The Island’s top women Laser Radial sailor has been forced to withdraw from next month’s Pan Am Games in Brazil because she cannot find anybody to look after her three-year-old son.

Sara Lane Adderley, a Pan Am silver medallist in 1999 and the reigning Island Games gold medallist, said she’s been training furiously for close to a year to prepare for both the Pan Ams and the Laser Radial World Championships — with the latter event scheduled to start at the end of this month.

But having made arrangements for her son to be looked after by friends while she was away representing the Island at two of the most prestigious regattas in her sport, the single mother was told a few weeks ago that they could no longer do so.

“Obviously the priority has got to be my son, but I’m still extremely disappointed to be missing out because I have trained so hard for this,” she Adderley, who came third in the Laser Radial Worlds in 2003.

“I love sailing and it’s in my blood, but right now I’m not really sure where I go from here. My entire focus was on these five weeks of sailing, and now that’s not going to be possible I just cannot believe it.

“The BOA (Bermuda Olympic Association) helped me when I was attempting to qualify for the Pan Ams, giving me money for plane tickets to go off to regatta’s and things like that.

“But obviously as a single mother I’m not in a position to be able to afford to pay somebody to look after my child for the time that I’m away. I’ve looked at all sorts of options but it’s just not going to be possible. So I’ve informed the Bermuda Sailing Association and the BOA that I will not be going to Brazil.

“I’m not blaming anybody or anything like that — that’s just my situation

“The National Sailing Championships are this weekend coming up, but to be honest I’m so disappointed right now I’m not sure I’m going to compete.”

Adderley will likely be replaced by one of her main rivals for the top spot — Katrina Williams — but this has not yet been officially confirmed.