Catching the sailing bug thanks to the Will Mackaness Trust (From Dorset Echo)

Catching the sailing bug thanks to the Will Mackaness Trust

4:00pm Sunday 24th June 2012 in Local News

EMMA Stevenson caught the Sailing bug through doing the Sail for £5 scheme with St Andrew’s Primary School at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy.

The 14-year-old from Osmington said: “I loved it. Then I got a Topper dinghy in the summer, as a birthday present.

“I was scared to use it on my own but when I got to Wey Valley School I found out about the Will Mackaness Trust.

“I did my stage one dinghy sailing with Weymouth Outdoor Education Centre and then my stage two with SailLaser.”

She added: “It’s an amazing trust, it’s helped so many kids get into watersports.

“I wouldn’t have got as far as I have if it hadn’t been set up. I’ve been to some national competitions to get experience.

“I’m also enjoying racing with Weymouth Sailing Club, we’ve had Olympic teams from New Zealand and France based there and they took us out on their boats.

“It was really good fun.”

The Wey Valley pupil recently played a key role in a national advertising campaign that aims to encourage people to make travel plans now so they can keep running during the London 2012 Games.

Olympic gold medallist sailor Andrew Simpson was pictured with Emma’s boat boarding a bus at Weymouth’s Park and Ride, while Emma queued behind him for the Get Ahead of the Games campaign.