Emma came to Scotland at the age of five when her father was appointed in 1980 to the Chair of Aeronautics and Fluid Mechanics at the University of Glasgow. The family settled in Helensburgh, an ideal location for them to indulge in their hobby of sailing, an activity at which Emma excelled at an early age. Helensburgh Sailing Club was where she learned all he basic skills egged on continuously by her brother who has his name on most of the trophies.

 

She continued her interest in sailing when she went to the University of Glasgow and by the time she graduated in 1996 with a BSc in Sports Medicine she had already become a member of the Scottish National Olympic Training Squad where she had her introduction into professional sailing.

 

She was then chosen as a crew-member aboard Tracy Edwards' all-girl Royal Sun Alliance that tried to win the Jules Verne Trophy. The girls were on-course to capture the record when they were unfortunately dismasted in the Southern Ocean.

 

She sailed into the record books in May 2003 when she became the first British woman and youngest ever competitor to complete the longest race for any individual in any sport, Around Alone.

 

Most Eligible Woman

 

She was named as Scotland's most eligible woman in 2002 in a Scotsman poll!