Meet Amelie Ballantyne – Sailor Girl South West!

Amelie Ballantyne is a talented 15-year-old dinghy sailor from Devon and a member at Starcross Yacht Club…As well as representing SYC at regional and national sailing events, Amelie is a prominent ambassador for sustainability and female sailors.

She began sailing on an Optimist in Lac De Lion in France and then moved in the Topper class, where she achieved 1st female Topper sailor in the Southwest ITCA Series. Her talent and commitment to sailing earned her a place in the RYA Regional Training Group (RTG) on her Topper where she continues to refine her skills alongside some of the best sailors and coaches both nationally and regionally. Amelie also writes for a national sailing newspaper All At Sea.

Beyond competition, Amelie is very enthusiastic about encouraging girls to get into sailing, striving to break down barriers and inspire the next generation. She became an ambassador for Clean Sailors in March 2025 and is committed to promoting sustainability within the sport. “It’s our responsibility as sailors to do everything we can to preserve the marine environment for future generations” says Amelie.

Clean Sailors is a non-profit organisation that strives to promote awareness around ocean conservation by sharing stories, research and campaign for environmental change in the marine industry.

We have worked with Clean Sailors since it was set up in 2020 by Holly Manvell, as one of their big areas of focus is demonstrating what to do with old sails – 97% of which globally end up in landfill…and we share that commitment to reducing this waste by recycling and repurposing as many sails as we can. Sailed, Saved, Sewn – the Sails and Canvas eco-circle, helping to build a more circular ecomony.

“Love my new bag – perfect for my ILCA journey!“

Follow Amelie’s sailing stories on Instagram @sailorgirlsw