Brixham boy is one of the best in the world

Brixham’s Thomas Semmens, competing against sailors one or two years his senior, has finished an incredible fifth in the World Junior Championships in Spain.

Thomas, 14, is a student at Churston Grammar School and previously attended Brixham C of E Primary School, but away from the classroom he has honed his sailing skills alongside his dad Sean at the sailing clubs of Paignton and Brixham.

From a young age, it was very clear Thomas had a superb talent for sailing and he has developed impressive consistency in a sport determined by conditions, which has led him to national, and now global, recognition.

“Tom started sailing with me at the age of around seven,” said Sean. “At first, he hated it, scared of capsizing and being in the water but he eventually caught the bug.

“Sailing is a variable sport because the wind and sea conditions are not easy to predict, but to make a boat go fast, you need a smooth technique and as the wind moves around, you can cut corners in the race track to take advantage of conditions.

“Tom is competing in a junior class and different size boats and sails that are appropriate for youngsters. The class he is competing in is typically up to the age of 16, so he probably has two years left in this group, although we may move up to a bigger boat for him to develop experience.

“He is one of dozens of young sailors in the country aspiring to move up the ladder to maybe one day compete at the Olympics. That would be the ultimate goal but, just like football, how many kids go on to play for Manchester United, so we know the size of the challenge.

“Tom is a member of Brixham Sailing Club, his home club, but also a member at Paignton, as well as training on the national circuit.

“The current boat he uses is called a Topper and that has two sub-divisions. He was in the smaller sail category two years ago and managed to win the UK National Championships and the National Series, which is a combined score from five events around the country. He then came fourth in the World Championships at Lake Garda in 2022.

“He moved up to the bigger fleet for sailors aged between 13 and 16, and obviously a bit tougher. This year, he won the UK National Series again to give him a British ranking of number one. The UK National Championships are in Portland next week, where the Olympics were held in 2012.

“Tom finished the Worlds last week and he did brilliantly. On the penultimate evening, he was in tenth but had a superb final day to finish fifth in the world, the second-best 14 year-old in the event and the top British sailor.

“He is on a sporting journey, there are talented kids in all sports, but he has to go out on the water and perform, which he is doing so very well.

“What makes Tom such a strong sailor is his consistency. Over the course of a week, he doesn’t make many mistakes. In the National Series, he only won one event, but kept banging in seconds and thirds to win the title.”