A COUPLE from a village near Winchester have sailed to victory in a national championship using their homemade state-of-the-art boat.

Nigel and Sarah Stuart, of Pound Lane, Meonstoke, won the 2014 Shearwater Catamaran National Championships at Pagham Yacht Club, Bognor Regis.

Mr Stuart spent two years building a top-of-the-range carbon fibre catamaran, CROWNS, with the help of local manufacturers including Discovery Yachts in Southampton.

He said: “It’s at the forefront of what’s possible – I’ve pushed the boundaries quite a lot.”

The boat took them to the national title with five wins and one second-place finish out of seven hotly-fought races.

The couple have been notching top finishes in shearwater races for 14 years but this is the first time they’ve won the Pagham title in 10 attempts.

Mr Stuart said it was “very emotional” to finally clinch the trophy.

“It’s a very stressful week because every race counts,” he said. “You’re competing with some very good sailors, so everyone’s got to be on top of their game. It felt pretty amazing.

“My wife did actually distribute some tears on the prize night,” he added. “It was her birthday – that was the best present I gave her, I think!”