Three funding programmes designed to safeguard sailing and the ocean environment are being prepared by a new trust established by World Sailing.

The World Sailing Trust was launched by the global governing body to “develop the next generation of sailors” and “champion a more sustainable future”.

Described by World Sailing as a “catalyst for change”, the World Sailing Trust will oversee three separate funds: Marine Health Fund, Access Fund and Youth Pathway Fund.

Launching later this year, the Marine Health Fund will be used to finance projects aiming to tackle issues such as reducing single-use plastics at events and finding alternative fuel sources for boats.

The overarching aim is to “educate the next generation of ocean guardians” and “embed sustainability thinking into sport and marine infrastructure”, with three distinct goals:

The Access Fund (launching in 2019) will promote diversity and accessibility in sailing, while the Youth Pathway Fund (also launching in 2019) will give talented young sailors access to training, coaching and competition.

Dee Caffari MBE, the first woman to sail around the world non-stop three times, has been named as the inaugural chair of the World Sailing Trust.

Olympic athlete Theresa Zabell, Duncan Truswell (formerly of the Royal Yachting Association), Dr Susie Tomson (Business Green’s Sustainability Leader of the Year 2017) and World Sailing chief executive Andy Hunt join Caffari on the board of trustees.