Meet bow-man number two, Matthew “living the dream” Ballantyne ahead of his biggest challenge to date the Race Around Ireland.
Name
Matthew Ballantyne
What’s your job/profession?
Sailing instructor and handyman for wild west sailing, also Cians apprentice.
Who is someone you admire, and why?
I admire my grandad as he was a man that had an answer for everything and introduced me to a lot of the stuff I’m interested in now, and he was a man that could do any job from mechanics to singing to painting.
Tell me three pet peeves.
Being told I’m wrong when I’m right, people biting their forks when eating, being in Cians car when he’s playing Katy perry.
What’s a typical day like for you?
Waking up at whatever time I feel like, or an hour before work if I have it, I normally check if I’ve work for the day and work around it if I wanna hang out with mates or watch Netflix then walk my dog is the only guarantee. It’s pretty much your average teenager’s day
Do you have any skills or talents that most people don’t know about or maybe would prefer not to know about?
I can do belly rolls, don’t ask why.
If you could be anywhere other than here, right this minute, where would you be?
Probably in my own bed.
Flashback to when you were 10 years old. What do you want to be when you grow up?
It was either a mechanic or a Jedi.
If we went to happy hour, what would you order?
Whatever’s cheapest, (you mean Fanta!)
Name three words that describe you.
Cocky, overconfident, and clumsy
What’s a goal you have for yourself that you want to accomplish in the next year?
Mainly to finish the around Ireland yacht race, and to be Cian or Dave in J24 racing.
What are you happiest doing, when you’re not working?
Listening to music is my go-to, nothing is better than music.
What would be your personal motto?
“Ships don’t sink because of water around them, ships sink cause of water in them. Don’t let what’s going on around you bring you down”.
What inspired you to do the SSE race around Ireland?
I was mainly inspired by my competitiveness and my desire to race yachts and to have big bragging rights on my mates and family.
Keep up to date on the wild West Sailing crew’s journey on the Race Around Ireland by following our social channels.
