Not many teenagers get the chance to race against Ben Ainslie. It’s all thanks to one man — their geography teacher, who bought boats on eBay and sold his house to pay for them

Jon Holt and his Greig City Academy students Jaydon Owusu, Kai Hockley and Jessye Opoku-Ware. “We sail the cheapest boats in the boatyard,” says Holt. But the team are also setting records

It is a clear, bright morning on the Isle of Wight. Sunlight sparkles on the Solent and a breeze is blowing through the Cowes Yacht Haven marina, the hundreds of boats’ masts and halyards rattling and thrumming. There is activity and the buzz of preparation. It is the start of the Etchells World Championship, an event that will see some of the most celebrated names in sailing race sleek, 22ft Etchells Class yachts over the course of five frenetic days. One of the most competitive regattas in the sailing calendar, it is a test of endurance, daring and teamwork.

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Image:  Jon Holt and his Greig City Academy students Jaydon Owusu, Kai Hockley and Jessye Opoku-Ware. “We sail the cheapest boats in the boatyard,” says Holt. But the team are also setting records

JUDE EDGINTON FOR THE TIMES MAGAZINE