Ellen MacArthur Trust Skandia Round Britain Voyage complete

by Emma McKinney 13 Sep 2009 09:23 BST

Ellen MacArthur and her crew arrive in Cowes completing the Ellen MacArthur Trust Skandia Round Britain Voyage © onEdition

Emotional homecoming for Ellen MacArthur Trust Skandia Round Britain Voyage

132 days after having set sail from Cowes on the Isle of Wight, the Ellen MacArthur Trust Skandia Round Britain Voyage returned to their original starting point today, completing their circumnavigation of Britain and bringing to an end the experience of a lifetime for the young crew members. The first Voyage of its kind to be completed around Britain was welcomed home by a host of friends, family and supporters.

Since the Voyage began on 3rd May a total of 74 young people in recovery from cancer have sailed onboard the 48 ft yacht ‘Scarlet Oyster’ across 17 legs completing a total of 2,500 miles. Dame Ellen MacArthur was onboard with five of the young people to bring Scarlet home to Cowes.

Ellen said;

“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.“

The final leg of the Voyage left Torquay on Monday 7th September and arrived into the PSP Southampton boat show on Friday 11th September where the crew were welcomed by round the world yachtswoman Dee Caffari, and quadriplegic sailors Geoff Holt and Hilary Lister who have all completed their own round Britain Voyages. Today (12th September) Scarlet Oyster left Southampton for the final journey to Cowes, crossing the Royal Yacht Squadron line to mark the Voyage’s completion at 2.15pm.

Tom Battram (14, from Shanklin on the Isle of Wight) was onboard for the final leg and summed up what the experience has meant for him;

“The Ellen MacArthur Trust has changed my life. It’s not just about sailing, it’s about bonding with other people. I used to be very shy but now I’m quite outgoing so it’s done the world of good for me.”

Since the Voyage began;

Over 50 ports and anchorages have been visited
750 tweets and 86 blogs have been posted by the crew
Over 2,000 cups of tea have been made onboard
12,000 miles have been travelled by the shore support team
Over £18,000 has been raised through ‘Buy a mile’ which will allow an extra 36 young people in recovery from cancer to experience sailing with the Trust

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 Ellen MacArthur Trust Skandia Round Britain Voyage involved 74 young people across 17 legs, sailing the 48 foot yacht Scarlet Oyster 2,500 nautical miles around Britain on a four month voyage stopping at 17 ports around Great Britain 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 returned 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 as Scarlet Oyster sailed back into Cowes were: