YOU might think that after 18 months of intense training and racing at regattas all over the world, Britain’s three golden blondes — Shirley Robertson, Sarah Ayton and Sarah Webb — who sailed to Olympic glory in the Yngling keelboat, would be sick of the sight of each other.
The build-up has seen them work incredibly hard, sailing day after day to the point where they were able to stun their rivals and win gold with a race to spare. It has been tough on them, their families, husbands and boyfriends.
Yet the trio, who were awarded their gold medals at the Agios Kosmas sailing venue last night, remain the best of friends. While there have been low moments, they have never fallen out. Webb, 27, from Weybridge in Surrey, who learnt to sail at seven with the boys next door and who crewed in the middle of the boat, said: “We are very calm in the boat and, if we’ve a bad day, we discuss it on the water.” Ayton, 24, from Ashford in Middlesex, learnt to sail at the age of six at Queen Mary Sailing Club near Heathrow airport. She said the culture of the team was one of total professionalism and dedication. It all starts with skipper Robertson and Ian Walker their coach.
“Shirley’s the boss,” said Ayton, who sailed as bowman. She and Ian run everything and that works for me because I haven’t got too much experience.” Summarising the different personalities in the boat, she went on: “I guess I’m always smiling. I’m deadly serious really, but quite relaxed on the surface. Sarah is very serious and she’s a bit more mature about the whole thing and very professional. Then there’s Shirley. She is totally determined and 100% focused and if anything is getting in the way of us winning, then she’ll deal with it and sort it out.”
Robertson, 36, who comes from a village near Stirling, seems to have loved sharing a campaign with two other women and with Walker. After years in a single-handed dinghy when the pressure to succeed often got too much, she has been able to spread the load in a team effort, which has brought a second gold medal, an honour she shares with Spanish 470 sailor Theresa Zabell. But she has found the role of leader tricky: “You can always improve how you sail, but dealing with people can be harder.”
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Outside sailing, Webb is a voracious reader and a self-confessed awful golfer. Ayton enjoys windsurfing and renovating houses; currently she is working on one in Weymouth, which she owns with her boyfriend Nick Dempsey, who is competing in the windsurfing at Athens. Robertson is still looking forward to living a normal life at home in Cowes with her husband, Irish sailor Jamie Boag, who wants to start a family. “It’s an option,” she said, laughing. “I’m married to a child — I don’t know how I’d quite manage with two!”