they’d paddle, they’d sail.
“They would want to capsize all the time as the most fun thing, so they would tip the boats over and the fun was the best part of it.”
As a tribute to Anna’s medal success, Fiona and the RNCYC’s vice-commodore, Linda Pender, wrapped the postbox in Shandon in silver foil – echoing a gesture made nine years ago after Luke Patience partnered Stuart Bithell to a silver medal at the London Olympics.
Linda, who was part of that group of mums who introduced Anna, Luke and Charlotte – and other local youngsters – to the joys of sailing all those years ago, said: “Anna’s medal was a fantastic moment. She’s been trying to get to the Olympics for so long.
READ MORE: Eilidh McIntyre credits her inspirational Helensburgh dad for career turnaround
“You could see years ago with Anna, Luke and Charlotte that they had that innate instinct to ‘get’ the wind and water and keep their boat on track from an early age.
“We had about 40 kids sailing with us in those days at various levels each summer and you could soon see the ones who had something special. A lot of them were soon sailing in the Scottish squad and travelling to regattas around the UK.
“We had about 45 people at the clubhouse for the medal races, including a bunch of Anna’s classmates from Lomond School, as well as crews from the BBC and ITV. It was a fantastic atmosphere.”
Following Anna’s success, the Provost of Argyll and Bute, Helensburgh and Lomond councillor David Kinniburgh, said: “Congratulations to Anna Burnet from Shandon on her outstanding silver medal success at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
“Anna is an incredibly talented sailor who followed her dreams and, through sheer hard work and determination, has gone on to win one of the greatest honours in the international sporting world.
“Special mention must also go to two other Team GB sailors, Luke Patience and Charlotte Dobson, who are also from Helensburgh and Lomond.
“All three athletes are a credit to Argyll and Bute and we should all be immensely proud of them and their achievements.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here