Whitstable Yacht Club's Alicia Clifford on the water in her catamaran

A teenage sailor has her eyes set on competing at the 2016 Olympic Games after being selected as part of the RYA National Youth Squad.

Alicia Clifford, from Blean, sails in a catamaran at the Whitstable Yacht Club and now trains at the Weymouth Olympic Academy twice a month after being named in the squad.

The 17-year-old, who goes to Simon Langton Girls’ Grammar School, Canterbury, is the only girl in the squad and is hoping to progress through the ranks when mixed catamaran racing is accepted back in the Olympics in 2016.

Clifford (pictured) finished sixth in the SL 16 Armistice competition in Bordeaux last month, together with crew member Harry Willet, 15, of Minnis Bay Sailing Club.

She juggles her commitments of studying for her AS Levels at Simon Langton with a hectic training regime which includes travelling all over the country and across Europe.

With the cost of new sails on her boat at about £18,000, Clifford and her family are seeking sponsorship to help fund her progression in the sport.

Alicia’s mum, Anne, said: "We are so very proud because she works so incredibly hard to be the best she can be, she is so passionate about the sport.

"We are looking for sponsorship as running a boat, paying for wet suits and travel to and from Weymouth is quite costly."