My Passion With Antony Ball

My family are keen sailors and I had my first taster in a small dinghy at the age of eight at Beaver Sailing Club, near Snaith, East Yorkshire, close to where we lived.

My love for sailing grew as I accompanied my dad to Castleford Sea Cadets where he helped out and I would sail with the cadets. He’s passed the baton over to me and for the last 10 years I have been teaching and instructing the boys and girls in the sea cadets.

There aren’t many sailing clubs in West Yorkshire so we go to Beaver Sailing Club where I first learned to sail.

Over the years I have outgrown dinghies and together with my dad now own a 31ft Hallberg Rassy, Swedish yacht.

We bought it four years ago and have it moored at Hartlepool Marina so we spend weekends sailing off Whitby, Runswick Bay, along the Northumberland coast and Farne Islands. We inherited the name Baltic Ransom and haven’t renamed the yacht because sailors are superstitious about changing names of boats.

I’ve sailed further afield – around the Solent, Channel Islands and northern France. If I had the time I would love to do a leg of a round-the-world yacht race.

I raced competitively for a few years and was a member of the Law Society team. We took part in a regatta at Cowes against The Bar. Yacht racing is very competitive and the maintenance of the boat is immense – both financially and because of the time commitment.

You have to be motivated to sail in all weathers and all weekends. I’m now more of a fairweather sailor who likes to be in shorts and t-shirt on a sunny day.

What I love about sailing is the escapism and contrast to my day job. You can’t think of anything else when you’re out on a boat. For the most part it’s relaxing and quiet with no mobile phones or emails to distract you and in that moment you get detached from life on the mainland.

One of the most rewarding aspects of my passion is being able to encourage a love of sailing in the youngsters I teach.

They are all ages and abilities and from diverse backgrounds.

Without the sea cadets many wouldn’t have the chance to sail. Being in control of a boat gives them confidence and independence – often for the first time in their lives. Sailing can be challenging. You can be challenged by the sea and weather and manage things you don’t have control over. Remaining focused and calm to deal with the unexpected is essential. These skills help me in my work as a family lawyer faced with couples going through the pain a separation can cause.

In both work and sailing it is all about the preparation and attention to detail whilst being able to appreciate the bigger picture.