Bailey sets sail on yachting adventure

SET SAIL Bailey Coppack, 13, from Mirfield, has taken part in an inspirational sailing trip with the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust.

A teenager who fought cancer and a brain tumour took part a four-day yacht adventure with the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust.

Bailey Coppack, 13, joined 20 other young people in recovery from cancer for an inspirational sailing trip around the Solent last week.

Bailey, of Mirfield, finished treatment in March for Pilocytic Astrocytoma at the Leeds General Infirmary.

She said: “I had never been on a sailboat before and it was a really exciting, totally different experience.

“It doesn’t matter what your ability or disability is, once you decide to get on with it, it is great.”

Bailey climbed aboard cruising yacht the Scarlet Oyster, and had the chance to get involved in everything from helming the boat to cooking.

She and three others departed from the East Cowes Marina on the Isle of Wight last Monday and enjoyed stopovers in Yarmouth and Newtown for a barbecue and a water fight.

The small crew had a thrilling speedboat ride around the iconic Isle of Wight Needles before sailing back to Cowes.

Dame Ellen MacArthur joined the young people on Thursday and said the youngsters were “truly inspiring”.