Heroine sailor celebrates at first club

Emma Richards used her gift of a silver salver to shelter from the rain

Around-the-world yachtswoman Emma Richards has been given a warm homecoming at the club where she first learned to sail.

The 28-year-old, from Cowes on the Isle of Wight, was guest of honour at Helensburgh Sailing Club in Helensburgh, Dunbartonshire.

The club threw the celebration for the sailor, originally from Scotland, after she became the first woman and youngest person to finish the 29,000-mile Around Alone solo race last week.

Heavy rain and strong winds in Helensburgh failed to dampen the celebrations which awaited Richards, who said she found her new-found celebrity status "funny".

Ms Richards sailed alone for 135 days over a 29,000-mile route

She said: "It is a great pleasure to be back home and to see so many familiar faces.

"As for the weather, it wouldn't be the same if the sun was shining."

Ms Richards survived on just four hours of sleep a day, napping for 20 minutes a time, as she helmed the 60-feet yacht Pindar for 135 days.

She said: "The high point was definitely crossing the finishing line. Just knowing that I had sailed around the world on my own was amazing."

Ms Richards arrived at Newport, Rhode Island, in fourth place, at the end of a route that had taken her to the UK, South Africa, New Zealand and Brazil.

The yachtswoman was battered by a storm in the final days of the race

She said: "I cannot believe this is actually over. I have literally lived, eaten, breathed and slept this race.

During her epic journey, the yachtswoman from Cowes struggled to repair a broken main sail and suffered bruising after she was thrown around in a 10-hour storm.

She said: "I felt like I was in a washing machine.

"I had to slow the boat down because it kept launching off the waves and slapping down. It was like being thrown off a building."

Ms Richards was the only Briton and only woman among 11 competitors to set off from New York on 15 September last year.

The adventurer, who started sailing professionally at 22, now plans to write a book about her journey.