Gypsy Moth IV
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''Gipsy Moth IV'' is a
ketch A ketch is a two- masted sailboat whose mainmast is taller than the mizzen mast (or aft-mast), and whose mizzen mast is stepped forward of the rudder post. The mizzen mast stepped forward of the rudder post is what distinguishes the ketch f ...
that
Sir Francis Chichester Sir Francis Charles Chichester KBE (17 September 1901 – 26 August 1972) was a British businessman, pioneering aviator and solo sailor. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for becoming the first person to sail single-handed around the world ...
commissioned specifically to sail single-handed around the globe, racing against the times set by the
clipper ship A clipper was a type of mid-19th-century Merchant ship, merchant Sailing ship, sailing vessel, designed for speed. The term was also retrospectively applied to the Baltimore clipper, which originated in the late 18th century. Clippers were gen ...
s of the 19th century. Gipsy Moth IV was the first ever purpose-built ocean racer and has over the years become the most famous of small sailing vessels. Gipsy Moth IV's voyage was the inspiration for the Golden Globe Race (GGR) which continues today. The name, the fourth boat in Chichester's series, all named ''Gipsy Moth,'' originated from the
de Havilland Gipsy Moth The de Havilland DH.60 Moth is a 1920s British two-seat touring and training aircraft that was developed into a series of aircraft by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. Development The DH.60 was developed from the larger DH.51 biplane. T ...
aircraft in which Chichester completed pioneering work in aerial navigation techniques.


Background and design

After being nursed back to health from a suspected lung abscess by his wife, Chichester undertook two single-handed Transatlantic races from Plymouth to New York in 1960 and Plymouth to Newport in 1964 in ''Gipsy Moth III''. He won the '60 race and was runner-up in the '64 race. During the '64 race he became inspired to challenge the times set by the tea and wool
clipper ship A clipper was a type of mid-19th-century Merchant ship, merchant Sailing ship, sailing vessel, designed for speed. The term was also retrospectively applied to the Baltimore clipper, which originated in the late 18th century. Clippers were gen ...
s. The tea clippers took an average of 123 days to make their passage to the
East Indies The East Indies (or simply the Indies) is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The ''Indies'' broadly referred to various lands in Eastern world, the East or the Eastern Hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainl ...
, so Chichester set himself the target of making the passage in 100 days. He subsequently wrote his book ''Along the Clipper Way'', which charts the voyage taken by 19th century
wool Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have some properties similar to animal w ...
clippers returning from
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
. In 1965 Chichester commissioned
Gosport Gosport ( ) is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hampshire, England. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census, the town had a population of 70,131 and the district had a pop ...
-based ship yard
Camper and Nicholsons Camper and Nicholson is a yacht design and manufacturing company based in Gosport, England, for over two hundred years, constructing many significant vessels, such as Gipsy Moth IV and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip's yacht Bloodh ...
to build the boat, designed by John Illingworth and
Angus Primrose Angus Primrose (missing at sea, 1980) was a designer and naval architect, whose best known designs for around the world races included Sir Francis Chichester's '' Gypsy Moth IV'' (with John Illingworth) and Galway Blazer II (1969) of Comman ...
. Launched in March 1966 with yard number 916, ''Gipsy Moth IV'' is on the waterline and overall, with a hull constructed of cold-moulded
Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...
mahogany Mahogany is a straight- grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus ''Swietenia'', indigenous to the AmericasBridgewater, Samuel (2012). ''A Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest''. Austin: Universit ...
. The scheduled displacement (to follow Chichester's requirements of maximum weight) was 10.4 tons, after trials increased by 1 ton of added ballast to cope with insufficient righting moment. Ketch rigged, she has a sail area of , extendable with a spinnaker to over . The boat incorporated the maximum amount of sail for the minimum amount of rigging, whilst employing
tiller A tiller or till is a lever used to steer a vehicle. The mechanism is primarily used in watercraft, where it is attached to an outboard motor, rudder post, rudder post or stock to provide leverage in the form of torque for the helmsman to turn ...
based self-steering using design principles established by Blondie Hasler that could enable steerage from the skipper's bunk, essential for solo sailing for a voyage of this length.


1967 voyage

''Gipsy Moth IV'' set out from
Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...
on 27 August 1966 with 64-year-old Sir Francis at the helm. The voyage was not uneventful, and Chichester later recalled three moments where he noted that the trip nearly ended. The first was when part of the frame holding the wind vane self-steering failed, when still from Sydney. Not wanting to put in at
Fremantle, Western Australia Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia located at the mouth of the Swan River (Western Australia), Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australi ...
, Chichester spent three days balancing sails and experimenting with shock-cord lines on the tiller, once again getting the boat to hold a course to enable her to cover a day. An exhausted Chichester entered
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
harbour for a stopover 107 days later. He enlisted the help of
America's Cup The America's Cup is a sailing competition and the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one from the yacht club that currently holds the trophy (known ...
designer Warwick Hood, who added a piece to the boat's
keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element of a watercraft, important for stability. On some sailboats, it may have a fluid dynamics, hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose as well. The keel laying, laying of the keel is often ...
to provide ''Gipsy Moth IV'' with better directional stability to stop her
broaching Broach may refer to: * Broaching (metalworking), a machining operation that uses a metalworking tool with a series of chisel points mounted on one piece of steel * Broach (nautical), a sudden loss of control of a vessel caused either by wind actio ...
, but the modification did nothing to improve her stability. One day out on the return trip via
Cape Horn Cape Horn (, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which is Águila Islet), Cape Horn marks the nor ...
, the boat was rolled in a 140-degree
capsize Capsizing or keeling over occurs when a boat or ship is rolled on its side or further by wave action, instability or wind force beyond the angle of positive static stability or it is Turtling (sailing), upside down in the water. The act of reco ...
. Chichester calculated the angle by measuring the mark on the cabin roof made by a wine bottle. He commented in his diary and in a later interview with ''
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' magazine that he knew she would self-right as she was designed to, but was concerned by the incident as this was a light storm and he still had to pass Cape Horn, where the third and most significant event of the voyage would occur:
"The waves were tremendous. They varied each time, but all were like great sloping walls towering behind you. The kind I liked least was like a great bank of gray-green earth high and very steep. Image yourself at the bottom of one. My cockpit was filled five times and once it took more than 15 minutes to drain. My wind-reading machine stopped recording at 60 knots. My self-steering could not cope with the buffeting....I had a feeling of helplessness."
Just as he thought all hope was lost and he was alone, on exiting the cockpit one day he was followed by the
British Antarctic Survey The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) is the United Kingdom's national polar research institute. It has a dual purpose, to conduct polar science, enabling better understanding of list of global issues, global issues, and to provide an active prese ...
vessel , and later the same day a Piper Apache plane chartered by the BBC and Sunday Times broke through the clouds, searching for Gypsy Moth to take photographs and film footage. On 28 May 1967 having logged in just 274 days (226 days actual sailing time), the voyage claimed the following records: * Fastest voyage around the world by any small vessel * Longest non stop passage that had been made by a small sailing vessel () * More than twice the distance of the previous longest passage by a singlehander * Twice broke the record for a singlehander's week's run by more than * Established a record for singlehanded speed by sailing in 8 days Because of the boat lacking of directional stability (despite fin extension) and righting moment, Chichester commented:
"Now that I have finished, I don't know what will become of ''Gipsy Moth IV''. I only own the stern while my cousin owns two thirds. My part, I would sell any day. It would be better if about a third were sawn off. The boat was too big for me. ''Gipsy Moth IV'' has no sentimental value for me at all. She is cantankerous and difficult and needs a crew of three - a man to navigate, an elephant to move the tiller and a chimpanzee with arms long to get about below and work some of the gear."


Greenwich

In July 1968, ''Gipsy Moth IV'' was put on permanent display at
Greenwich Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...
in a land-locked purpose-built dry dock next to ''the
Cutty Sark ''Cutty Sark'' is a British clipper ship. Built on the River Leven, Dumbarton, Scotland in 1869 for the Jock Willis Shipping Line, she was one of the last tea clippers to be built and one of the fastest, at the end of a long period of desig ...
''. The yacht was open to the public for many years. In September 1977 a ceremony was held to mark her 1 millionth visitor on board.Eventually, due to general deterioration from allowing visitors to walk across her decks, Gipsy Moth was permanently closed to visitors, remaining on display at Greenwich next to the Cutty Sark. Her “entombment” at Greenwich was referred to in the song " Single Handed Sailor" by the band
Dire Straits Dire Straits were a British rock band formed in London in 1977 by Mark Knopfler (lead vocals, lead guitar), David Knopfler (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), John Illsley (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Pick Withers (drums, percussion). Th ...
. Chichester died at the age of 71 on 26 August 1972. After 37 years (in 2005) she was freed and relaunched.


Gipsy Moth IV's restoration

By the early 2000s, the condition of ''Gipsy Moth IV'', even though she continued to rest in a Greenwich dry dock hoist, had seriously deteriorated. In 2003, Paul Gelder, editor of the London-based sailing magazine ''
Yachting Monthly ''Yachting Monthly'' is a monthly magazine about yachting published by Future PLC. It is edited by Theo Stocker. The magazine is headquartered in Bath. History At its launch in 1906, from the offices of The Field, '' The Manchester Guardian ...
'', launched a campaign to restore the yacht and sail her around the world in 2006 on the 40th anniversary of Chichester's voyage, and the 100th birthday of the magazine. He enlisted the support of The Blue Water Round the World Rally, a club-style cruising rally that the magazine had been covering since 1995. In 2004, in a joint proposal with ''Yachting Monthly'' and ''Gipsy Moth IV''s owners, The Maritime Trust, the yacht was purchased by the United Kingdom Sailing Academy (UKSA) in
Cowes Cowes () is an England, English port, seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina, facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east bank. The two towns are linked b ...
, Isle of Wight, for a token sum of £1 and a
gin and tonic A gin and tonic is a highball cocktail made with gin and tonic water poured over a large amount of ice. The ratio of gin to tonic varies according to taste, strength of the gin, other drink mixers being added, etc., with most recipes calling for ...
(Chichester's favourite tipple). The UKSA, ''Yachting Monthly'' and the Maritime Trust were the three major project partners in the campaign to save the yacht. In November 2004 ''Gipsy Moth IV'' was lifted out of Greenwich dry dock and taken by road to Camper and Nicholson's yard in Gosport, where she had been built and launched in 1966, for restoration. Although C&N did the work at cost price, the structural restoration cost more than £300,000, with money raised by donations from the public. Over 9000 hours were spent during the 28 week project. The additional equipment and services were provided by the British marine industry. As part of the yacht's restoration, the original B&G Navigation equipment was replaced with up to date electronics, but the original devices were left on a covering panel to maintain the feel of the 1966 build. On 20 June 2005, ''Gipsy Moth IV'' was relaunched and put back into "active service" by HRH Princess Anne.


Second voyage

''Gipsy Moth IV'' set sail from Plymouth Sound on the first leg of the 2005-07 Blue Water Round the World Rally on 25 September 2005. She had a mixture of experienced crew and teams of disadvantaged youth on board, including for part of the voyage: * Skipper: Richard Bagget * First mate: Dewi Thomas * Crew Leader: Paul Gelder (Editor of ''
Yachting Monthly ''Yachting Monthly'' is a monthly magazine about yachting published by Future PLC. It is edited by Theo Stocker. The magazine is headquartered in Bath. History At its launch in 1906, from the offices of The Field, '' The Manchester Guardian ...
'') * Crew: Matthew Pakes (Isle of Wight), Peter Heggie (Plymouth), Elaine Cadwell (Scotland) The first leg took just over two weeks to reach
Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...
, the official starting point for the Blue Water Round the World Rally. After crossing the Bay of Biscay to make landfall in Bayona, Spain, where Paul Gelder left to return to the UK, there was a crew change at
Vilamoura Vilamoura is a coastal luxury resort in the Loulé municipality in Algarve, Portugal. It is one of the three corners of Algarve's Golden Triangle (Algarve), Golden Triangle. Vilamoura comprises one of the largest single tourist complexes in Europe ...
, Portugal, and Tom Buggy joined the yacht as Crew Leader for the rest of the leg. Yachting Monthly's Dick Durham sailed the next leg and crew leader to the Canary Islands, where James Jermain took over as Mate to Richard Baggett for the Atlantic crossing to Antigua. The yacht went through the Panama Canal in February 2006 and headed for the Galapagos islands and the Marquesas. On April 29, 2006, after a navigational error, ''Gipsy Moth'' ran aground on a coral reef at
Rangiroa Rangiroa ( Tuamotuan for 'vast sky') or Te Kokōta (Cook Islands Māori Cook Islands Māori is an Eastern Polynesian language that is the official language of the Cook Islands. Cook Islands Māori is closely related to, but distinct from ...
, an atoll in the
Tuamotu The Tuamotu Archipelago or the Tuamotu Islands (, officially ) are a French Polynesian chain of just under 80 islands and atolls in the southern Pacific Ocean. They constitute the largest chain of atolls in the world, extending (from northwest to ...
s, known as The Dangerous Archipelago in the
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...
. She was just from her next landfall, Tahiti. The yacht was seriously damaged. After six days, a major salvage operation was undertaken with Smit, the Dutch big ship experts who were called in by the UKSA, with local help from Tahiti and Rangiroa. After a day-and-a-half spent patching up the holes in the hull with sheets of plywood, the yacht was successfully towed off the reef into deep water on a makeshift 'sledge'. She was towed to Tahiti and put on a cargo ship to be taken to
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
. In
Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
, Grant Dalton's America's Cup team donated help and premises at their HQ in
Viaduct Harbour Viaduct Harbour, formerly known as Viaduct Basin, is a former commercial harbour on the Auckland waterfront that has been turned into a development of mostly upscale apartments, office space and restaurants. It is located on the site of a for ...
, and the yacht underwent a second restoration. After two weeks or so she was sailing again on 23 June 2006. Her return leg was via
Cairns Cairns (; ) is a city in the Cairns Region, Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. In the , Cairns had a population of 153,181 people. The city was founded in 1876 and named after William Cairns, Sir W ...
and Darwin, in Australia;
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
,
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
,
Phuket Phuket (; , , or ''Tongkah'') is one of the Southern Thailand, southern Provinces of Thailand, provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. It consists of the island of Phuket, List of islands of Thailand, the country's largest island, and another 3 ...
,
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
, the
Red Sea The Red Sea is a sea inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. Its connection to the ocean is in the south, through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden. To its north lie the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and th ...
,
Suez Canal The Suez Canal (; , ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, Indo-Mediterranean, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia (and by extension, the Sinai Peninsula from the rest ...
and the
Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...
. She docked in
Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...
for a crew change, with skipper John Jeffrey joined by British teenagers: Grant McCabe (Plymouth), Kerry Prideaux (Lynton, Devon), Glen Austin (Isle of Wight) - the last of 90 disadvantaged young people who had crewed the yacht on her voyage round the world. She was accompanied into Plymouth by a flotilla of small craft, ''Gipsy Moth IV'' docked at West Hoe Pier on 28 May 2007, as she did exactly 40 years earlier. She was welcomed home by
Giles Chichester Giles Bryan Chichester (born 29 July 1946) is a British Conservative Party politician who was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for South West England and Gibraltar from 1999 until he retired 2014. He was elected as Vice-President of ...
, son of Sir Francis Chichester.


The Gipsy Moth Trust

For some time ''Gipsy Moth IV'' lay in Lymington Marina, stored at the end of a line of yachts for sale in the boat yard. In November 2010, she was sold to new British owners and remained at
Cowes Cowes () is an England, English port, seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina, facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east bank. The two towns are linked b ...
on display to the public. ''Gipsy Moth IV'' sailed at classic regattas in the summer of 2011, including Suffolk Yacht Harbour Classic Regatta (18–19 June), JP Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race (25 June), Panerai British Classic Week (16–23 July) and Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week (6–13 August). She was one of a number of important vessels which were moored along the route of the
Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant The Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant was a parade on 3 June 2012 of 670 boats on the Tideway of the River Thames in London as part of the celebrations of the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II. The Queen, Prince Philip and other members of t ...
, to celebrate the
diamond jubilee A diamond jubilee celebrates the 60th anniversary of a significant event related to a person (e.g. accession to the throne or wedding, among others) or the 60th anniversary of an institution's founding. The term is also used for 75th annivers ...
of
Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
. Due to her size, she was not part of the flotilla of vessels, and instead was moored with other vessels at
St Katharine Docks St Katharine Docks is a former dock in the St Katherine and Wapping ward of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies in the East End of London, East End on the north bank of the River Thames, immediately downstream of the Tower of London an ...
, in a display known as the Avenue of Sail. ''Gipsy Moth IV'' was a regular visitor to
Bucklers Hard Buckler's Hard is a hamlet in the civil parish of Beaulieu, in the New Forest district, in the county of Hampshire, England, on the banks of the Beaulieu River. With its two rows of Georgian cottages running down to the river, Buckler's Har ...
, especially for winter maintenance, during which times she was viewed by the public on special open days. In May 2017 she attended the Jersey Boat Show to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Chichester's circumnavigation. The yacht was owned and maintained by The Gipsy Moth Trust, a registered charity, until 2021. Her costs were funded by paying passengers and crew, and by donations to the Trust. In February 2021 she was put up for sale by the Trust when
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
badly affected the continued operation of the Trust.


Second restoration

In March 2022, Gipsy Moth IV was purchased by Simon Oberholzer. Oberholzer undertook her second complete restoration, back to her original 1967 state, at the Elephant Boatyard on the
River Hamble The River Hamble in south Hampshire, England, source (river), rises near Bishop's Waltham and flows for through Botley, Hampshire, Botley, Bursledon, and Lower Swanwick before entering Southampton Water between Hamble Common and Warsash. The ...
. As Gipsy Moth has a full keel and wide turning circle, and in order to manoeuvre her into small spaces in today's marinas, a specially designed electric powered water thruster was developed and installed in the bow during the restoration. This allows Gipsy Moth IV to turn easily without compromising her structural integrity or ruining the aesthetics of her classic lines. Gipsy Moth IV's 2022 outer-restoration was completed just a day before her Royal Review by the Princess Royal at Cowes Week and the Solent Platinum Jubilee Celebration on 6 August 2022. The cumulative cost of the Gipsy Moth IV and restorations now exceeds £2 million. In addition to the restoration, Oberholzer has collected more than one thousand documents, articles, artifacts and other memorabilia (ranging from minted coins to issued stamps and tea clothes) which relate to Gipsy Moth IV and which secures her status as a sailing legend. The inside back cover of Series B
British passport The British passport (or UK passport) is a travel document issued by the United Kingdom or other British dependencies and territories to individuals holding any form of British nationality. It grants the bearer international passage in acco ...
s, issued between 2015 and 2020, have an illustration of Gipsy Moth IV. The restoration activities surrounding Gipsy Moth IV during 2022–2023 have not been limited to the yacht itself, but have been extended to include the creation and updating of the Gipsy Moth IV logo by Bas van der Heide, who has a long association with various of The Ocean Race yachts (and who designed boats like ABN Amro 1 and 2 – and most recently Jajo in 2023). In addition, a website about Gipsy Moth IV and Sir Francis Chichester was created.


Channel crossing

On the day of the
Coronation of King Charles III The Coronation of the British monarch, coronation of Charles III and his wife, Queen Camilla, Camilla, as Monarchy of the United Kingdom, king and List of British royal consorts, queen of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth re ...
(6 May 2023) Gipsy Moth IV departed Ramsgate for The Netherlands, making her first voyage away from British waters in 16 years. The last time she left was during the Blue Water Rally voyage in 2005–2007. Gipsy Moth IV's first port of call was
Scheveningen Scheveningen () is one of the eight districts of The Hague, Netherlands, as well as a subdistrict () of that city. Scheveningen is a modern seaside resort with a long, sandy beach, an esplanade, a pier, and a lighthouse. The beach is popular ...
, The Netherlands. In August 2023 Gipsy Moth IV was open to the public shortly at the National Maritime Museum (Het Scheepvaart) in Amsterdam. At the start of the final leg of the Ocean Race 2023, at the Hague, Gipsy Moth IV provided a full dress salute to the participating boats and the following day, the same to the Admiral of the Dutch navy at the Scheveningen harbour's festival, which has been held annually since 1947.


Return to 1967 sailing state

The restoration has continued on the interior of Gipsy Moth IV on the dry in Ijmuiden, The Nethrlands. The work has been done from artisans from Netherlands, Spain, South Africa and the United Kigdom who have repainted the complete interior, repaired equipment and have removed and replaced all the "Greenwich museum" floorcoverings in order to return her to the actual 1967 sailing state. Gipsy Moth IV has been relaunched during the week of 28 May, 2025.


Further reading


Books

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Further reading


References

{{reflist


External links

Gipsy Moth IV owners website: https://gipsymothiv.com/ All current information, updates and activities surrounding Gipsy Moth IV can be found on this website. Individual sailing vessels History of the Royal Borough of Greenwich