Devon girl, 14, finishes round-Britain sailing trek

Katie McCabe, seen here just before she finished her trek, is already thinking of her next challenge

A teenager from Devon has finished sailing around Great Britain in a trek she hopes will make her officially the youngest person to have done so.

Katie McCabe, 14, from Topsham, set off from Exmouth in her 26ft (8m) wooden boat Falanda at the end of June.

She returned on Saturday afternoon, with other vessels and an enthusiastic crowd welcoming her back.

She has also raised thousands of pounds for charity during her 1,600 nautical mile (3,000km) challenge.

'Racing next'

She carried out her anticlockwise journey with her father, David McCabe, sailing about five miles (8km) behind her for insurance reasons.

However, she was alone for her vessel's piloting.

She was raising awareness of marine pollution and raising money for two charities, including Sea Shepherd UK.

A Just Giving page for Sea Shepherd UK had an original target of £6,000. She has raised more than £10,000 so far.

Speaking in Torbay on Saturday before setting off on the last leg of her trip, she said she was already thinking ahead to her next challenge.

She said: "Ellen MacArthur is amazing and so is Laura Dekker, and I'd like to do something like they've done, so maybe racing [is what] I'd like to try next."

The current youngest person to sail solo around Britain is Timothy Long, from Aylesbury, who sailed around Britain last year, aged 15.