Gipsy Moth IV Parading Down Thames for Royal Thames Yacht Club 250th Anniversary

Forty vessels ranging from classic yachts to modern foilers, including Gipsy Moth IV, will be travelling down the River Thames to mark Royal Thames Yacht Club's 250th Anniversary.

On Saturday, 28 June, 40 boats will participate in a ceremonial pageant from Greenwich Pier to HMS President in London to mark the 250th anniversary of the Royal Thames Yacht Club. Among the yachts is the Gipsy Moth IV, which Sir Francis Chichester used to set a record for the circumnavigation of the globe in a small boat on 28 May, 1967, after 226 days at sea.

On the 6-mile procession, a diverse group of boats will pass London landmarks, including Canary Wharf, Wapping Police Pier, and King Edward Memorial Park. The yachts will take a salute from the Royal Navy’s HMS President. As part of the ceremony, Tower Bridge will lift, allowing six vessels to pass and parade through the Upper Pool to London Bridge before rejoining the other boats at St Katharine Docks.

To symbolise the Royal Thames’ history, the flotilla will range from classic yachts to modern racing boats. Among the fleet, there will be two Dunkirk Little Ships, Naiad Errant and Tahilla, which evacuated troops from Dunkirk during World War II. The black-hulled TP52 racing yacht Gladiator will attend, as will Sir Francis Chichester’s 53ft ketch, Gipsy Moth IV.

Royal Thames Yacht Club’s 250th Anniversary parade timings:

• • • 14:15: Departure from Greenwich Pier (Assembly Area)West India Dock
    • 14:41: Passing Masthouse Terrace Pier
    • 14:57: Passing Canary Wharf Pier
    • 15:07: Passing King Edward Memorial Park
    • 15:15: Passing Wapping Police Pier
    • 15:20: Salute and Tower Bridge Opening, six boats process, remaining pageant enter St. Katharine Docks
    • 15:50: Tower Bridge Reopens
    • 16:35: Lock gates close
    • 17:00: Pontoon Party starts

Article continues below…

Gipsy Moth IV‘s journey to the flotilla

Gipsy Moth IV rose to fame for carrying Sir Francis Chichester around the world in 1967, with only one stop in Sydney, Australia, and by rounding the three Great Capes – Good Hope, Leeuwin and Horn.

Chichester arrived back to a 250,000-strong crowd in Plymouth Hoe jostling for a view. The record-breaking circumnavigation earned Chichester national hero status, inspiring generations to start sailing adventures. His legacy includes sparking solo round-the-world yachting and the Golden Globe Race.

Over time, Gipsy Moth IV came under the care of the Gipsy Moth Trust, which was forced to sell the boat due to struggles during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Netherlands-based sailing enthusiast and entrepreneur Simon Oberholzer bought her in 2022. The inner cockpit parts, which were reconstructed in 2005, were rotten, and her engine and mounts needed overhauling. Oberholzer spent the last few years carefully restoring her to the exact condition and arrangement it was when Sir Francis Chichester sailed her around the world.

‘The opportunity to own a piece of history like Gipsy Moth IV was too good to miss, especially since Chichester’s voyage and achievements had influenced my early life in this way,’ explains Oberholzer.

‘Aside from being a great navigator, the value of Chichester is that he always continued; he never stopped. Nowadays, with technology, we look at the destination and not the voyage; we don’t realise what it takes to get there.

‘Throughout his life, Chichester pushed the limits; even at 65 after having cancer, he did something that had never been done before. He was not copycatting anyone else; he sailed around the world because he thought it could be done.’

Oberholzer’s restoration involved reinstating Chichester’s famous gimballed chair, fully reinstalling the windwave self-steering system, and painstakingly repairing wooden hull and deck structures. The result is that the Gipsy Moth IV, attending the 250th anniversary parade, is both historically accurate and seaworthy for future adventures.

Oberholzer plans to make her available for viewing and VIP access at events around the UK and Europe, including the Royal Thames Yacht Club 250th anniversary parade and Sail Amsterdam festival in the Netherlands.

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