I started sailing in a fluky backwater in the River Swan in a mixture of old double handed boats and found a wonderful little single hander in the boatshed that I was allowed to use. It set me free!

I sailed the Minnow to State and National competition level at another backwater with great junior training and then moved to Cockburn Sound for a bigger fleet and experienced the first of strong sea breezes combined with sheltered flat water. Transitioning to the double handed, three sail, Flying Ant made the most of the sea breeze and becoming accustomed to fast sailing. Another move to the more open water at Fremantle notched up another gear and set the scene for fast rough conditions that make skiff sailing so exhilarating and led to State Championship winner before joining brother Harry on the wire to power the little boat to another State Championship win the following year.

Unfortunately, all good things get outgrown and with trepidation we moved into the oldest 29er around and, due to far too little weight, did a lot of swimming over the next year.

With the 420 Nationals and Worlds coming to Fremantle in 2017/18 we took the opportunity to gain experience in the big fleet and competition in the liveliest water seen in years. It was great fun and a real taste of big fleet racing.

Collaboration and determination to stay upright in the swell saw us move forward in the 29er fleet and starting to tick more and more boxes saw us move up the fleet and start to find podium places.

We went to every single regatta across the Perth region including all the winter series and took advantage of the best coaching which paid off time and again. Heading for the podium in the Youth Nationals in Melbourne, The Rio Worlds trip slipped away on the last run in to the line when I slipped off the wire and after a quick remount Harry slipped off the back.

Then Covid demolished our hopes of a trip to the 29er Worlds in Weymouth, but we were, at least mostly, able to continue sailing right through the pandemic and this set us up for scholarships in the West Australian Institute of Sport and the benefits of a strict gym and training schedule, broken only with some fun on windsurfers between breaths.

But, with 49er competition so thin on the ground, we were introduced to wind foiling and fell in love instantly with the silent speed of the foil – despite the impact with the waves when it all goes to pot!

Progression in a new dimension has required determination and creativity to bring all the skills together – and find new ones when needed.

Training with great guys and great coaches has been rewarding but now international competition is imperative to develop the skills to win in huge fleets of manic, high-speed projectiles that can flick on a sixpence.

Travel with large baggage and foreign accommodation, not to mention the need for a stream of high cost, high performance, and very delicate, fragile equipment is a very costly exercise.

To continue to be able to compete and progress to the highest elite level and represent Australia in this emerging, exciting sport that is sure to become a great lure to sailing for many people, I need your support. I can put in the time and determination to succeed but I need your financial support to participate at the level that will give the greatest return to the sport.

A tax-deductible donation on this website will be gratefully received and enable me to promote the sport of sailing around the world.

Thank you for your support.