Ellen MacArthur's Sailing Challenge

4 months ago 25th Jun 10:52

The Ellen MacArthur Trust Skandia Round Britain Voyage set sail from Cowes on the Isle of Wight last month on a four month long ‘Voyage of Discovery’. Hundreds of people and small craft came to Cowes to see the young crew set off.

On-board for leg one of the voyage was Trust patron Dame Ellen MacArthur and five young people, all who have sailed with the Trust before and are in recovery from cancer and leukaemia.

Ellen was just 19 herself when she first sailed solo around Britain on the her 21ft sailing boat Iduna and will be sailing on a number of legs of the Voyage; "I’m absolutely over the moon to be off and to be sharing this moment with the five young people - Harriet, Joseph, Jack, Rachel and Chloë - who will be sailing on the first leg of this trip.

"At the end of the day, their enjoyment is the most important element and it is lovely that that has now begun. The work and generosity that has gone into The Ellen MacArthur Trust Skandia Voyage of Discovery project is second to none, the team at the Trust have been tireless in their preparation and a big thanks to everyone who has helped to get us to the start line."

The Ellen MacArthur Trust Skandia Round Britain Voyage involves 85 young people across 17 legs, sailing the 48 foot yacht Scarlet Oyster the 2000 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 and Southampton finishing in Cowes on 13 September. As with all of the Trust’s activities, it will focus on rebuilding their confidence and most importantly, having fun.

Throughout the voyage the young people will be 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 and show that there is a lot to look forward to.

Launched by Ellen MacArthur in 2003, The Trust takes young people aged between 8-18 sailing to help them regain their confidence, on their way to recovery from cancer, leukaemia and other serious illness.

The Ellen MacArthur Trust makes sailing accessible to children who, because of their illness would not otherwise been given the opportunity. Currently the Trust deals with most of the young person’s primary cancer care units in the UK and is aiming to work with all of them by 2010.