Falmouth, Mylor Sailing school wins gold in VisitEngland Awards

Mylor Yacht Harbour with its associates has hung out the bunting for the school's owner Tracey Boyne and her team who have "punched above their weight" to beat theme park Alton Towers to take the golden gong for Accessible and Inclusive Tourism.

Gold award trophies for Mylor Sailing School

Mylor Sailing & Powerboat School was also named top Experience of the Year in the awards, run by VisitEngland for more than 30 years to "celebrate and champion innovation, quality and best practice in tourism".

“Tracey’s sailing school on Admiralty Quay and the associated charity she founded have been integral members of the Mylor Yacht Harbour community for nearly 20 years,” said Mylor Yacht Harbour MD Neil Salter.

“We’re honoured to have been able to support the school’s growth and expansion into a truly inclusive set of waterborne experiences for people of all ages and abilities.

“Mylor is a jewel of a harbour with a wide range of services and facilities and Tracey’s sailing school plays a very important role in making boating available to everyone.”

The sailing school operates alongside Mylor's marina, full-service boat yard and chandlery, its boat and watersports hire, self-catering cottages and two eateries overlooking the Carrick Roads.

“We are so lucky to have our home base at Mylor Yacht Harbour on one of the most beautiful and safe stretches of water anywhere in the world,” said Tracey. “But as an inclusive sailing and boating academy we never stand still and we’re always looking at ways to stretch further into our communities - which is why it is fantastic for our team to be recognised at the highest level.

“We went through a slew of very rigorous assessments through the Cornwall and South West stages of the awards – and to pip Alton Towers in the nationals for Accessible and Inclusive Tourism is quite amazing…they were lovely afterwards and have asked us for tips!”

Tracey is currently focused on developing more accessible sessions and increasing the number of private weekly sessions for a racing team and for groups with specific conditions including Parkinson’s, Dementia, and MS – as well as the Good Day Promise project that offers free sessions for people with terminal illnesses and their loved ones.

To find out more about Mylor Sailing & Powerboat School and Mylor Sailability visit mylorsailingschool.co.uk/

Also winning gold for Cornwall was Three Mile Beach at Gwithian, coming out on top in the New Tourism Business of the Year Award, while Glynn Barton Cottages at Bodmin came runner-up in the Self-Catering Accommodation of the Year Award and The Idle Rocks at St Mawes picked up the bronze medal in the Small Hotel of the Year Award.