Hero’s welcome for The Ellen MacArthur Trust at PSP Southampton Boat Show
The Ellen MacArthur Trust Skandia Round Britain Voyage of Discovery arrived into the PSP Southampton Boat Show to a hero’s welcome from some of Britain’s top record breaking sailors.
Waiting to catch Scarlet Oyster’s lines were three sailors who all hold sailing around Britain close to their heart: round the world yachtswoman Dee Caffari, and quadriplegic sailors Geoff Holt and Hilary Lister were all on the dock to welcome the Voyage to Southampton on the final leg of their inspirational journey around Britain. As Scarlet Oyster arrived Dame Ellen MacArthur was onboard with five of the 74 young people who have taken part in the Voyage.
Dee Caffari broke the record for sailing round Britain and Ireland with her all female crew in June in just six days, 11 hours, 30 minutes and 53 seconds. Also there to greet the young sailors was Geoff Holt, who in 2007 became the first disabled person in history to sail solo around Britain circumnavigating the country in 109 days.
Quadriplegic Hilary Lister finished her own Round Britain challenge on 31 August to become the first disabled woman to sail round Britain. Hilary sailed clockwise around Britain, the opposite way to the Ellen MacArthur Trust Skandia Round Britain Voyage. Starting from Dover on 21st May, it took Hilary 102 days and she passed Scarlet Oyster on the Caledonian Canal near Fort William in July when she took time out from her Voyage to have tea with the Ellen MacArthur Trust crew.
Onboard with Ellen were five young people in recovery from cancer who had made the journey from Torquay on the final leg of the Voyage. Ellen of course became the youngest person to sail solo around Britain in 2001 at just 18 years old in her 21ft yacht ‘Iduna’.
Ellen said;
“Everywhere we have visited on our Round Britain Voyage has given us a fantastic welcome and Southampton has been no exception. For the young people to hand Scarlet’s lines to such admired and awe-inspiring sailors as Dee, Geoff and Hilary was really special and adds yet another unforgettable moment on this amazing journey. The finish is in sight now and I’m so looking forward to crossing the line tomorrow and completing what has been a long held ambition for the Trust.”
Tomorrow (Saturday 12 September) Scarlet Oyster will complete her circumnavigation of Britain when she returns to Cowes and in doing so will join an esteemed list of record breaking round Britain Voyages.
During the Ellen MacArthur Trust Skandia Round Britain Voyage of Discovery 74 young people in recovery from cancer across 17 legs, have sailed the 48 foot yacht Scarlet Oyster over 2000 nautical miles around Britain on a four month voyage stopping at 17 major ports including; Brighton, Dover, London, Ipswich, Hull, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Inverness, Glasgow, Belfast, Douglas, Liverpool, Cardiff, Torquay, Southampton and Cowes. Throughout the voyage the young people have been returning to the paediatric oncology wards of the hospitals they were treated in to talk to those currently undergoing treatment for cancer about their experience.
Onboard Scarlet Oyster were:
• Dame Ellen MacArthur
• Tom Battram (14, from Shanklin, Isle of Wight)
• Abi Nickless (16, from Alresford, Hampshire)
• Rhiannon Bull (16, from Gainsborough, Lincs)
• Claire Amaladoss (16, from Bognor Regis)
• Barnaby Daines (17, from Great Yeldham, Essex)
• Dan Monk, Ellen MacArthur Trust Ambassador (23, from Basildon, Essex)
