Sailing towards a sustainable Olympics

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Sailing towards a sustainable Olympics

Salcombe Gin has become the first sustainability partner of Olympic Gold medallist Hannah Mills and Eilidh McIntyre’s epic 470 dinghy class sailing campaign for Gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Inspired by the coastal vitality of Salcombe and its shipbuilding heritage for exotic trading routes, Salcombe Gin is produced in one of the world’s only distilleries directly accessible by boat. The ever growing issue of plastics in the oceans is a shared concern for Salcombe Gin and the sailing duo and both are committed to making a difference. The desire for change and increased sustainability has been the driving force behind Hannah and Eilidh forming the Big Plastic Pledge.

Olympic sailor, Hannah Mills says: “When I won my Gold medal in the Rio Olympics I realised something drastic needed to be done with regard to plastics. The waters out there were awful, filled with debris, and it was heartbreaking to see that one of the most beautiful places I have ever had the chance to sail was also being completely destroyed by the rubbish filtering into the ocean.” Hannah continues: “It is, therefore, so exciting to join up with Salcombe Gin as our first sustainability partner on our journey to Tokyo 2020. We share a vision, passion and desire to tackle this plastics problem head on in any way we can.”

During their recent visit to Salcombe, Hannah and Eilidh named their brand new 470 sailing class dinghy the ‘Spirited Seahorse’ and christened the boat with Salcombe Gin.

Hannah started sailing at the age of 8 and fell in love with the sense of freedom, independence and sense of control steering a boat gave her. Being extremely competitive Hannah quickly progressed to racing which reached a pinnacle in 2012 where, with her then sailing partner Saskia Clark, she scooped a Gold medal in the Rio Olympics.

In 2017, Eilidh McIntyre approached Hannah suggesting they partner in future competitions as Saskia had retired from the sport. The pair have since won two World Championship medals, numerous World Cup medals and most recently have just won the 2019 Princess Sofia Regatta. They are now training hard for the rapidly approaching Tokyo Olympics.

Eilidh comments on the sponsorship: “To partner with a company like Salcombe Gin is a dream. It feels like we are working from the same script with competitive roots, a love for sailing and a desire to bring about plastic change. It’s brilliant to be working with them on our journey to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and to call them our first sustainability partners with the Big Plastic Pledge.”

Commenting on behalf of Salcombe Gin, co-founder Howard Davies, says: “Hannah and Eilidh are incredibly inspiring and have such a high level of commitment and drive. We are thrilled to be supporting them in their campaign to win a Gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and wish them both the very best of luck.”

Howard continues: “I personally hugely value Salcombe Gin’s partnership with Hannah and Eilidh for several reasons. I used to race a 470 sailing class dinghy myself and so it feels great to be involved with the 470 racing scene again, especially with Hannah and Eilidh who are at the pinnacle of the class. Also, sustainability and reducing plastic use is something both Salcombe Gin and myself personally are committed to and, as such, makes this an even greater fit.” Amongst many other things, Salcombe Gin has completely re-designed its protective bottle packaging for UK distribution as well as reducing single use plastics across the business.