Tim Hancock - a madforsailing profile

Is he really 40 this year?

What is your date of birth?
22nd August 1961.

Where were you born?
Woolwich, London

At what age did you start sailing?
15 years old.

What inspired you to take up sailing?
I was too small for rugby! No actually I was just asked if I fancied having a go.

Where was your first sailing club?
Hayling Island sailing club, but I really learnt at Wimbledon Park Sailing Club in London.

Which class did you first race in?
Cadet.

How did you buy your first boat?
Parents.

What was your first regatta win?
My very first event Cadet junior week at Hayling.

What's your biggest event or championship win?
505 Worlds - 1993, Tornado Europeans - 1985, Barcelona pre-Olympics Soling class - 1991.

Any other notable regattas that you have taken part in you would like to mention?
I have been lucky enough to sail in a large number and variety of regattas over the years, all of which are memorable for one reason or another.

Which event will you be taking part in next?
505 Europa Cup in the South of France at Easter.

Do you do any sailing-specific off the water training?
Over the years I have done a lot of fitness and strength training, depending on the type of boat I am campaigning at the time and the weight I have needed to be. Currently I am exercising three to four times a week, generally running or other cardiovascular work.

Which coaches do you use if any?
At the moment I am not using a coach, but in the past have used Rod Carr, John Derbyshire, Rob Andrews, Jim Saltonstall and Bill Edgerton.

If you weren't doing the job you are, what would you like to be doing instead? .
Having just sold out of my business, exactly what I am doing now, which is deciding what to do next.

Which other sports do you take part in?
Other than various forms of exercise, not too much - I keep telling myself that I'm not old enough for golf yet.

Do you have other hobbies or interests outside of sailing?
Entertaining beautiful women.

Do you have a favourite bar, pub or restaurant?
A variety: bars - Hayling Island Sailing Club balcony on a sunny summer's evening, Sports Café Durban, Fat Tuesdays Coconut Grove, Miami. Restaurants - Prego , Twickenham, Pont de la tour, London, Imperiale Hotel in Santa Margherita Ligure, Italy.

Tell us about your most memorable sail?
1994, 505 Worlds in Durban, race 5 (with Ian Barker) air temp. 30c, water temp. 28c, wind 20-25 knots. Waves were huge, perfect conditions and we won comfortably from the Aussies, Chris and Darren Nicholson.

Who are your role models?
Paul Elvstrom and Sir Steve Redgrave.

What's your biggest remaining goal in sailing?
Winning a gold medal in the Olympics.

How much time do you spend on the water each week?
Currently very little, but it has been up to five days a week during certain campaigns.

Who are your sponsors?
I do not have any personal sponsors at the moment.

What is the best excuse you have ever given for a poor performance in a race?
My helmsman and middleman punching each other during a windy tight reach, but we did manage to recover to finish 7th in race.

What is the funniest thing you have either witnessed or experienced whilst sailing?
I have seen some great and funny wipe-outs over the years, but I think the International 14s and 49ers generally manage to beat most boats for down-the-mine action. I have also witnessed a few mark rounding 'boarding' incidents, which at the time were messy, but in hindsight very funny.

Do you have a favourite sailing venue and what makes it a great place to sail?
Durban, South Africa for the climate and big waves, Hong Kong and Bermuda for parties, Lake Garda for wind, views and Italian women.

What's the single thing that could most improve the running of regattas?
Get race officers to think about what the competitors really want and to be more flexible.

What is your greatest strengths in sailing?
Good preparation, organisational skills and staying calm and seeing the bigger picture. Also my fitness.

What is your greatest weakness in sailing?
Boredom, and not always focusing enough on the basic crewing functions.

What's the single most important piece of advice you could give to younger sailors?
Enjoy yourself and sail as many types of boats as you can, you can learn something from every outing.

Who are your sailing heroes and why?
Paul Elvstrom for raising the game to new levels for all of us. Dennis Conner for sheer determination to regain the America's Cup. Jochen Schumann for his calmness and ability to still enjoy himself under pressure.

If you could sail for a day with anyone of your choice who would it be and why?
Julia Roberts, need you ask?

Who do you think are the best sailors in Britain?
We have some amazing sailing talent throughout Britain at the moment, but of the ones I have sailed with: Ian Barker, best natural talent and most relaxed, Rob White, best cat sailor and nice bloke. Jo Richards, most complete sailor.

Who do you rate as the best sailor in the world?
Hard to just say one person, but any Olympic gold medallist has got to be up there and multiple medallists demonstrate real ability over a period of time.

====================================================

If you're reading this and you think madforsailing should be profiling someone you know ...

madforsailing want to profile all the top sailors - but we may be struggling to find some of them! If you'd like to tell us about someone you know, just click here and send us an email address or a phone number.