Happy new year!

What a year 2018 was. Best year of my life? Definitely. Full of so many great challenges, lessons and good times. It’s crazy looking back to think how far I have come in the past year and I know that the process has brought me many steps closer to my goals.

Take a look through my photo diary below to find out how the end of 2018 went.

After another two week block in Portugal it was time to head home for Christmas. This time Jack and I had to drive back and after a rough night driving non-stop to make our ferry we made it on and was greeted by this lovely sunset as we left Bilbao.

Unfortunately the serenity didn't last long and as we headed into the open ocean we got caught in some huge storm swell which turned the entire ferry journey into a sickening rollercoaster! Not pleasant.

Finally arriving home a couple of days before Christmas day I was keen to get in as much fun sailing as possible and headed out for a couple of Waszp sails in Swanage, hitting a new top speed PB of 24.7 knots.

I also had time for a chilly windsurf session from Bramble Bush Bay over to Brownsea Island. It was great fun and although my equipment started falling apart in the middle of Poole Harbour I still managed to have a blast and make it back ashore. Can't expect much from a £50 setup.

Heading into the new year it was great to reflect on some of my best moments of the year….

…. before heading back out on the bike to get some miles under my belt…

… as well as plenty of time in the Laser training with some huge waves in Swanage.

Training in Swanage.

Soon after new years I headed to Laser in Northampton to pick up my new Laser for the year. It was great to see the guys again and say goodbye to Joel, who has helped me over the last few years and is leaving to start a new job!

After a couple of days setting her up, my new boat was ready to go and I headed to Southampton to meet my coach, James Gray, who very kindly drove all our boats out to Portugal.

Some sunny but mild conditions greeted us in Portugal and combined with some very light winds we had a very productive training camp - we only saw about 3 clouds all week!

One of the only clouds of the week!

The cycling over there is always stunning and we ended up getting more than 150k done in over a week.

The road outside our accommodation. It is very relaxed and serene over there, not to mention cheap at this time of the year! My return flights were £18.

Unfortunately all good things must come to an end and as our first training camp of the year concluded it was time to head home. Despite all of the negative press Ryanair receive, I have had a great experience with them over the past few months and the astonishingly low fares and good service has left me quite a happy customer.

Welcome to Darwin Escapes, who are one of the fastest growing travel brands in the UK. They have a portfolio of 20 holiday resorts spread across various locations around the UK and have joined me on my journey for this year.

New sponsor stickers looking good on my new sail.

After a few days back home it was straight to Weymouth for a weekend of youth squad training. Yes it was a bit chilly but we got some fabulous conditions with pretty much everything over a two day period and I thoroughly enjoyed sailing back in the UK.

What’s next for me?

On Thursday I fly out to Miami for the first Sailing World Cup of the year. I’m very excited and confident I can perform and whilst the fleet is going to be extremely tough I’m looking forward to the fight.

I’ll keep you posted!

Sam