News
05/01/2007
Scout embarks on journey of a lifetime
An Explorer Scout has set sail on the Gipsy Moth’s historic circumnavigation of the globe.
Shannon McWilliam was chosen from hundreds of other Scouts to board the Gipsy Moth IV on the Phuket, Thailand to Galle, Sri Lanka leg of the journey.
Before he left the UK, Shannon said, ‘This trip will enable me to see things I have never dreamed of seeing before and experience places of fantasy.’
The Gipsy Moth launched in September 2005 and is following the same sea-faring route as Sir Francis Chicester round the globe. Sir Francis became the fastest person to sail single handed round the globe in 1966 in the same boat. However, the aim is not to break any records but to offer young people the opportunity to experience the same challenge and adventure that Chichester enjoyed.
The trip will be completed in 32 legs over 22 months, with three young people plus two 'senior' crew on each leg. Shannon is testing his sea-faring skills from 2-19 January and marks this date as particularly significant. ‘Being on the Gipsy Moth IV over the first week of 2007 holds a special significance because it’s the Centenary of Scouting’, he says.
Shannon is keeping a blog of his journey.
Follow the ship’s progress on the Gipsy Moth's official website
