Local Poole talent gives Olympic hope to town
25 May 2012
The South West boasts some of the top talent in the Leisure Marine market, in an industry worth around £2.9 billion. Now, a team of local sailors are taking to the water in a bid to bring Olympic glory to the region.
The Match Race Girls team, comprising of Lucy Macgregor, Annie Lush and Kate Macgregor, are a British Sailing Team selected for the London Olympics in the Elliott 6m class. They will take to the water in Weymouth during this summer’s Olympic Games.
These girls are one of the top International Women’s Match Racing Teams and have been selected to represent Great Britain at the 2012 Olympic Games in an exciting new sailing discipline. Having gained National, European and World Championship titles, and rapidly risen through the ranks to lead the World Rankings, Lucy Macgregor, Annie Lush and Kate Macgregor are a promising prospect for the future of British Sailing.
Since learning to sail in Poole Harbour as children, Lucy and Annie have always been driven individuals. After a successful youth sailing career for Lucy, and gaining ‘blues’ in three sports at Cambridge University for Annie, they both entered a full-time Olympic campaign with Shirley Robertson for Beijing 2008. In 2009 Lucy and Annie launched their own campaign for Gold in 2012, in the new discipline of Match Racing. In 2010 they were joined by Lucy’s younger sister Kate, who is herself a top crew in her own right having won a number of championship titles and Gold at the 2007 Olympic Youth Festival in Australia.
An international leading leisure marine brand, Actisense, is also proudly based in Poole. Their Managing Director, Phil Whitehurst, said: “It is terrifically poetic that some of our nation’s top sailing talent comes from right on our doorstep. Actisense has achieved worldwide success in becoming a market leader in leisure marine electronics, and we want to wish these girls every success in Weymouth in the summer, to bring worldwide fame and success to themselves and the country too! Bring home the Gold!!”
For more information about Actisense, visit www.actisense.com and follow them on Twitter and Facebook.
