A boat building company is hoping not to sink when they exhibit at a prestigious festival.

Co-founders Simon Hawksley and Laure Mora will be representing Hawksley Classics, a Bridport-based boat building company, at the Cannes Yachting Festival this September.

The company, which was founded in 2017, specialises in bespoke luxury wooden speed boats, which are carefully crafted at their workshop in the St Michael's Estate.

Laure Mora from Hawksley Classics, said: "We are a really young company, we set-up our workshop here in the St Michael's Estate less than a year ago, so having been selected to exhibit at Cannes Yachting Festival is both exciting and quite daunting to be honest.

"Exciting because we will be at the biggest boat show in Europe, with the gathering of more than 600 boats, including yachts and superyachts, to a show with such a glamorous aura and history, home of the famous Concours d'Elegance, in the magical surroundings of the French Riviera, it is like a dream come true for Simon and I.

"Daunting of course because this is our first big show and we are giving it our best and devoting all our time and energy to prepare for it."

The duo will be exhibiting in Cannes Vieux Port, in the Tender Area.

Laure said: "We will be the only British company in the Tender Area of the show and we really want to make a lasting impression.

"We know our Etoile 18 boat is stunning, we had a very enthusiastic reaction everywhere it goes so we will let the boat speak for itself, and hopefully we'll turn this first experience into a great success."

Simon was previously a student at the Lyme Regis Boat Building Academy, enrolling onto the course in 2016.

Simon's former instructor, Mike Broome, said: "It's great to see former students entering the marine marketplace with such a superb product, we wish Simon and Laure every success at Cannes, and in the future."