Britain’s Paralympic sailors are now in Rio making their final preparations for the 2016 Paralympics.

The games will be taking place in Brazil between 7-18 September 2016.

Unlike the Olympics, there are just three sailing classes in the Paralympics.

These are:

The 2.4mR – a one person keelboat; the SKUD18 – a two person keelboat and the Sonar – a three person keel boat.

See below for pictures and profiles of the sailors

Each country is only allowed to enter one boat per class, and numbers are limited.

There will be a maximum of 16 boats in the 2.4mR, 11 boats in the SKUD18 and 14 boats in the Sonar class.

There are also no separate male and female competition, so each event is mixed.

2.4mR class

Great Britain’s hopes in the 2.4mR class lie with Helena Lucas MBE.

The 41-year-old from Southampton, who has the nicknames H. Little H or Helly, will be heading to Rio as the defending 2.4mR Paralympic champion.

Lucas was the first British athlete (Olympic or Paralympic) to be selected for Rio 2016.

She made history at London 2012 by becoming the first British Paralympic gold medallist since sailing became a full programme sport at Sydney 2000.

The only female in the 2012 2.4mR fleet, she also became the first female Paralympic medalist and champion in the class.

She keeps her gold medal on a bookcase.

Lucas was born with no thumbs and limited extension in her arms.

She claimed her first 2.4mR Worlds medal – silver – in Perth, Australia in 2006.

That same year saw Lucas achieve the unique feat of taking the Yngling Olympic Classes keelboat helm for a one-off at the 2006 Olympic Test Event and winning silver.

As a result, she was shortlisted for 2006 ISAF World Sailor of the Year.

SKUD18 class

In the SKUD18 class, Niki Birrell and Alexandra Rickham will be hoping to improve on their bronze from London 2012.

Jamaica-born Rickham, 34, who now lives in Epsom, Surrey, and 30-year-old Birrell from Manchester, teamed up together in November 2007.

Despite being together less than a year, the pair made their full Paralympic debut at Beijing 2008, finishing fifth.

Since then, they’ve won the World SKUD title five times, and have become a dominant force in the class.

Rickham first went sailing while undergoing rehabilitation after she was paralysed as a result of a shallow diving accident.

Ten years later, while studying for her Masters in Environmental Technology at Imperial College, London, she started sailing seriously.

Cheshire-raised Birrell, who was born with cerebral palsy, has seen previous sailing success with his brother, Christian.

They qualified for the 2005 420 Youth class Worlds in France when European Junior Mirror champions, before moving into the Olympic 470 class and qualifying for the 2007 Worlds in Portugal in that class too.

After switching to Paralympic classes sailing, and a short stint in the 2.4mR one-person boat, Birrell then teamed up with Rickham.

Sonar class

It will be the fourth consecutive Paralympics for the three sailors in the Sonar class.

Helm John Robertson, 44,  Hannah Stodel and Steve Thomas first made their games debut together at Athens 2004.

They hold three World Championship titles and head to Rio determined to right their London 2012 disappointment, where a protest for an off-water incident resulted in them missing out on a medal.

Robertson, known as Robbo, started sailing as a 10-year-old in a Mirror.

After he became disabled as a result of a motorbike accident in 1994, Robertson got back into sailing in a Challenger Trimaran during an outdoor course at Bassenthwaite in the Lake District.

In 1997 he started in the Sonar class before teaming up with Stodel and Thomas

Robertson is the first skipper in the history of disabled Sonar sailing to helm his crew to successive World crowns.

They missed out on a fourth championship win by just one point at the 2016 Worlds in the Netherlands in May.

Stodel, 31, made history in Athens 2004 by becoming Britain’s first female sailing Paralympian.

Born without a right forearm, the Essex-raised Stodel, unsurprisingly developed an early passion for sailing.

Her mum, Sue, campaigned for selection for Seoul 1988.

In 1998, aged 13, Stodel was awarded the prestigious YJA Young Sailor of the Year Award.

Crewing for Melissa Heppell in the Mirror Class, the two were first Ladies at Mirror National Championships and were selected to represent Britain at the 1999 Mirror World Championships in Cape Town.

Welshman Thomas, a double below the knee amputee after suffering from meningitis in 1996, has represented Britain at both the summer and winter Paralympics.

It was ice sledge hockey the 39-year-old discovered first after his illness.

He represented Great Britain at the Turin 2006 Winter Paralympics.

He went on to sailing after he was spotted lifting weights at the gym.

Known as Steveo, Thomas has also played rugby for Wales at U18 level.

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