About 200 young people have discovered the joys of sailing in the run-up to the America’s Cup.
An action-packed day of activities took place at the America’s Cup Race Village in Southsea today.
The event was organised by the 1851 Trust, the official charity of Land Rover BAR, which aims to inspire and engage a new generation through sailing and the marine industry.
Jo Stocks, chief executive of the 1851 Trust, said: ‘It is our role to ensure that there is a legacy for young people here in Portsmouth.
‘We have got 200 young people from various different schools, sailing clubs and youth clubs from the local area to come along to the Race Village.
‘We have exclusive access today, as the Race Village does not open until tomorrow, so we wanted to make sure local people had the opportunity to come along and get involved with what’s going on here.’
The youngsters learnt about the six teams taking part in the competition, as well as meeting sailors and learning about the environment and marine engineering.
They undertook contests and made their own ‘gutter boat’ from recycled plastics.
Ms Stocks said: ‘Getting young people engaged in any kind of sport is hugely positive. Sailing can often be seen as an expensive sport to take part in, or an elite sport, but that does not have to be the case.’
At the end of their activities, prizes were given out by sailors from each team on stage.
