Ellen MacArthur Trust first longer cruising week a success

By Nicky Moore on 9 Aug 20101-6 August 2010

Youngsters from all over the country joined the Ellen MacArthur Trust for their first ever longer cruising week, which set off from Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight on Sunday 1st August, and finished on Friday 6th. This is a huge achievement for the young people, who have all previously sailed with The Trust whilst in recovery from cancer or other serious illness.

This is the first time the Trust has run a longer cruising week as part of their “Return to Sail” programme, which saw the youngsters aged between 12 and 19, spend six days onboard the boats.

The group set off with the intention of sailing wherever the weather, time and tides would allow. They started in Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight, before heading to Weymouth, the venue for the 2012 Olympic sailing, where they were treated to a fireworks show in the evening. The next day they headed to Brixham, beating into the wind the whole way meaning a bumpy ride for the crew. They were rewarded for their efforts with a Barbeque on the beach, before finally heading to Poole, and back to Yarmouth.

James Kemp (17) from Kent, was one of the youngsters on the trip this week. James was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma on New Year’s Day 2006, and was treated at the Royal Marsden. This is the third trip that James joined the Ellen MacArthur Trust for. “I was really looking forward to sailing with The Trust again, as every time I do it boosts my confidence. I get to meet new friends and it The Trust have given me experiences which I could only have dreamt of before.” In 2010, James say’s the thing he would like to achieve the most is to become a more experienced sailor.

The Ellen MacArthur Trust was set up by Ellen MacArthur in 2003 and aims to inspire young people’s cancer recovery through sailing. The trips provide a unique experience for the young people, where they get the chance to test themselves in a safe and supportive environment on their way to recovery from cancer and leukaemia.

On the new trip, Ellen MacArthur said, “In 2009 the Trust ran the Round Britain Voyage which was a big success. Following on from that we have decided to run this longer cruising week for the first time, and I am really excited that The Trust is embarking on this new chapter. It is great to be able to welcome the young people back in this way and to see how they have moved on since treatment.”

There are many ways you can support The Trust with your time, money or services. To become a friend of The Trust and help them to continue to provide support and encouragement to young people in recovery from cancer visit www.ellenmacarthurtrust.org