A cancer-sufferer is among the crew of a round the world race. Kristie Reid, 20, has Biphasic Synovial Sarcoma, a rare form of cancer that formed in the joint of her left shoulder. But waved off by crowds in excess of 120,000 lining the bank of the Thames on 1st September, the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust ambassador was onboard the lead yacht.

The 70-ft Great Britain, led the fleet of 12 Clipper boats and a flotilla of spectator vessels in an iconic parade through Tower Bridge and down the Thames, as they embarked on the start of their 40,000 mile race around the world.

Kristie first learnt to sail with the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust after finishing treatment in February 2010 and is now part of the 19 strong crew on board team Great Britain taking on a challenging 5,630 miles crossing the Atlantic Ocean to arrive in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Many of the fleet spent the night in the popular yachtsman’s anchorage at Queenborough on the Swale in Kent the day before the start.