Quarantine
Good afternoon, I hope everyone has been staying safe and sane indoors over the past few weeks. I know personally I am starting to lose it a little bit, this is the longest I’ve gone without sailing since I was about 15 years old (38 days and counting).
I had been holding out to give an update until I had some solid plans that I could share however as it seems it still may be a while until anyone knows what is going on exactly I thought it was time to let everyone know what I have been up to. It goes without saying at this point that all the regattas I had planned on attending in the next few months have been cancelled or postponed. Princess Sofia regatta In Palma was set to take place just a week after the outbreak in Spain and was cancelled all together. Europeans in May and Kiel week in June have been postponed until October and September respectively. North Americans in San Francisco in July have not yet been cancelled but it is being assumed that even if they go ahead not many people will be in attendance.
All of these things are a reality and a bummer no doubt however the good news is that they are affecting everyone in the world the same way. Everyone from Japan to the UK to North American is not training on the water right now and so the question becomes what is the best we can do with the current situation. For me this is the perfect time to be focusing on my fitness. I built a new hiking bench which I have been using to stay boat fit as well as spending many hours on the spin bike to make sure I don’t lose my cardio. Even though without access to a full gym it is hard to be making fitness gains, the name of the game has become who will be able to hit the ground running as if nothing ever happened when we are able to start racing again.
In slightly happier news, the Sail Canada Awards banquet was a huge success! I received the Nathan R. Cowan Memorial Award for the most promising young sailor. I was extremely honoured to see my name on the trophy beside many past Canadian Olympians, hopefully a sign of many things to come! (I also got some great pictures with some old coaches and my mum!) The Canadian Press wrote an article about the award and my Journey which was picked up by a few publications and can be read here à https://www.tricitynews.com/promising-canadian-sailor-already-faces-plenty-of-challenges-on-olympic-journey-1.24104063
Finally, the thing I know you are all thinking, “James this is great and all but we are super bored here in quarantine, do you have any movie suggestions”. And the answer is yes! Here is what I have been watching, all excellent recommendations if I do say so myself.
1. Ozark – It’s on Netflix, has 3 seasons all ready to binge: About a drug money launderer who messes with the wrong people and has to move to the Ozarks to start a new life.
2. The Gentleman – New Guy Richie movie: about standard Guy Richie things, with plot twists that will blow your mind (You’ve gotta pay attention)
3. Snatch – It’s a classic, If you’ve already seen it watch it again, it won’t disappoint
4. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood – I saw it opening night and thought it was good but nothing special, just watched it again and it blew me away, sometimes things need a second chance.
5. Master and Commander – If you’ve never seen this before watch this first. Just watched it for probably the 15th time and it gets better every time. The ultimate sailing movie and an even better soundtrack.
That should keep you busy for a while. I know I am getting antsy and looking forward to getting back on the water as soon as possible. When I do, I will have an update for you all but in the meantime, I hope everyone is staying safe at home and is able to look on the bright side of life even in such strange times. If you need a little help, just follow the link below J
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJUhlRoBL8M
Until next time,
James