Emotional homecoming to end the Ellen MacArthur Trust Skandia Round Britain voyage
On Saturday, almost four and a half months after the Ellen MacArthur Trust Skandia Round Britain voyage of discovery set off from Cowes, Scarlet Oyster and her crew returned to UKSA to an emotional and fantastic welcome from many of the young people who have participated in this inspirational and incredible journey, their families, friends and supporters of the Trust.
This special day began in Southampton, where almost 300 people arrived from all over the country to help escort Scarlet across the Solent. Red Funnel generously donated a Red Jet for the occasion where all on board were allowed outside on deck to wave and cheer the crew as they followed Scarlet on her final leg home. Solent RIB Charter also generously provided a fleet of their RIB’s for the event and were joined by several other crafts belonging to friends of the Trust to make this a truly spectacular occasion.
Scarlet Oyster had spent the previous day at the PSP Southampton Boat Show and left her mooring there surrounded by the sound of cheers and foghorns. On board Scarlet, as well as the crew of Abi, Barnaby, Claire, Rhiannon, Tom and of course Skipper Cath Vise, and Mate Karen Fraser who had been onboard since Torquay, was our Patron Dame Ellen MacArthur, EMT Ambassador Dan Monk, and Ross and Jason Applebey, the sons of Gordon Applebey who had helped conceive the idea of the voyage and donated the boat for this before he sadly passed away in Feb 08.
Since the voyage began on 3 May a total of 74 young people in recovery from cancer have sailed onboard the 48ft yacht ‘Scarlet Oyster’ across 17 legs, completing a total of 2,500 miles. Scarlet has visited over 50 ports and anchorages on the way, 750 tweets and 86 blogs have been posted by the various crews, over 2,000 cups of tea have been made in the galley, 12,000 miles have been traveled by the shore-team, and over £18,000 has been raised through ‘Buy a Mile’, which will allow an extra 36 young people to experience sailing with the Trust in the future.
The sun didn’t stop shining as Scarlet made her way up the river and across the Solent, to cross the finish line at the Royal Yacht Squadron and officially end this unbelievable voyage at 14:15 on Saturday, 132 days after it began. The boat then sailed to UKSA, with Ellen lighting two flares, standing on the bow surrounded by the crew and recreating the iconic image from her record-breaking round the world journey.
Once moored at UKSA, the party began, with emotional speeches from all involved and a big group photo of all the young people who made this voyage such fun from start to finish.
Ellen had this to say when she arrived back: “The voyage has been everything we ever dreamt of. It was always about what the young people would get out of it and it’s been a great experience for everyone without exception. To be part of the team to make it happen has been an absolute joy and everyone at the Ellen MacArthur Trust has felt privileged to be part of it and above all to spend time with these inspirational young people.“
Please click here to watch a video, which gives a short snapshot of the experiences had by all on this epic journey Round Britain.
The Trust would like to thank all the young people and their families who came down to make this such a magical day for everyone, and also say a big thanks to Skipper Cath, Mate Karen and Voyage Coordinator Simon for ensuring everyone who boarded Scarlet was safe and happy throughout their trip, and had everything they needed.
Frank Fletcher, Chief Executive of the Ellen MacArthur Trust said: “The only word to describe the Voyage is’ incredible’. It has long been an ambition of the Trust to complete this project and we couldn’t have done so without the support of our Voyage partners, Skandia, BT and the Energy Saving Trust. To have raised enough to allow another 36 young people to go sailing with the Trust is phenomenal and a huge thank you must go to everyone who has supported us along the way. ”
The voyage wouldn’t have been possible without the help and support of so many individuals and groups that it would be impossible to list them all here right now, but suffice to say everyone here would like to thank Skandia, BT and the Energy Saving Trust again for everything they have done, UKSA, SYS, Volvo, Crusader Sails, Musto and Geovoile, as well as the countless marina and harbour staff around the country, supporters who have helped with onshore events on the way, everyone who came to the boat to say hi, bring cakes, or help out and all those who have supported our ‘Buy a Mile.
You can still donate to the Trust and support our work in the future by clicking the “buy a Mile’ button above, or buy a ticket to Ellen’s last talk which will be at Gurnard Pines Leisure Centre, Cowes, IOW tomorrow (Tuesday 15 September at 18:30-19:30).
