Fiona's career has been full of opportunities, and it all started with her grandparents

WHERE IT ALL STARTED

Fi’s introduction to sailing and the world of watersports, all started at the age of nine years old: “My grandparents decided that as they were getting older, they needed to get more active if they wanted to live a healthy retirement. So, they took up a bunch of sports, and one of them was sailing! We kind of got dragged into it!” With her grandma last setting sail two years ago at the age of 93, it has clearly been a sport that turned into a lifestyle for the whole family!

Fi learnt to sail at her local sailing club in Aylesbury – a small club set on a tiny reservoir – “more of a shed, full of spiders,” she fondly recalls! “They made sailing quite accessible for everyone. A family membership was pretty cheap and we could borrow most of the kit or buy it second hand.”

Sailing started in the form of a casual Saturday morning sailing club, loosely covering the RYA scheme. In today’s time, it would have been equivalent to the RYA Onboard Sailing Scheme. Fi recalls it being great fun, with a core group of kids taking part on a regular basis. She continued sailing outside of school, taking part in national events from around the age of 14. “Our parents took us everywhere – they were really committed to taking us to all the events. We were really lucky.”

Windsurfing also features heavily in her life after taking up the sport while at university. Now an RYA Intermediate Windsurf Instructor, Fi loves to windsurf as much as she loves to sail.

FI'S JOURNEY

Fi initially continued her studies at university, taking a Fine Arts Degree, something she soon realised wasn’t for her. “Looking back, it seemed like a rogue choice!” It was also at that time where Fi did her first summer season working abroad. A ski season soon followed and, after a few years of having “the best time doing seasons,” Fi returned to her studies and completed a degree in Outdoor Adventure Management at Solent University. It was during her holidays from university, where she started working with us at Rockley.

SUPPORT & PROGRESSION

Fi has worked with many of the ‘big players’ in the marine industry including; PGL, Neilson, Datchet Watersports and of course Rockley, and her experience as a female has been hugely positive. “I know my path into the industry may be different to others, but I’ve always been encouraged to develop my skills and attend coaches courses. I can’t ever remember thinking that there were more boys sailing around me as a youngster, or that there were more males in higher positions as I have progressed. I have been given so many opportunities to climb the ladder within the industry, with many of my peers and bosses really encouraging and supporting me. I’ve been very lucky in that respect.”