Conrad Simpson travelled to the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games as reserve Finn sailor to Bill O’Hara. From Bangor, Co. Down Simpson spent his early sporting years as a competitive swimmer before switching to sailing . Having crewed successfully in a 505, he moved to helming the Laser (later ILCA) where he developed his love for single-handed sailing before becoming a training partner for Bill O’Hara and competing in the Finn internationally.
Simpson’s selection as reserve reflected his standing as a Finn sailor and ability to act as a reserve crew for the Flying Dutchman. . The Finn class at Seoul was one of the most competitive in Olympic sailing, raced at the newly built Pusan Yachting Center in conditions that proved among the windiest in Olympic sailing history, with one day’s racing postponed due to excessive wind.
Simpson went on to campaign full-time for the Barcelona games in the Finn and although having the top Irish results internationally , he narrowly missed the selection criteria for the Finn. However he was selected for the Irish Team at the1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, again as a reserve, given his experience and capacity to cover either helming or crewing positions for the Star and Fly Dutchman.
Having stopped sailing through work and family commitments for nearly 20 years he has rekindled his passion for sailing and is now back competing in the ILCA class both in Ireland and at Masters events internationally.
Sailing
