Eight young people in recovery from cancer sailed into Dartmouth at sunset last Friday on Moonspray, a 44ft sailing yacht. Moonspray finished the eleventh leg of the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust’s epic four-month Round Britain 2017 sailing challenge in Dartmouth. On board were a young crew all recovering from cancer. Eight of the crew will change, as others replace them for the next legs before the finish in Largs in Scotland on Wednesday, September 23rd. Usually, up to five different young people join the crew for each leg.

Three of the full-time crew have also been through treatment and had the Trust’s support over the years. The crew in Dartmouth included both first timers and ‘graduates’ who had sailed with the trust before. In total, over 100 young recovery cancer patients will have crewed by the time the yacht completes its 2,400 mile trip.

Emily Wright, from Redlynch, Wiltshire, is this leg’s youngest crew member. The 14-year-old, who despite being registered blind is the goalkeeper and captain of her able-bodied U16 football team, first sailed with the Trust in 2016 after treatment for optic nerve glioma.

She said: "All the adults, young people and volunteers at the Trust understand you, what you have been through and what you are capable of. They don’t care about your ’disability’ or the past, only about what you can achieve in the future. Through my first trip I’ve made lifelong friends, learnt sailing skills and felt at ease with others who understand me.

Emily was at the helm as the Moonspray came into Dartmouth, and she continued saying: ”Since last year’s trip I have kept sailing. I sail Picos and Lazers, although there’s a big difference. At home, in the New Forrest, there’s a whole group of quarries and one where I do my sailing with the Sea Cadets.

Emily’s talent extends to water skiing, football, archery and now, triathlon. The distances vary but her last was 15k run, 20k cycle and a one-mile swim. She concluded: “The run and cycle are my best. I’m not so good at swimming.”

Tom Roberts who joined the crew at the start on May 20th. He’s the on-board reporter and spoke of the leg coming into Dartmouth: “There was quite a bit of rain and drizzle when we set off in Scotland. Since then, the weather has improved and the highlights must include the stunning sunset which usually rounds off the day.

“Yesterday it took us 10 to 12 hours from Portland but we had 15 knots of wind from the right direction and all the guys had the chance to helm. They all took to it well. We had good boat speed.

“Just as we were coming around the headland, Kath (mate) was at the helm and we saw a pod of dolphins, just as the sun was setting. There were 10 to 15 of them. They stayed with us for a minute or two. I went to the bow and the played with us for a while.

“We love everything about Dartmouth.”

The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust rebuilds confidence after cancer. They use sailing to support, empower and inspire young people between the ages of 8-24 in embracing their futures following the devastation of illness and treatment. The trust aims to rebuild young people’s confidence through positive, shared experiences.

You can donate to the trust by sending EMCT17 by text and your amount to 70070. The website is www.ellenmacarthurcancertrust.org