Spotlight Feature - Hannah Dimond

Hannah Diamond grew up in Warsash on the south coast of England and her parents met through sailing on the River Hamble so she has been around boats all her life. From around the age of 10, she knew that sailing was what she wanted to do and for many years, Olympic Gold was the goal.  

Hannah studied Sport & Exercise Sciences at the University of Exeter after leaving school and then stayed on to study for an MSc in Sports Medicine, also at the University of Exeter. Since 2012 she has been sailing full time and has been fortunate enough to race all over the World from 15 minute sprint races in Sail GP to 21 day long legs in the Volvo Ocean Race. Her love for sailing and racing has allowed her to take part in many of the top flight events across the breadth of this amazing sport and she’s looking forward to what is yet to come! 

What attracted you to a career in Maritime?  

My father was a boat builder and my parents met through sailing National 12’s and Merlin Rockets together and I grew up by the sea so I have been on and around boats all my life. 

What are you most proud of in having a career in Maritime?  

I do really feel as though I am breaking barriers in sailing and demonstrating that female sailors can perform at the top of the sport and I’m really lucky to have come through at a time where there have been a lot of opportunities so I have really tried to make the most of them! 

What guided you towards this path?  

Watching the Sydney Olympics in the middle of the night in my parents kitchen was when I first knew I wanted to be a sailor and go to the Olympics, I was only young and just starting out in Optimists but I knew straight away that I wanted to campaign for the Olympics. I lost the Olympic Trials for Rio 2016 in the Nacra 17 class and every day since then I have been on a mission to prove myself in the across the sport. 

What is the biggest misconception about your job? 

The biggest misconception about what we do is that the pictures that everyone sees don’t really reflect what it feels like in reality! Don’t get me wrong, we are incredibly fortunate to go and race in some of the venues that we do but no one takes pictures of the hard times or the cold and rainy days/weeks/months of boat work and preparation that go on behind the scenes. 

What is the most exciting part of your day-to-day job?  

There are two best things about being a sailor, every day is different and I love that you never really know what is going to happen but also getting to work and be surrounded by really passionate and driven people can create a really inspiring environment where you really want to be your best every single day. 

What would you say to young females thinking about a career in Maritime? 

I would say to young females who aspire to have a career in maritime that you can be whatever you want to be, the road may not always be straight and there will definitely be bumps but as long as you have a goal and work out how you are going to achieve it, anything is possible.