home > Gipsy Moth Today- 2005-2007 Voyage
GMIV Circling The World Again 
With Gipsy Moth IV fully restored to her former glory and re-launched on 20th June 2005, she is embarking on 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 has been 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 have also been 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 event every hour for 24 hours!
Voyage and Crew
The voyage starts 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.
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 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 has been 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
Click Here -To sign up for free teacher resources, or to get your school involved
