Tom Bonello Ghio is already an avid, ambitious and successful sailor at the age of 14. But it’s not just about competition, challenge and excitement. Stephanie Fsadni finds the sport builds team spirit, independence, time management and discipline in youths... and it even steers them away from clubbing.

Considering Malta is an island, comparatively few people take up water sports. This is surely the case with sailing: there are very few sailing clubs around and each one counts a small number of members. However, these ‘few’ are totally dedicated to the sport, as one young sailor can attest.

Come rain or shine, high winds or swell, he is out there riding the waves every weekend

Tom Bonello Ghio is passionate about sailing. He was encouraged to try the sport by a family friend when he was only seven, and he has not looked back since. Come rain or shine, high winds or swell, he is out there riding the waves every weekend.

Now 14, Tom has just been ‘promoted’ from an Optimist to a Laser boat. For the uninitiated, an Optimist is a small, single-handed sailing dinghy intended for use by children until the age of 15, while the Laser is a popular, one-design class of small sailing dinghy, which, however, has bigger sails than the former boat and is thus much faster.

“I’m very excited about this,” says Tom as his big, brown eyes widen in expectation.

He is actually making the leap to the Laser a few months before he turns 15 because he has grown too tall for the first boat.

A member of the Malta Young Sailors’ Club, Tom has already taken part in quite a number of local and international racing events. These include the Euromed Regatta, which is the biggest local event; the Island Games, where he represented Malta twice; and the Junior European Championships 2012, held in Italy.

He won various trophies too – including one for the National Champion title in 2011.

But sailing is not only about competition. What Tom likes most is that every time he goes out to sea, it’s a different challenge.

“You always find a different situation; the wind and the sea are never the same,” the young man says.

He admits he is always checking the weather forecast before a race, but sometimes the weather changes in unexpected ways.

Tom recounts an episode last year when he and his group experienced a squall while they were out at sea during a training session.

“Suddenly, a huge cloud formed and no one saw it coming,” he says. “The wind really picked up and huge waves formed.”

Any sense of fear was, however, quickly quashed as their coach, Jean Fleri-Soler, took hold of the situation and brought them safely to land.

Sailing is also about team spirit. Before the young sailors descend into the water, they always help each other out with the boat, and that happens again once a raceis over.

Teamwork is important for them, especially if they eventually move on to bigger boats, which are manned by a crew. Tom has already gained some popularity for his skills and abilities and he sometimes gets invited to join a crew. One such opportunity will take him to France this year.

Tom likes to impart his love for sailing, and last summer he took to coaching some other younger members of the club, giving them advice on how to improve their performance and helping them with any other problems they might have. He also feelsit is a pity that so few people take up this sport.

His parents totally support him and encourage him to pursue his hobby.

“Sport makes you disciplined and independent,” says his mother, Joanna. “Sailing perhaps makes you even more so because when you’re alone out at sea, you have to continuously take decisions.”

“Sport is also healthy,” adds his father Albert. “And it keeps him away from clubbing... at least for now!”

The family mostly travels to take Tom to regattas and competitions. “Sailing events abroad are a completely different experience than local ones because of their sheer size. These give Tom the chance to race with big fleets, with over 100 competitors,” continues Albert.

A part-time sailor but a full-time student, Tom needs good time management skills to cope with studies and his hobby. So far, he manages to balance the two well.

The young man, who comes across as a quiet, good-natured boy, is also very ambitious. He has chosen the sciences as his core subjects as he intends to become a doctor, while continuing to pursue his other big dream – making it to the Olympics. He is certainly on the right track... or the right wave.