Roo Purves is a now 17-year-old former pupil of North Berwick High School. He is dyslexic and found school difficult. However he loves to sail and it became clear he had an aptitude for competitive dinghy racing.
Having competed locally with East Lothian Yacht Club, Roo quickly moved onto Scottish training with RYA Scotland and competing in Scottish and then National events.
He moved between single and double handed Olympic class boats and then in 2024 he and his helm were accepted into the British Sailing Team Youth Squad in a 29er. This squad is based at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy on the south coast of England – where the majority of the training and competing takes place.
For Scottish sailors this presents a real issue as the additional cost and logistics of being on an equal footing with local south based sailors (the vast majority) is huge.
The Young Persons Scholarship helped enormously in defraying these costs. With the help received, Roo was more easily able to travel to training and events in England and overseas. He competed at the Youth Nationals in Wales in April 2025 and came 8th in the double handed 29er.
As he has grown, it has been necessary for him to move out of the youth class he was previously sailing in into an adult Olympic class and he has chosen the single handed ILCA 7. The Trust has helped him in providing a substantial grant towards purchasing a suitable, competitive boat. His aim now is to get into the ILCA 7 under 21 Squad in Weymouth and continue towards his ultimate goal of Olympic selection.
In addition, Roo has been competing in a different class, a foiling single handed dingy – a Waszp. This is a separate pathway which has its goal competing in Sail GP or the Americas Cup. Again, most of the competitions are south based and overseas. The Trust provided funding which helped Roo attend several events, in particular, the Waszp Games (world championship) in Weymouth in July 2025. This was the largest over foiling event, with very serious competition and, at 17, he achieved 8th overall and top British sailor.
This result means he has qualified for the Sail GP Inspire grand final in Sydney, Australia in February 2026. This is a tremendous achievement and opportunity to race with the top Waszp sailors in the world and meet the Sail GP sailors.
The assistance the Trust provided for Roo has been game changing. It has enabled him to train and compete on a more equal footing and make his mark in a very competitive environment.
Roo would like to thank the Trust for its significant help which has enabled him to pursue his sailing dreams.
