The Gipsy Moth IV, which was in dry dock in Greenwich for over three decades, has been put up for sale.
The famous yacht was single handedly sailed around the world by Francis Chichester in 1967, setting a new record for the fastest voyage around the world in a small vessel.
Such was the public interest in Chichester and the Gypsy Moth IV, they were greeted by a crowd of a quarter of a million people in Portsmouth as they returned from the voyage in 1967.
Later that year, the yachtsman became Sir Francis Chichester in a public knighting ceremony held by the Queen in the grounds of the then Royal Naval College. The Gipsy Moth IV – built in Gosport especially for the voyage – was put into dry dock in Greenwich in 1972 following his death.
The Gipsy Moth IV became a tourist attraction in Greenwich, placed next to the Cutty Sark (this photo was taken in 1970) for over 30 years. Unfortunately she fell into a state of disrepair and in 2005, a campaign launched by Yachting Monthly resulted in a £300,000 restoration which saw her refurbished and returned to the high seas under the ownership of the UK Sailing Academy.
The yacht has now been put .
I was never sorry to see it go. Especially once the original event was just a memory and so many more had also sailed around. Except of course we were left with an empty hole for ages afterwards before aything was done to fill it in – just like the long delay between knocking down the old pier buildings until the recent start at replacing them.
You will have correctly assumed that I did not donate to the rescue fund but does your article imply that those who did have simply contributed to the Sailing Academy’s £25000 sale receipts?