Hey guys,
So autumn has well and truly set in now. With it now being the start of November it should be obvious that autumn has been with us for a while but after such a whirlwind year I still feel like I'm stuck in the middle of summer. I'm definitely finding it hard to believe that Christmas is only next month!
Autumn leaves back home in Swanage.
With the year starting to draw to a close it is a perfect time to reflect on my year to date. I've had plenty of highs and a few lows on the way but the most important thing is that I have learnt so much about myself, my sailing and my life. I am incredibly lucky to have sailing as my job and every day I live the dream the only a few can ever experience.
The support I have received over the year has been truly amazing, especially since joining the British Sailing Team in September - I am very excited for my future as part of the team.
I've also been very confident with my development and learning this past year. Sometimes its very hard to see improvement even if you have done everything right but I have had confidence in myself and my techniques to critique every part of my sailing.
One thing I think is very important when being a full time athlete is to participate in many different hobbies and dedicate some time every day to them. I find it allows me to properly relax and reflect on my performance from the day as well as learn new and exciting skills. Since moving to Weymouth in September I have participated in many activities such as golf, 5 a side football, countless trips to the local cinema, cycle trips and much more. I also have a huge passion for design and technology and using my skills that I learnt at Microsoft last year I have started designing and programming computer applications. I have created a variety of different applications (all of them related to sailing in some way) with my best to date being SailPlan 2016. This application is the ultimate sailing tool for serious sailors and by using computer algorithms to process and display huge amounts of data in one single interface it allows you to effectively brief and debrief your sessions, maximising productivity. Whilst the app currently only runs on the Windows operating system, I am in the process of creating an iPhone and iPad version. Watch this space....
As I settle down and prepare for the upcoming winters training I am looking to carry on this momentum into next year and hopefully it will bring a lot of success and learning along the way.
Looking forward to the upcoming classic windy Weymouth winter!
Thanks,
Sam