My name is Tom Coulter, I’m 19 years old and come from Ballymena. I finished my A levels at Ballymena Academy in 2024 and am currently taking a gap year before uni to focus on my sailing goals.
Following the 2024 summer competition season where highlights were the U21 European Championships in Mallorca and the British Nationals in Weymouth, I’ve been spending a lot of time training in Spain and Portugal to try and make the best use of my gap year and improve my fitness and performance.
I’m looking forward to summer 2025 where I will compete in the U21 Europeans in Croatia and the Worlds which are in Dublin this year.
When did you start Sailing?
I’m a little unusual in that no one in my family sails and I stumbled into sailing by chance. I was in Portrush one summer, aged 11, and decided to have a go at a sailing taster session I saw advertised at Portrush Yacht Club. I absolutely loved it and have been hooked ever since.
When did you start Sailing your current class?
I began sailing a Topper dingy at 11, then progressed directly to ILCA6, skipping the ILCA4 rig as I was growing so fast. I transitioned to the ILCA7 full rig in September 2023, aged 18.
Career highlight so far.
My career highlight so far was definitely winning the Irish ILCA6 National & Open Championships in Howth in 2023. I had just returned to competitive sailing following injury, which meant that I was devastated to miss out on the World and Europeans Championships in Poland earlier that year.
I focussed hard on my rehab and recovery and was determined to come back fighting. The event itself was extremely tough, given the wild conditions created by storm Betty and the extremely close finish which made for a very exciting event. All these factors made the win all the sweeter!
Favourite boat?
Definitely the ILCA7. The speed and power of the full rig is addictive.
Future Goals?
Still mapping out my short-term goals but the ultimate sailing goal is to make the Senior Irish team and compete at Brisbane 2032.
