By Marios Papaloizou

After being diagnosed with an adrenal tumour in 2010 Bromley’s Nilani Chandradeva was determined not to let it hamper her life – and she proved exactly that this weekend.

Chandradeva was 13 at the time and went through surgery and five months of chemotherapy.

However, before her treatment was over she decided she was going back to school.

Now the 16-year-old has just returned from the high seas where she competed against the likes of four-time Olympic champion Sir Ben Ainslie and former world record holder Dame Ellen MacArthur in the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race.

Chandradeva was invited to join the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust during her illness – set up in 2003 by retired British sailor Dame Ellen MacArthur, the Trust gives young people in recovery from cancer the chance to rebuild their confidence through sailing.

And with one trip around the Isle of Wight already under her belt, the youngster joined 16,000 competitors across 1,584 boats to contest the 83rd edition over the weekend – and loved every minute of it.

“I think the culture of the sailor is someone who is at one with nature and really charismatic is something that I really felt and that was really nice to experience as well because of the trust,” she said.

“What is really special about the trust is that when I came I had been off treatment for a while and everything was quite normal.

“But I think it would have been very easy for me if I hadn't come on the trip to disassociate myself from everything.

“But I didn't want to do that because I wanted to realise that I did have that bad experience and I have to help other people.”

Chandradeva was joined on the trip by Bexley’s Borak Celikbilek, who had suffered from non-Hodgkin lymphoma and got involved with the Trust in 2008 and believes the event is invaluable.

“I love the challenge and meeting new people who can give you support because they’ve been through the same kind of thing,” said Celikbilek

“I’ve never spoken to anyone who had been through anything like me so when I came here it was great to speak to people and it really influenced me.”

And Dartford’s Josh Bull was also involved in the what turned out to be one of the slowest races in the history of the event due to lack of wind – not that Josh minded.

“I love it here and it’s an annual trip that I really enjoy and look forward to,” he said.

“The trust has really given me a new-found sense of freedom because when I first went sailing I learned that there was more to life than the problems that I had.”

The J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race is one of the largest participation sporting events in the UK and the largest yacht race of its kind in the world.

Organised by the Island Sailing Club in Cowes, it is dubbed Britain's favourite yacht race, regularly attracting around 1,500 boats and 16,000 competitors.

For more information, visit roundtheisland.org.uk