Liz Earle Ladies Day

I’m down on the Island this week for the annual Skandia Cowes Week sailing regatta – a time when over eight thousand yachtsmen (and women!) converge in the tiny seaside town of Cowes to compete for a clutch of highly coveted trophies. Different types or ‘classes’ of boats race each day and the atmosphere in the town is a mixture of anticipation, jollity and highly charged competitive tension. Today is a highlight of the week for me as it is Ladies’ Day and this year we are the official sponsors, so the town is filled with banners and balloons to celebrate Liz Earle Ladies Day! Our bunting-clad stand on the seafront Parade is packed with people coming in to see us, trying out products and being treated to a free hand massage (with our famed Hand Repair – perfect for restoring seafaring fingers) and head, neck and shoulder massages. I treated myself to a quick ten-minute pressure-point shoulder massage and was totally rejuvenated – a fabulous fillip during a busy day! Do stop by and see us during these next few days if you’re on the Island.

Down at Cowes Yacht Haven I did a couple of quick radio interviews about our connection with Cowes week, and spoke about our long association of being based here on the beautiful Island shores as well as the affinity between ‘naturally active skincare’ and being naturally active on the water. We’ve given all of the one thousand competing boats a skincare survival pack to keep on-board, consisting of our mineral sunscreen (essential for the intensely reflected UV-rays from the sea) and our botanical after-sun to soothe and calm weather-worn skins. I then went on to be interviewed by the local TV station, Meridian, who are covering the whole of Cowes week, before heading off to the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club to announce the winner of the Ladies’ Day Trophy.

This prestigious annual award attracts a lot of nominees and this year was no exception. I was joined on the judging panel by Elaine Bunting from Yachting World, double Olympic gold medallist Shirley Robertson OBE,  and  Michelle Warner, the Sales and Marketing Director of Skandia Cowes Week. Our list of nominees included the following impressive finalists:

Louise Morton, who not only races herself but is also involved with the organisation of many international races. She is now a helmsman and came 3rd overall at Cowes last year, impressively winning her class at this year’s inaugural Ladies Championship.
Kerry Gruson, who was the first disabled woman helm to compete at Cowes. Her condition, termed Anoxia, has left her with paralysis in the legs and arms requiring her to use a wheelchair for mobility on land.  She started sailing in 1991 at Shake-A-Leg Miami, a charitable organization, and now teaches at the facility, working at a strategic level in the advancement of accessible sailing for people with disabilities.  Competing in her third Skandia Cowes Week this year, Kerry continues her focus on overcoming her own disabilities and the additional element of recovery from cancer.
Hilary Lister, who earned national acclaim when she became the first quadriplegic to solo sail across the English Channel. Now she has taken on the challenge of sailing solo around Britain. Sailing solo gives Hilary a chance to be in control of her own life: Hilary is rarely able to be independent, being reliant on other people, but out on the water, she is able to escape and spend time alone, in control of her own destiny.
Katie Miller, who is skippering one of the youngest average aged crews here.  The 21-year old’s first major achievement in sailing was her solo circumnavigation of the United Kingdom in 2006. She re-enacted Dame Ellen MacArthur’s own trip to raise money and awareness for The Ellen MacArthur Trust, raising £13,000 for the charity. She is now campaigning her Figaro II “Hot Socks” in the double and solo series on the south coast of England before making her debut transatlantic crossing next year. She is currently the youngest competitor on the confirmed entry list, and the only girl!
Sam Davies, who is one of the top five Open 60 female sailors in the world.  She has spent most of her life on the water in the offshore sailing world and now, at 33, she is running an amazing Open 60 campaign called Roxy Sailing.  Earlier this year, Sam competed in the Artemis Transat and was the first Brit and the first female home, despite sailing ‘blind’ without her radar.

As you can see, all are very worthy nominees but I’m delighted to announce that this year’s winner of the prestigious Ladies’ Day Trophy is Kerry Gruson - a living illustration of joy and courage in sailing and a highly deserving winner. Dame Ellen MacArthur joined me on the podium to present Kerry with a beautiful Isle of Wight blue glass trophy and I also presented her with a huge bottle of Mumm champagne and stylish white (waterproof!) Corum watch. A very special moment for us all. For further coverage and new stories, photos and chat, do take a look at our Cowes week special