Gipsy Moth IV is a key part of Britain's national maritime heritage, and represents a significant milestone in the history of world sailing. Although Sir Francis was not the first person to sail singlehanded around the world, those that went before him treated their voyages as extended cruises; in contrast Sir Francis' 'wonderful adventure' was more of a mericless test of personal endurance and boat speed. The objective for Gipsy Moth IV was to beat the times set by the Victorian clipper ships for their yourney to Australia - Sir Francis' goal was to be there in 100 days. To put this in context the maximum speed of a yacht is directly related to its wetted length, Gipsy Moth IV is only 53 feet overall, whereas a clipper ship such as the Cutty Sark was 212 feet. In addition Sir Francis was on his own and would often have to set in excess of 1,500 square feet of sails to keep the yacht making good speed.
Sir Francis had Gipsy Moth IV designed specifically for the challenge by John Illingworth and Angus Primrose. She was built by Camper & Nicholsons at Gosport and launched in March 1966. She is 38ft 6in (11.8m) on the waterline and 53ft (16m) overall and of cold-moulded Honduras mahogany construction. Ketch rigged, she has a sail area of 854sq ft (79.4sq m).
Gipsy Moth IV entered Sydney after 107 days, an amazing achievement. By the end of the voyage Sir Francis had established a number of records:
- Fastest voyage around the world by any small vessel
- Longest non stop passage that had been made by a small sailing vessel (15,000 miles)
- More than twice the distance of the previous longest passage by a singlehander
- Twice broke the record for a singlehander's weeks run by more than 100 miles
- Established a record for singlehanded speed by sailing 1,400 miles in 8 days
 On May 28th 1967 when Gipsy Moth IV returned to Plymouth, there were more than 250,000 people there to witness this historic event, and millions more watching on television. Aside from his technical achievemnts Sir Franics achieved something much more personal - and personal not alone to him. With a courage and self-discipline that defy description he dove himself to the limits of human enduarance, and in doing so he had succeeded in making dreams come true. His efforts inspired a generation to break out and realise their dreams. She was never sailed again after returning home but took up her concrete dry dock in Greenwich next to The Cutty Sark, only to leave it briefly for some restorative work in 1997. After nearly 40 years in dry dock, the ravages of fresh water ingress and a lack of funds to look after this iconic yacht, had left her in a sad state of repair. After an initial campaign by Yachting Monthly called 'Stop the Rot', UKSA stepped forward to lead the restoration of this classic yacht. After 5
months of incredible effort, Gipsy Moth IV was once again re-launched at the Camper and Nicholson yard in Gosport on the 20th June 2005.
GMIV Circling The World Again
 With Gipsy Moth IV fully restored to her former glory and re-launched on 20th June 2005, she was ready to embark a second circumnavigation. In contrast to Sir Francis Chichester's original voyage in 1966-67, this time the focus is not setting records, but to change the lives of those involved and provide a window on the world via use of groundbreaking technology as GMIV undertakes this historic voyage. Throughout the summer of 2005 GMIV was involved in a series of high profile events including The Fleet Review, Skandia Cowes Week, The Festival of the Sea and Southampton International Boat Show. There were also several Royal visits, most notably the re-dedication by HRH Princess Royal at Greenwich (GMIV's previous home), where Dame Ellen MacArthur MBE and Olympic gold medallist Shirley Robertson sailed the yacht up the river Thames. At all of these events GMIV has attracted large numbers of people, many of whom remember Sir Francis's original voyage and how he inspired a generation. The summer culminated with a spectacular send off from Plymouth on the 25th September with over 120 boats, HMS Middleton and the original Gypsy Moth Bi-plane that met Sir Francis on his return, all in attendance. The send off was a very emotional day for all concerned, not least the families of the young adults crewing on this first leg of the voyage. Sky News carried a 4 minute segment of the event every hour for 24 hours!
Voyage and Crew
The voyage started in September 2005 and will take 22 months, this time via the trade winds route, incorporating 25 countries and 32 official stopovers, covering over 30,000 nautical mile s in the process. The crew will be changed for each leg, with 3 young adults aged between 16-23 from disadvantaged backgrounds or suffering from learning difficulties or suffering from cancer, accompanied by a Skipper, 1st & 2nd Mate. The young adults are been selected from schools throughout the UK and in conjunction with the projects charity partners. For many this is a chance of a lifetime, and will provide them with an opportunity to learn new skills and to grow as individuals within the the construct of a working crew.At each stopover location, and at other ports of call between the stopover locations, the young adults will be encouraged to learn more about each country’s culture and will be actively involved in local community and environmental projects. At the same, time GMIV will be made available to young adults from these countries to give them an opportunity to experience the magic of this iconic yacht.
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Life Aboard GMIV
For the young adults selected as crew, this is no holiday! They are actively involved in the day to day running of the vessel - sailing, navigating, cooking and cleaning. In addition they are required to undertake oceanographic research as part of a program coordinated with the University of Plymouth, record sightings of mammals and other sea life, help with celestial navigation and keep a daily journal of their experiences and record video diaries to be posted to GMTV on this site. The young adults will also participate in live telephone conferences with their schools as they travel around the world, making this voyage truly interactive and raising awareness of the work they are undertaking.
Links To Education
In conjunction with the Pompey Study Centre and BT Education, the GMIV project has developed a wide range of lesson plans and teaching packs to support delivery of structured learning across the national curriculum elements. A teachers pack was sent out to 120,00 schools throughout the UK informing them of this ground breaking project and how they can access the educational resources. In conjunction with the BT Education site, the Gipsy Moth web site will act as the focal point for all of the educational resources generated by the project; enabling schools and universities worldwide to benefit from the project. Teachers worldwide can access these resources on-line by usingthe link below to register.
Click Here -To sign up for free teacher resources, or to get your school involved
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