This year is promising to be a big year in sailing, with three headline events in our sport taking place: The Olympics, swiftly followed by the 37th America’s Cup and then the start of the Vendée Globe in November. Throughout the year, we will once again see the top British sailors taking on these massive feats, inspiring others, and (hopefully) achieving glory!
Yet how did the likes of Ben Ainslie, Ellen MacArthur and Alex Thomson actually reach these dizzying heights? It’s a question that many people have asked, particularly relating to the world of offshore racing, where there are few structured pathways.
Now that I’ve started to build a career in offshore racing myself, I’ve begun to appreciate what these careers look like, and the highs and lows involved in competing internationally at the highest level.
My story
I began sailing aged nine in an Optimist on a small reservoir near Swindon. I distinctly remember my first session; being bundled out of the car into a sailing centre full of children the same age as me. Then, the horror of putting on a wetsuit, still wet and slimy from the day before, and heading out into the rain, wind and cold of a glorious British summer’s day.
