Rhubarb 2024

An interview with CHARLOTTE WEBSTER (Jubilee, 2017-2019) I

INTERVIEW

Championships in San Francisco and the British Nationals at the London 2012 Olympic sailing venue in Weymouth, where I earned a silver medal. I represented Cayman at the Youth Sailing World Championships in Oman in December 2021, and in 2022 in The Hague. Just a year later, I returned to The Hague for the senior World Sailing Championships in 2023, the first Olympic qualifying event for Paris 2024 hopefuls. Qualifying Journey Sailing at the Olympics is divided into 10 different boat classes – every crew must qualify through a series of events, and for me, this included the World Championships and the Pan American Games.With the support of my coach, I secured a spot for the Cayman Islands at the PanAm Games. My performance in Santiago earned me a qualifying position and finally, in May 2024, I received official confirmation from the Cayman Islands Olympic Committee that I would represent my country in Paris – a moment of immense relief and pride after years of hard work. Paris 2024 Training While sailing might be perceived by some as just another “sitting down sport” at the Olympics, the physical demands are extreme. After finding out in January that I was almost certainly heading to the Games, my rigorous training regime shifted into high gear. I’ve had an incredible team supporting me, starting with my sailing coach and an awesome personal trainer at my My fitness programme was designed by Anna Tunnicliffe OLY, a Laser dinghy gold medalist from the Beijing 2008 Games. Her expertise has been invaluable in preparing me for the intense physical demands of Olympic sailing. Balancing my academic commitments with my training and competition schedule has been a challenge, but my Dad stepped in as the ultimate logistics manager, organising every detail – flooding my inbox with calendar reminders for flights, accommodation, training sessions and regattas. gym in Falmouth, where I’m currently a third-year Environmental Science student at Exeter University.

’m Charlotte Webster, and I had the privilege of representing the Cayman Islands in sailing at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games.

Sailing in my DNA Sailing has always been ingrained in my life – my parents, who met while racing against each other, passed their love of the sport on to me. Growing up in the Cayman Islands meant constant exposure to the ocean, and I was lucky enough to sail year-round. Cayman boasts a rich maritime tradition, with our small but dedicated sailing community producing 12 Olympians since 1976 – a legacy I’m proud to now be a part of. Time at Teddies I joined Teddies as a Shell in 2017, and my time there was instrumental in teaching me independence as it was my first experience living away from home. It opened my eyes to new experiences, sports, and academic subjects.Teddies gave me the chance to explore other sports and when I took up rowing I found my place in another type of boat, even earning a medal with my crew at a novice regatta. Olympic Inspiration After leaving Teddies just before lockdown in 2020, I returned to Cayman, which swiftly sealed its borders and eliminated the virus island-wide, allowing the country to live in a bubble for nearly a year. Despite being Covid-free, I wasn’t allowed to train in my single-handed dinghy. By August 2020, I was finally able to get back on the water, training with a few close friends. I competed in four major competitions in summer 2021 including the ILCA dinghy (formerly known as the Laser), the North American

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