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Iconic Chichester yacht, Gipsy Moth, to visit Fowey
The 22nd Fowey Classics will welcome a sailing icon this year in the form of Gipsy Moth IV, the historic yacht sailed by Sir Francis Chichester on his record-breaking circumnavigation of the globe in 1967.
The iconic vessel will be moored in Fowey from 31 July to 4 August and, in addition to taking part in the Regatta, will be available for half and full day charters for groups of up to six people – the proceeds of which will help ensure the historic yacht remains available to the UK and sailing public.
The ‘grandmother of all single-handed yachts that followed’
Gipsy Moth IV came to prominence in 1967 when she was sailed into Plymouth Harbour by Sir Francis Chichester at the culmination of a remarkable 28,500 mile journey that had taken 226 days, 100 tins of fish, 16 dozen fresh eggs, half a dozen bottles of gin and a stop in Sydney. More than a quarter of a million well-wishers – with millions more watching on television – greeted Sir Francis and Gipsy Moth IV – named for the de Havilland Gipsy Moth aircraft Sir Francis had previously flown single-handed across the Atlantic – on their arrival in Plymouth; a record breaking journey by a remarkable man who just years before had beaten lung cancer into remission. A total of five records were broken by Sir Francis: the fastest voyage around the world by any small vessel; the longest non-stop passage that had been made by a small sailing vessel (15,000 miles), the longest passage by a single-hander (more than doubling the previous record); twice breaking the record for a single-hander’s week’s run by more than 100 miles, and the record for singlehanded speed by sailing 1,400 miles in eight days.
Retirement in Greenwich
After her momentous journey - during which she capsized, her cockpit filled with water nearly half a dozen times, and her wind vane failed – Gipsy Moth IV took up a purpose built dry dock in Greenwich during a retirement that lasted more than 40 years and which took an enormous toll. Undisturbed but gently rotting, Gipsy Moth IV fell into a severe state of disrepair until a campaign was launched in 2005 by Yachting Monthly in partnership with the UK Sailing Academy (UKSA), which restored the historic yacht and sent her off on another round-the-world trip in time for the 40th anniversary of Chichester’s travels. At the time, UKSA purchased Gipsy Moth IV for the grand total of £1 and a gin and tonic – a favourite tipple of Sir Francis.
“It was a journey that restored Gipsy Moth IV’s place in the fabric of British sailing,” says Eileen Skinner, founding trustee of the Gipsy Moth Trust, the charitable organisation that now owns and maintains the yacht. “Forty years had passed since Chichester’s great voyage, which was now in the history books rather than embedded in the psyche of a new generation of sailors and sailing enthusiasts. Her restoration ensured that this new generation was able to see her in her full glory and was an important step towards what she is now dedicated to – namely the inspiration of the public and young sailors.” Inspire she did, and this journey, which took 22 months to complete, was not undertaken by a single sailor but by a total of 90 young people aged between 16 and 23 years, all of whom were from either a disadvantaged background, or were suffering from cancer or a disability.
Resurrection and the Gipsy Moth Trust
Yet Gipsy Moth IV’s return to glory was brief, and after her voyage (concluding again at Plymouth where Sir Francis’ son Giles was waiting to meet the crew) Gipsy Moth IV ended up for sale in a boat yard. However, when a foreign buyer looked to purchase the iconic vessel, two East Anglian businesspeople, Rob Thompson and Eileen Skinner, stepped in to keep Gipsy Moth IV in the UK.
“It was just so obvious that this piece of British maritime history should remain in the UK,” says Thompson. “Gipsy Moth IV had already brought inspiration to millions of people. We decided that her work wasn’t done.”
Thompson and Skinner bought Gipsy Moth IV – leasing her back to UKSA and finding her a new home on the Isle of Wight. They also established the Gipsy Moth Trust, which was established with the remit of making the historic yacht available for the public to not only see, but also sail.
“Gipsy Moth IV spends much of her year on the Isle of Wight, but we make sure she’s out and about regularly,” say Thompson. “She has an annual summer programme that includes some of the UK’s biggest regattas, and we make sure she is also available for charter – the money from which goes towards her upkeep. We at the Trust hope Sir Francis would approve of how his old yacht is still inspiring people across the country.”
Gipsy Moth IV will be available for private charter from 31 July to 4 August. To book, please contact ic.gipsymothtrust@btinternet.com. Further information about the Gipsy Moth Trust can be found at www.gipsymoth.org.
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