Ellen and Jenna meet their sailing heroine

Young sailing enthusiasts, Ellen and Jenna McCarlie had the great honour of meeting Dame Ellen MacArthur when she arrived in Northern Ireland recently to take part in the Sports Relief Home Nations yacht race from Larne harbour to Loch Ryan as a member of the English team.

Jenna and Ellen, who live in Whitehead, are members of County Antrim Yacht Club where they sail along with their father. The girls are keen admirers of Dame Ellen, who has achieved remarkable success in solo round-the world yacht racing. She has-had an amazingly successful sailing career from an early age and been awarded the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award and an MBE and DBE from the Queen, as well as the French Legion d’Honneur from President Nicolas Sarkozy.

At the end of the race from Larne to Loch Ryan, Dame Ellen visited Stena Superfast 7 to meet and renew her friendship with the ship’s Second Officer David King who was her tutor in navigation and seamanship at nautical college. They were joined on the bridge by Ellen and Jenna’s father, the ship’s Master, Captain Alistair McCarlie.