Sailing success

OLYMPIC sailing star Sir Ben Ainslie accepted an official Guinness World Record Certificate for Bart’s Bash, the charity event which set a new record for largest sailing race in 24 hours. An incredible 9,484 boats took to the water to race at 237 locations worldwide for the race in September, with the first-time event raising £366,391.95 for the Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation. The charity was founded in memory of Olympic gold medallist Andrew ‘Bart’ Simpson, who had spent time training in Gosport, who died aged 36 in a sailing accident. Bart’s Bash was created to remember the sailor and to raise funds for the charity’s work in sailing. Sir Ben, who is one of the founding trustees of the foundation, received the Guinness World Record Certificate for Bart’s Bash at the CWM FX London Boat Show 2015. Sir Ben, who is building his America’s Cup sailing team base in Old Portsmouth, said: ‘It’s a real pleasure to accept this certificate. No-one could have imagined how big the event would become. ‘It is a reflection of how much Bart meant to people across the world, and how sailing can unite people.’