16 July 2020 School Life, Sport, Trips

Pupil’s bid to be the youngest to sail around Britain

Today Fourth Form pupil Timothy Long sets out on his attempt to become the youngest person to sail solo around Britain, at the age of 15.

He will be leaving from Hamble Point Marina in his Hunter Impala 28, named Alchemy, and will hope to cover an average of 45 miles a day, with longer passages of up to 100 miles. The trip is expected to take at least 6-8 weeks to cover the 1,600 mile distance, but it could well be longer as the weather will, of course, be a key factor. Despite this, Timothy is hopeful that he will be back in time to start his Fifth Form at Teddies: “Everything depends on the weather, but I hope to be back in time for the start of term in September”.

Timothy has been sailing since the age of 9, but this is by far his biggest challenge yet, as the British coast presents some formidable hazards, ranging from the busiest shipping lane in the world in the Dover Straits, to huge tidal ranges of up to 15 metres in the Severn Estuary, and many other navigational obstacles on his way around.

He says: “This is by far the hardest thing that I have ever done because when you are solo sailing there is no one there to help – no support boat, nothing. This means that you have to be able to do everything ranging from navigation to looking after yourself and knowing how to fix anything that goes wrong on the boat.”

Throughout his challenge, Timothy will be fundraising for the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, a charity which supports young people aged 8-24 to rebuild their confidence after cancer through sailing and outdoor adventure trips.

“Ellen MacArthur has been an absolute inspiration to me and that is why I am raising funds for her Cancer Trust charity. What I have always loved about sailing is the freedom it brings and this charity enables young people who are a similar age to me and have been through the worst of times, to experience that feeling and boost their confidence. It’s a cause that is close to my heart, so please do support them. “

We wish Timothy the best of luck with fair winds and calm seas.

You can support the charity with a donation at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/roundbritain2020

Timothy’s progress will be tracked through updates on his Facebook page @roundbritain2020