West Mersea's Martin Evans prepares to sail for 145-mile sailing challenge

AN Olympic hopeful will sail from Mersea to the Netherlands on a boat about the size of a surfboard to raise money for charity. Martin Evans, 21, believes he will be the first person to take on the 145-mile challenge in a Laser dinghy, which is just 4.2m long and 1.4m wide. The former Colchester Royal Grammar School student, who is in the second year of a law degree at Exeter University, will take on the challenge in June to raise money for the RNLI.