When asked what the lowest point had been on his record-breaking round-the-world voyage, Francis Chichester, newly arrived at Plymouth, England, supposedly responded, “When the gin ran out.”
Chichester’s boat, Gipsy Moth IV, which is undergoing a complete renovation this year for a planned circumnavigation to coincide with the 40th anniversary of his voyage, just received a boost from a fitting sponsor. Plymouth Gin has pledged fundraising support to the project. The company has also pointed out that the vessel was purchased by the U.K. Sailing Academy from its previous owners, the Maritime Trust, for 1 pound
sterling and a gin and tonic.