Forty vessels starting from basic yachts to fashionable foilers, together with Gipsy Moth IV, can be travelling down the River Thames to mark Royal Thames Yacht Membership’s 250th Anniversary.
On Saturday, 28 June, 40 boats will take part in a ceremonial pageant from Greenwich Pier to HMS President in London to mark the 250th anniversary of the Royal Thames Yacht Membership. Among the many yachts is the Gipsy Moth IV, which Sir Francis Chichester used to set a report for the circumnavigation of the globe in a small boat on 28 Might, 1967, after 226 days at sea.
On the 6-mile procession, a various group of boats will move London landmarks, together with Canary Wharf, Wapping Police Pier, and King Edward Memorial Park. The yachts will take a salute from the Royal Navy’s HMS President. As a part of the ceremony, Tower Bridge will carry, permitting six vessels to move and parade by means of the Higher Pool to London Bridge earlier than rejoining the opposite boats at St Katharine Docks.
Gipsy Moth IV in 1967. Photograph: Sunday Instances/Chichester Archive/PPL
To symbolise the Royal Thames’ historical past, the flotilla will vary from basic yachts to fashionable racing boats. Among the many fleet, there can be two Dunkirk Little Ships, Naiad Errant and Tahilla, which evacuated troops from Dunkirk throughout World Conflict II. The black-hulled TP52 racing yacht Gladiator will attend, as will Sir Francis Chichester’s 53ft ketch, Gipsy Moth IV.
The 1896-built Cariad can be a part of the pageant. Photograph: St Katharine Docks Marina
Royal Thames Yacht Membership’s 250th Anniversary parade timings:
14:15: Departure from Greenwich Pier (Meeting Space)West India Dock
14:41: Passing Masthouse Terrace Pier
14:57: Passing Canary Wharf Pier
15:07: Passing King Edward Memorial Park
15:15: Passing Wapping Police Pier
15:20: Salute and Tower Bridge Opening, six boats course of, remaining pageant enter St. Katharine Docks
15:50: Tower Bridge Reopens
16:35: Lock gates shut
17:00: Pontoon Social gathering begins
Article continues under…
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Gipsy Moth IV‘s journey to the flotilla
Gipsy Moth IV rose to fame for carrying Sir Francis Chichester world wide in 1967, with just one cease in Sydney, Australia, and by rounding the three Nice Capes – Good Hope, Leeuwin and Horn.
Chichester arrived again to a 250,000-strong crowd in Plymouth Hoe jostling for a view. The record-breaking circumnavigation earned Chichester nationwide hero standing, inspiring generations to begin crusing adventures. His legacy consists of sparking solo round-the-world yachting and the Golden Globe Race.
Over time, Gipsy Moth IV got here below the care of the Gipsy Moth Belief, which was pressured to promote the boat as a result of struggles through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Netherlands-based crusing fanatic and entrepreneur Simon Oberholzer purchased her in 2022. The interior cockpit components, which have been reconstructed in 2005, have been rotten, and her engine and mounts wanted overhauling. Oberholzer spent the previous few years fastidiously restoring her to the precise situation and association it was when Sir Francis Chichester sailed her world wide.
Gipsy Moth IV returning to Plymouth after 226 days at sea. Credit score: Getty
‘The chance to personal a bit of historical past like Gipsy Moth IV was too good to overlook, particularly since Chichester’s voyage and achievements had influenced my youth on this method,’ explains Oberholzer.
‘Apart from being a fantastic navigator, the worth of Chichester is that he all the time continued; he by no means stopped. These days, with expertise, we have a look at the vacation spot and never the voyage; we don’t realise what it takes to get there.
‘All through his life, Chichester pushed the bounds; even at 65 after having most cancers, he did one thing that had by no means been achieved earlier than. He was not copycatting anybody else; he sailed world wide as a result of he thought it could possibly be achieved.’
1,700 folks sailed on Gipsy Moth IV when she was owned by the Gipsy Moth Belief. Credit score: Theo Stocker
Oberholzer’s restoration concerned reinstating Chichester’s well-known gimballed chair, absolutely reinstalling the windwave self-steering system, and painstakingly repairing picket hull and deck constructions. The result’s that the Gipsy Moth IV, attending the 250th anniversary parade, is each traditionally correct and seaworthy for future adventures.
Oberholzer plans to make her accessible for viewing and VIP entry at occasions across the UK and Europe, together with the Royal Thames Yacht Membership 250th anniversary parade and Sail Amsterdam pageant within the Netherlands.
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