Irish sailors keen to make a splash

Those who said it could never last were right. Having nothing at all in common, particularly when it comes to religion, does not a fruitful partnership make and the Tom Cruise-Katie Holmes liaison was doomed from the off.

There were many who doubted the future for Ryan Seaton and Matt McGovern too. But while products of completely different Northern Irish backgrounds, they are bound by a mutual appetite to push the boundaries of human endurance and attain Olympic glory.

That tie has brought them to Weymouth, and it has brought them there with a chance of medalling in the 49er campaign.

It has also made them very good friends. A double act, the rat-tat-tat of patter is punctuated by loud laughs. Finishing each other’s sentences seamlessly, it is little wonder McGovern has described them as like an old married couple.

The slagging of each other and those around them is incessant. Nothing is tip-toed around; no area too sensitive.

It throws you a bit to hear a Catholic and Protestant from within the six counties ribbing each other about their religions. We learn that the gregarious McGovern, from Bangor originally before moving to Belfast, went to school at Lagan College. “Not selling it, but it was the first ever integrated school” he says.

The same query goes to Carrickfergus native, Seaton. “Downshire” comes the answer, before McGovern butts in: “The least ever integrated school!”

The piss-taking is on in earnest. You have a fair idea at this point, but the question is asked nonetheless. Seaton is Protestant, McGovern the Catholic.

“That’s not normally what we call each other!” inserts McGovern, before emitting a loud guffaw.

And so it goes. McGovern’s father, Peter was a cross-country runner who performed at junior level for Ireland. He played rugby himself amongst a host of other sports. Seaton was a very talented cyclist. They found their true calling in sailing.

Both could have opted to compete for Britain but it was never something they considered, not even Seaton, who might be more culturally disposed to doing so. Their explanation of this takes on the aforementioned two-pronged approach.

“We came up through the whole Irish youth development. We just see it normal as to be representing Ireland. Obviously we’re from Northern Ireland and you always have the…“McGovern: “.. religious and political aspect of that. But we don’t feel it. We’re from different divides in that respect but… Seaton: “… we’ve been brought up in different religions and we get on well.”

McGovern won British and Irish trials as a youth but stayed where he felt he belonged. Seaton trained and was good friends with John Beattie, who opted for Britain. Competition is fierce whenever they met up. Beattie hasn’t made it to the Olympics though.

“That’s what happens when you go GB!” comes the inevitable McGovern quip.

Don’t be fooled though. The boisterous jocularity cloaks a steely resolve and deadly seriousness. At 28, McGovern is four years older than his partner. But he was drawn to Seaton in 2009 because it was obvious from the way the youngster worked at the Sports Institute of Northern Ireland that they shared the most important trait.

“I think the intensity we both have for it is a massive thing” declares McGovern. “We’d both kill everyone in this room just to get a step further. We’d do anything to improve.

“I know for a fact that every morning I turn up for training he’s gonna’ be there and train just as hard or harder, and try and push each other. It’s really hard to find someone who wants something as much as you do.”

According to Seaton, they’re deadly opponents in the gym. It is a strange chemistry, but one that clearly works.

They targeted London qualification at the world championships in Perth last year and succeeded with a bit in hand. Last month, at the Skandia Sail for Gold regatta over the Olympic route, they improved on that 10th-place finish to record a personal best seventh.

The belief drawn from Perth was evident, as was the influence of coach, Ian Barker, a silver medallist in Sydney 12 years ago.

Boat speed was particularly impressive and that is significant because the 49ers are the 100m sprinters of sailing. Each race only lasts around 30 minutes and with the designs of all the boats identical, the margins are incredibly tight.

“Because of our speeds, everything is multiplied” McGovern explains. “The sails, to anyone, look exactly the same… but the tiniest little measurement differences and the way they are stitched together all make slight differences. So that’s where we spend our time going through the equipment, checking and measuring things… you’ve just gotta’ try to get that little edge.

“One second at the start line and one second at the finish line... People win and lose races in our fleet by a second or two, which is only a boat length, so you do need every little bit as you go around. And ultimately, regattas are always won by that one point in the end.”

In that sense, it is very much like Formula One racing, in that you are testing and responding to how the boat reacts. The problem is that sometimes you just know it doesn’t feel right and you’re not sure why.

Seaton does the steering so he may get a certain feel from the tiller. McGovern is responsible for the heavy lifting with the sails and will have a better idea if tweaking is required there.

Unlike F1, they are the mechanics too. This is especially crucial between races, when they have about 20 minutes to make just the slightest of alterations.

“We have a set of settings, numbers and codes and we put the boat together to these measurements and it works” McGovern details. “But occasionally, you go out and it just doesn’t feel right. A millimetre or two of change can make no difference and then one more millimetre and you suddenly get that change.”

Since the Sail for Gold regatta, the pair have been working on their processes. It sounds banal, but just as Derval O’Rourke has a process for jumping hurdles, so do Seaton and McGovern for sailing quickly.

There has also been plenty of conditioning work. Going into the Games in top physical condition is crucial, because entering the final couple of days of competition, everyone is feeling the pain. After Sail for Gold, McGovern had to have a toe operation, while Seaton was struggling with his knee.

Sharing a gym with the Ulster rugby players, and exchanging experiences on operating in some sort of discomfort, has been useful. They feel that they have the mental fortitude to prosper where others might wither.

Particularly if the wind picks up. Irish sailors are our golfers in that regard. It’s what they’re used to. Nobody gave Darren Clarke a prayer of winning the British Open in 2011. It would be foolish to rule this duo out in familiar conditions.

“Coming at the end of a windy week, I think you know everyone is hurting a little bit so you’ve just got to block it out and pretend that it’s the first day again” is McGovern’s read on it.

“We love it when it’s windy, when it’s fighting to survive. They’re the good days. We’re used to those conditions as kids growing up on stormy days here.

“We always set our personal goals high and we have high aspirations for ourselves. We went into the world championships and on the last day we could have had a medal. It worked out badly, we lost three places rather than gaining three.

“We have a high belief that everyone in the top 10 can ultimately walk away with a medal. It’s about holding your performance constant, and not crippling under pressure.”

“It may mean you fall in the end and you’re disappointed but I’d much rather have that than turn up with the idea of going there for a holiday. If we were just going to qualify to go to a sailing event, there’s absolutely no way I’d bother.

“The time, the effort we put in, it would just be pointless just to turn up for a nice T-shirt. I’d go out for a party in Dublin if I wanted to party, I wouldn’t go all the way to the Olympics.”