A YEAR 10 student from Teign School, Kingsteignton, was presented with the Young Sailor of the Year Award on Tuesday last week at London’s Trinity House.

The prestigious award has been won by Sir Ben Ainslie in previous years and now Eleanor Poole, of Dunsford, has had her name engraved upon it.

The accolade was presented to the 15-year-old at the Yachting Journalists’ Association Awards Ceremony at a gala luncheon held in the city.

Mark Woodlock, headteacher of Teign School, commended Eleanor for ‘her hard work and dedication in pursuing her sporting passion.’

The Young Sailor of the Year Award was first awarded in 1993 and recognises endeavour and achievement by Britain’s up-and-coming young sailors.

A series of winning races saw her win the 2015 Topper National Championships and finish seventh at the 2015 Topper World Championship in Lake Garda, Italy, making her the third female to cross the line at the race.