“Sailing has changed everything for me. I started sailing with the school on a reservoir, but got an opportunity to shift up a gear in year 9, when the older boys needed a lighter person for the Etchells Worlds. That was quite an experience… there were so many boats, and so much going on. I knew that was exactly what I wanted to go for.”
Corneille is highly focused and competitive. He takes every available moment to train, tweak his boat and prepare to race in any of the 3 racing classes he competes in.
He takes the helm in Etchells ‘Palaver’ winning the Royal Yacht Squadron’s Sir Kenneth Preston Trophy in 2024. The youngest person to have their name on the board on this prestigious club. In 2025, he went on to helm and win the open Etchells Southern Championship in 2025, win the ILCA Sunday Spring series at King George Sailing Club, progress to Gold Fleet in the ILCA Open National Championships, and helm a Flying 15 for the first time during Cowes Week Regatta
“I love how different it is, how it’s something new. I was raised in North London so I had no idea what that sport was. There’s a high level of competitiveness which I love. Small things can make such a big difference – just a small pull of a rope will make a difference to the sail shape. It’s about working to perfect every element that you can control.”
