British Olympic sailor and TV presenter Shirley Robertson has announced that CNN Mainsail the programme she has fronted as part of the American broadcaster’s global sporting coverage for the past 13 years, has been shelved. “At best the future is uncertain, although the search is still fully on for a new supporter,” she says referring to a loss of sponsorship from Rolex. “The beauty of this programme was that no two months were ever the same,” Shirley, who made 156 editions of the show, says.

Despite her upbeat hopes Shirley’s tone suggests that, for her, the show is over. “It was a wonderful testament to how diverse, how colourful and how full of engaging characters our sport really is,” she says.

“Finding a compelling sailing story for the CNN audience was rarely a challenge. Its longevity is also a testament to how loyal and supportive Rolex have been, and continue to be, in our sport. But it’s not just about the sport – and for me that’s always been the programme’s real goal – telling the human stories behind that rich diverse world we sail in,” Shirley adds.

The show is produced by programme makers Sunset and Vine and Shirley says that: “For them it’s a big loss. But also for the sport we love. To have such global outreach, once a month, every month, for over a decade, has been a wonderful thing for sailing, so to lose this little slice of regular airtime on airwaves packed full of other sports is a big, big loss.

“Personally, and on behalf of our production crew, I’d like to thank every event organiser, every press officer, every sailor and every race team that has ever been a part of the Mainsail world. I can count on one hand the number of times we’ve been told ‘no’ – so to every single one of you, thank you. This sport is full of passionate, gracious, fascinating people – you’ve made us so welcome and you’ve helped make this show, and our sport, extraordinary… it’s been an absolute privilege.”

Image shows Shirley reporting from Les Voiles de St Tropez, a major event in the Classic Regatta calendar, which aired in November 2017