One of the country’s most famous and important boats was thrown a lifeline today.

Gipsy Moth IV took Sir Francis Chichester around the world and earned him a knighthood. Since then she has been slowly rotting away in a dry dock in Greenwich.

After months of campaigning, Yachting Monthly can announce that they have secured the backing of her guardians, The Maritime Trust, to set her on a course that we hope will see her sail around the world once more.

The United Kingdom Sailing Academy has agreed to manage the restoration and consequent upkeep of Gipsy Moth and today she was craned out of her concrete tomb.

She will now be taken to Camper and Nicholsons, the yard that built her, for a thorough survey.

Donations are now being sought to allow GM IV to introduce Chichester’s achievements to a new generation of would-be adventurers.

Read all about Gipsy Moth IV’s bright new future in the January issue of Yachting Monthly