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Britain’s Mark Lees is just 19 years- old, but along with his Team Echo Sail Racing is now sitting at 70 in the latest ISAF Rankings. Mark only started match racing three years ago and has already won the RYA Youth National Match Racing Championships. Match Racing 360° caught up with Mark:


Name: Mark Lees Age: 19 Team: Team Echo Sail Racing Role on boat: Helm


How did you start sailing? Both sides of my family are sailing mad, and my parents always raced whatever boats they had together. I spent my childhood messing around in boats and my first racing was helping my mum on the bow of our family’s 30 footer at the age of eight.


And what was it about match racing that attracted you to it? Firstly, the complexity of it; the different boats, and the different number of people in the teams requires a very broad skill set. Secondly, I like the intensity, you win or you lose and even small mistakes can cost you the race, and one race can make a big difference to your overall finishing position.


What is your biggest achievement in match racing? Winning the UK Youth Nationals in 2009.


What is your biggest achievement in other sailing? Winning the Junior Optimist Nationals aged 12.


What is your biggest achievement outside sailing? I was a county-level rugby player for Dorset.


How did it feel to get to your current ISAF Ranking? Good, we have been doing a lot of different sailing this year which has been fantastic, but we didn’t do as much match racing as we would have liked. So we made an effort to do a few more events in the autumn, to try and give our ranking a boost.


Who has had the most influence on your sailing? My parents. They have helped and supported me from day one.


Is there a common denominator you’re looking for when selecting your crew? Commitment is a big factor. If it means as much to everyone on the team then it’s easy to be motivated and go at one hundred per cent for each other.


If there was one thing you could change instantly about your sailing what would it be? Funding; Team Echo is entirely self- funded at the moment, and it is really hard to do as much practice and as many events as we would like to take our match racing to the next level.


What one word would you use to describe yourself? Determined.


And what one word do you think your crew would use to describe you? Short!


How do you stay fit for sailing? I have a gym in my garage at home with most of the things that I need, and there’s nothing quite as unpleasant as going for a run on a cold winter morning!


Where do you see yourself in ten years time? Good Question. Team Echo’s goal is to compete on the World Match Racing Tour in the near future. In ten years, I would like to be able to say I had sailed in most of the best events in the world and have a realistic chance of winning the America’s Cup for Great Britain.


Team Echo Team Echo


MATCH RACING 360° | NOVEMBER 2011


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