The 12-year-old niece of one of Britain’s most successful sailors is following in his wake as she prepares to take on a solo sail for charity this weekend.
Alice Capstick is set to sail herself to Carteret today to raise money for MND Jersey, a charity that supports islanders living with motor neurone disease.
The St Michael’s School pupil will be alone in her small sailing dinghy for the 43km journey – stocked up with snacks, a compass and a radio.
She will be followed to the coast of Normandy by her family in a support boat to make sure the youngster stays on course.
Alice is the niece of Phil Sharp – a record-breaking single-handed sailor – so spent a lot of her childhood on the ocean.
Her mother Anne Capstick said Alice was determined to complete the challenge before entering her teenage years.
“She’s mucked around in boats for most of her life, but she hasn’t done any kind of big challenge like this,” explained Anne.
“She seems really excited. She’s very calm and very up for it.
“I think I’m probably more nervous.”
Ahead of the challenge, Alice spent her evenings on the water getting to grips with the sails and doing some last-minute fundraising.
The young islander had now raised over £2,300 – far surpassing her initial target of £500.
Speaking to Express before setting sail, Alice said she was “feeling nervous, but excited at the same time”.
“I am just trying to think of it as another one of my training sessions,” she said.
“I thank everybody who has sponsored me. It will make a massive difference to people in Jersey with motor neurone disease.”
DONATE…
You can donate to Alice’s JustGiving page HERE.