AN ISLAND athlete who will be representing Great Britain in the London 2012 Paralympic Games is enjoying the seven-minute commute to work.

After travelling for more than 12 hours and over 5,000 miles to reach the last sailing venue for Beijing 2008 Games in China, the home venue is making life much easier for Britain’s top sailing stars.

Paralympian John Robertson, who sails in the three-person Sonar keelboat class, said: “We’re now back on Portland just training pretty much until September.

“It takes me seven minutes to get to the sailing academy in person or five if I drive.

“At the last Games we had to get up to the London airports, catch an 11-hour flight to Beijing, China, then travel another hour and a half to Qingdao, so it makes a massive difference.”

Robertson, 40, is originally from Sunderland but has been living in Castletown since November 2010.

His crewmates Steve Thomas and Hannah Stodel also live on Portland.

He said: “We used to stay at the Portland Lodge for training camps.

“I’m trying to find one of those ‘Keep Portland Weird’ car stickers. It’s cool, I like it.

“I’ve got a fantastic view of Portland Castle from my apartment in Castletown.

“I live there with Finn sailor Mark Andrews, who trains with Ben Ainslie.”

Other British sailing athletes who now call the island home include Finn sailor Giles Scott, 2012 Olympic contenders in the 470 men’s dinghy class Luke Patience and Stuart Bithell, Paralympic Skud sailor Niki Birrell and his brother Christian, who is in the 470 development squad, and Paralympic 2.4mR sailor Megan Pascoe.

Robertson was a Royal Air Force serviceman before a motorcycle accident in 1994 left him paralysed from the chest down.

The Sonar helmsman and crewmates Thomas and Stodel won gold at last summer’s Skandia Sail for Gold regatta, silver at the Paralympic test event the IFDS Worlds and more recently claimed silver in Miami and bronze in Florida.

The two-time World Championship-winning team have their sights firmly set on gold to be next at the 2012 Games but Robertson said they hoped to maintain a spot on every podium along the way.

“We’re going to France in April to compete in the Hyeres Olympic Week and then the Delta Lloyd Regatta in Medemblik, Holland, in May.

“We’ll then have four days before Skandia Sail for Gold and that’s us until the Paralympics.

“It’s about maintaining your performance but also saving the best one for September “As long as we’re top three at the other events it doesn’t matter what colour it is – gold in September is the important one.”

Britain’s Paralympic contenders will be based in Restronguet, Falmouth, Cornwall for the month leading up to their London 2012 competition.

The Paralympic sailing, hosted in the borough from Saturday, September 1 until Thursday, September 6, will involve 80 athletes competing in three medal events.