Sarah Webb – Yngling Olympic gold medallist – was at Gunwharf Quays this morning to show her support for the 18-strong BP team as they prepare for the start of the Global Challenge.

As a former employee of BP, Webb was pleased to offer a few words of wisdom to skipper David Melville and team as they carried out their final preparations for the race, which starts on Sunday,

Webb commented: “I feel honoured to be able to give back a bit of what BP gave me during my period of employment there. I’m also really pleased to be here to wish the team well and pass on some advice from my own sailing experiences. I know that what we [the Yngling team] have done is nothing like the experiences the Challenge crew will face but it’s nice to be able to share thoughts with like-minded people.”

Although Webb was keen to point the Global Challenge is totally different to the sort of sailing she’s used to there are of course certain similar aspect. She continued: “I think the most important thing is team work. Going out to Athens for the Olympics we were definitely the strongest team. Success is all about strong teamwork and good communication. If the guys on BP can do that all the way around the world then they’ll definitely be in with a very good chance.”