PRINCESS Anne met members of the Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation at a prestigious boat show.

The Princess Royal was introduced to members of the foundation, which is based on Portland, as she took a tour of the 2015 CWM FX London Boat Show, being held at the ExCel arena in London.

It came after it was confirmed the first Bart’s Bash mass sailing event held last year is a Guinness World Record.

On her tour of the show, the princess was introduced to members of the foundation, which was this year’s official charity partner of the show.

Richard Percy, CEO of Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation, said: “We were honoured to have HRH The Princess Royal visit our stand at CWM FX London Boat Show.

“We were pleased to be able to update her on our achievement of the Guinness World Record for Bart’s Bash and the foundation’s work in 2015.”

The foundation was created by Mr Simpson’s wife Leah after he died in a training accident as he and his team prepared for the America’s Cup off San Francisco in May 2013.

Mr Simpson, affectionately known as Bart, won a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and a silver medal at the London 2012 Olympics, securing his gold medal in the waters off Portland with his sailing partner Iain Percy.

Based at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, the foundation and its centre was officially launched by Sir Ben Ainslie and Iain Percy in May last year.

The foundation also recently established the world record for the largest global sailing event. Over 30,000 people from 60 countries took part in the event, which raised more than £366,000 for the foundation.

During her tour, Princess Anne was also introduced to Poole-based Rockley Water-sports. Pip Woods, managing director of the firm, said: “We were delighted to meet Princess Anne again. “She is always engaging and asks so many questions. She really showed a keen interest in our team and everyone’s roles within the business.”

The boat show, which showcases the best of the British marine industry, ends tomorrow.