Sailors Eva and Darcy have their eyes on the 2032 Brisbane Olympics
Northern Beaches sailors Darcy Robbins, 19, and Eva Attwood, 20, are aiming to one day compete at the Olympic Games. The 49er FX sailing pair joined together as a team around eight months ago, having previously fought as competitors.
“We met back (when we sailed) 29er youth class and we used to compete against each other,” says Eva. “We became close in our HSC year when everything was really stressful and we’ve been best friends since. When Darcy asked me to sail with her I was a little hesitant at the start, I didn’t want to jeopardise the friendship. But then I (realised) this is definitely what I wanted to do.”
Darcy explains: “A sailing relationship is very different to a friendship. It’s very direct, the way we talk to each other when we’re sailing. So if you’re listening it can sound like we’re being rude to each other, but we’re not, you just need to get your job done.”
Darcy lives in Dee Why and learned to sail from a young age, joining the Newport Sailing Club at 10. At the same age, Eva, a Bilgola resident, joined the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club in Pittwater. The pair are part of the Australian Futures Sailing Squad, a fast-track program which supports athletes transitioning from youth to Olympic classes, and they train at Middle Harbour Yacht Club.
The pair sail a 49er FX, a two-handed high-performance skiff with a hull length of 4.99 metres.
Eva takes on the job of crew. “My main job is making sure that we’re fast and able to compete with other boats,” Eva says. “I look for wind and pressure and predict what I think is going to happen.”
While Darcy, Eva says, makes the ‘overall decision.’ “I decide where to go relative to the other boats,” Darcy explains. “I base my decisions off the observations Eva gives me. So she gets us fast and I put us in the right direction.”
They recently came second in the New Zealand nationals, and in July they will travel to Germany to compete in the Open European Championships, before heading to the Netherlands for the Junior World Championships.
They spend five days a week training on the water and do gym and aerobic training, which they fit in around study and work. Eva is studying a mechanical engineering degree while working as a swimming teacher, while Darcy is at TAFE learning project management and holds down two jobs, one as a bar tender and the other caring for people’s yachts.
Eva Attwood and Darcy Robbins
“It’s expensive and we’re funding it, which makes it quite hard. We obviously juggle work so that we can afford to do it,” Eva says. “I think our biggest thing about getting to Brisbane (2032 Olympics) will be how well we manage our time over the next six to eight years.”
“We would love support,” Darcy says, adding that the cost of flights, replacing sails and hiring a boat to compete overseas adds up.
Eva and Darcy are looking for sponsors to help them raise $25,000, the money needed for them to compete overseas.
Businesses interested in sponsoring the pair, and those wanting to follow their journey, should see their Instagram @robbinsattwood_49fx