The past few weeks I have been wrapping everything up here in Canberra, for at least the next year. Definitely sad, especially because the lake has been closed and I haven’t been able to get time on the water like I had hoped. I never thought I would leave Sydney and my Harbour, but now most will know I am pretty attached to “Lake Barely Tolerable”. Two and a half years of great sailing, great friends, the best sisters, and a great job; I am going to miss all the time that I have had while in the Capital.
I am finishing up at ASADA today, for the next year, which is tough. I have had a great time learning and adding to the anti-doping effort, and have made some fantastic friends who have supported me not only at work, but in my sporting and personal lives as well. I hope to work for ASADA again in the near future, because I really do believe sport should be based on pure performance. For now it is time to focus on my own sport; but I do hope that everyone stays in touch!
My last weekend of sailing in Canberra was the NS14 training weekend with Rohan Nosworthy on 26 and 27 of February. I learned so much about hull shapes and rig setups that will hopefully see big improvements across all areas of my sailing. The 470 seems tangible when I spend a bit of time thinking about all the different NS14 combinations! While I didn’t know this would be my last weekend, it was a great one with Chris and the Davos. When I think about how far my sailing has come while I have been in Canberra, I can happily say I have learned so much – and gained a lot of confidence to back myself that will be incredibly important over the next few years. I will miss the Canberra Yacht Club and the community (my sailing family) so much. I am going to miss my training with the High Performance Squad too, but I am looking forward to my 470 sailing (thanks to Davo and all for having me, and to Duncan for crewing for me and looking after Havvok!). I will continue to compete for the CYC, help out the youth sailors (I have already had a few reserving spots for Sail Sydney – very much looking forward to it!), and be back whenever I can be.
Speaking of family, a big thanks to all of the people who have helped me move in some way. Krystal and Laura B just rocked up on my door step to see what they could do. Thanks LB for taking so much of my stuff up to Sydney; the Audi is awesome for towing boats and carting gear apparently! It will be great to have a Sydney base for us all! My sisters were amazing; moving on the rainiest weekend in Canberra history would not have happened. I have also had somewhere to stay to finish up my job. The Davos as always were just there to lend a hand, minding various boats while Chris and I got ourselves sorted. Thanks so much to you all!
While I am sad to leave, my ‘in between’ here in Canberra was awesome. I was so nervous when I first moved to Canberra, which is giving me confidence in my decision now. I have had the best time and learned so much through my work and my sailing here, and been able to spend so much time with my family, and Chris’s too and my work and sailing friends. I will be back often I promise! I am excited and anxious to know what is ahead, but the strength I have gained over my time here will only help me on my way.
See you on Sydney Harbour – very soon!
