U21 Europeans 2016

So the Under-21 Europeans 2016 have finished. Held in Split, in Croatia, it was a great event for me both on and off of the water.

Just before the start of Race 9 with all the boats jostling for position.

I managed to solve many of the problems which had plagued me at the previous week at the worlds and sailed a very consistent series. Of course, as with any sporting event, there were a few ups and downs and the weather did turn unpredictable and funky at times!

Adjusting controls mid-reach on one of the windier days of the regatta.

In the end I finished 8th overall which I am extremely happy about especially considering that I will be back next year hungrier and faster. This is also the first ever international competition I have ever finished inside the top 10 and I believe this shows just how hard I have been working over the last few years.

Jack Cookson, who narrowly beat me to 7th overall, Clemmie Thompson who did very well in the girls fleet finishing 5th overall and me with my trophy after finishing 8th overall.

And that was it for my summer of competitions! I'm proud at my progress and results but at the same time will miss the travelling and competing. Next up was the journey back home to England!

Leaving the lovely warmth and sunshine of Croatia....

....To the cloud and rain of England!

I also have some very exciting news which I will announce in the next few weeks so watch this space....

Sam

U21 World Championship Review and Preperation for the Europeans

Hi everyone,

Sorry for the lack of updates over the past month. It has been a very busy few weeks in preparation for two of the biggest events of the year for me - the Under 21 World & European Championships, held in Germany and Croatia.

First up was the World Championships in Kiel, Germany. I arrived with plenty of time to spare and settled in nicely to the venue and my accommodation. We had some excellent couple of days training pre-event before the first day of the competition arrived.

Preparations onshore ready for the start of the U21 Worlds in Kiel, Germany.

The regatta consisted of 2 races a day for 6 days in a row. A small mistake on the first day meant I didn't get the greatest beginning to the regatta however throughout the week I fought back hard to move up the rankings considerably and enjoyed some success, including a cheeky race win!

After my first ever race win at the World Championships!

It all came down to the last day of the regatta where things did not go my way. I was starting well but struggled to piece together the first half of the race to leave me with two poor results. This unfortunately dropped me down from 16th to 30th place overall, leaving me rather disappointed at my performance over that last day.

The start of Race 3 at the U21 World Championships.

Although my last day was not what I was hoping for I was happy with how I was sailing over the week and took a lot to learn away from the competition. It is also an honour to be ranked in the top 30 sailors of my age in the world and moving forward this result will only make me stronger as a person and as a sailor.

Immediately after the worlds finished I then had to fly to Split, Croatia, in preparation for the U21 Europeans which start tomorrow. Whilst my boat was kindly being driven from Germany by the team coach, I had a couple of days to relax and reflect before getting back into training and making sure I was fast & prepared for the competition ahead.

Flying from Kiel, Germany, to Split in Croatia.

The heat got too much for the team during a training session in Croatia!

Celebrating the return of Croatias first ever Olympic medallist in Sailing, Tonci Stipanovic.

The view from the sailing club marina looking over to the city of Split and the mountains in the distance.

With the Europeans starting tomorrow I am approaching them with a focussed mindset, positivity and a deep desire to win and hopefully should I perform well I can prove that I am one of the best and am here to win.

Sam

Back to the UK

Hi guys,

As always I have been very busy since the last update!  After successfully traveling to Warnemunde, in Germany, I competed at a big Europa cup regatta where over 270 sailors competed. After a tough first day I spent the rest of the week playing catch up and whilst I had some promising moments the first day really dragged me down the leaderboard. I ended up finishing 14th overall which whilst I was not completely happy with the result I was extremely happy with the knowledge and confidence gained throughout the week. 

After the event the team then packed up the trailer and we set about the 2 day journey back home. Check out the picture of the van!

Trailer & van all loaded and ready to go. 

Upon arriving back in the UK I had a few days of recovery and light training at home in Swanage before heading off to Hayling Island for some training with Mark Rushall and my brother, Ben. We had three days of excellent training in a wide variety of conditions and most importantly felt more confident and had a lot of fun in the process!

Getting towed back in after training at Hayling Island.

After a solid day of boat maintenance my boat was looking good! 

One of my sponsors, TracTrac UK, stickers on my boat.

Currently I am having a rare few days off relaxing before hitting the final block of training hard in preparation for the Worlds & Europeans in August!

Another photo I took of the sunset over Weymouth & Portland one evening whilst exploring.

I'm looking forward to the training and competitions ahead and am feeling more confident than ever!

Thanks,

Sam

Adventures in Germany

Hi everyone,

So a lot has been going on in the last few weeks! Since arriving in Germany it has been a busy rollercoaster ride full of adventures, lots of sailing and many awesome experiences.

The first week comprised of a large competition based out of an area called Kiel, where my Under-21 World Championships will be later on in the year in August. After a slow start I felt like I sailed well for the rest of the week but most importantly I learnt a lot about the venue and the conditions. I am really looking forward to returning in August!

Next was travel to another venue in Germany, Warnemünde, for a second international competition. I arrived with a few days to spare and have had two days of great training on the water in some great weather conditions. I am really excited for the start of the competition tomorrow and hopefully I can take on the learning from last week and apply it to this week’s racing!

In the meantime check out some of the photos from the trip so far:

The rare luxury of flying to sailing events!

View from the Olympic Sailing Centre in Kiel, Germany.

Many freebies from Kiel Week - thanks guys!

My accommodation for the week was surprisingly comfy and enjoyable.

After travelling to Warnemünde I was greeted by this stunning beach!

...And then later on in the evening was greeted by an equally stunning sunset.

Playing around in front of a stunning sunset.

ISAF World Cup Weymouth & More

So this past week has been the ISAF Sailing World Cup event, which has been held in Weymouth, Dorset. A collection of the top 40 sailors in the world gathered for what looked to be more super tight racing and whilst I was not racing, I was lucky enough to be able to get out on the water watching with one of the best coaches in the world. Watching and analysing the decisions of every sailor, it was a great few days seeing everything from a completely different perspective and has allowed me to gain a lot of confidence and knowledge in my thinking and decision making.

Towing out to the race area after a very light wind morning.

Looking forward I have a busy few weeks ahead! On Sunday I fly out to Kiel, Germany, for Kiel Week 2016 – a large international regatta at the same venue where my Under-21 World championships will be later on in August this year. Whilst this is not a performance regatta it is one where hopefully I will be able to learn a lot from and leave me in a good place heading into the world championships in a few months’ time.

In order to keep down costs I decided to buy a tent and a few camping accessories and will be camping for the entire 2 and a half weeks I will be in Germany. Wish me luck!

My accommodation for the next 2 and a half weeks!

Sam