The Route

Round The World 2023

The ROUTE

Our expedition will cover over 38,000 nautical miles, 10 countries, 6 continents and 5 oceans. In the following pages we go into the intricate details of each leg and what we expect to be doing at each stop.

At every location we visit, we will be promoting our message of positivity and hope in the face of adversity. We will also be talking with international Non-Government Organisations (NGOs), looking at government backed schemes andsailing venues/organisations across the globe to see what we can learn and share with you about their efforts.

Our expedition will commence in Cowes on the Isle of Wight, a town which despite its size is rich in maritime history (particularly ocean racing).

Cowes (IoW)

Departure

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New York

Port 1

From the UK we will travel across the Atlantic Ocean to the port of North Cove Marina in New York. This is a journey of over 3400 miles and is arguably one of the toughest legs of the whole race. Expected sea states in the Atlantic at this time of year can be rough to say the least as mid-August is the peak of the Atlantic Basin's Hurricane Season.

At North Cove Marina, we will undertake a full underwater assessment of the vessel, checking for any damage and assessing how well she has held up on the first leg. This stop is also crucial in giving us time to replenish the resources used during the voyage. Our stop at North Cove Marina follows in the footsteps of Greta Thunberg's voyage on Maliza II to the United Nations Summit.

North Cove is situated in a prime location, directly opposite the Freedom Tower and Ground 0. During our visit to New York, we will be meeting with a number of fantastic not-for-profits and charities to see what we can learn from the work they do with people living with mental health issues and cancer.

Ft Lauderdale - 'Venice of America'

Port 2

Our vessel is coated with anti foul to make it slip through the water with as little drag as possible. As we travel around the world, weed and algae build up on the hull. We will use the stops along the way as opportunities to thoroughly clean the underside of her hull. Ft. Lauderdale is located on Florida's south-eastern coast. It boasts some of the best facilities for vessel management and maintenance in the world.

Ft. Lauderdale has a rich yachting culture that stretches back to 1959, where the Ft. Lauderdale International Yacht Show has been held year on year ever since.

The show generates an estimated $503 million dollars each year in direct sales alone. This yachtie safe haven will look after us for our short time there and ensure that we are ready for the rest of the legs in our incredible expedition. We will be releasing our planned itinerary for this stop later in the year.

St Lucia 'Helen of the West Indies'

Port 3

After undertaking any maintenance in Ft. Lauderdale and taking on necessary items and supplies, we set sail for the home of the Pitons, the picturesque UNESCO world heritage site on the island of St. Lucia. A significant amount of St. Lucia’s GDP comes from tourists visiting the volcanic island, famous for its iguanas, tropical climate and pristine waters.

St. Lucia is an important stop for us as it is part of the Commonwealth Marine Economic Program. This is a UK government funded scheme that supports

sustainable growth of marine economies, creates jobs, reduces poverty, and protects the island from the forces of mother nature.

St. Lucia is also a part of the Caribbean Challenge initiative to protect 20% of

the coastal waters by the end of 2020. Whilst moored in the port of Marigot Bay Resort & Marina, we will discuss with local government representatives, conservationists and locals to assess the impact of these schemes and the work that needs to be done to protect ecosystems and islands such as St. Lucia from our ever-evolving world. At this time of year we expect the conditions to be perfect for sailing and this will be a wonderful time to enjoy sailing the boat in warmer climates.

Falkland Islands

Port 4

After our visit to St. Lucia, we will embark on our journey down the eastern side of South America, through the Doldrums to the Falkland Islands. This overseas UK territory is approximately 300 miles off the east coast of South America and home to 3,480 Falkland islanders. The Falkland Islands are subjected to the Roaring Forties; infamously strong west to east air currents that form the climate and geography of the Falklands. This will make for challenging sailing conditions and very rough sea swells. We believe it is very important to visit the Falklands as they are an important member of the 14 British Overseas Territories (BOTs) and are a location that has never officially been visited by any of the major ocean races, other than to make emergency repairs.

Traditionally, races such as the Volvo Ocean Race, now called The Ocean

Race, have stopped off in Itajai, Brazil. However, we would like to do things a little differently. During our visit to the Falkland Islands, we will be meeting with health care workers to discuss the clinical challenges faced

when treating mental health issues in remote communities and Populations. We will also be speaking with islanders to gain an insight on how the island supports itself and how it runs on a day-to-day basis, giving

our fellow Britons a greater understanding of our far away fellow citizens.

The island is a safe haven for a wide range of bird species such as penguins, so we should get some great wildlife snaps during our visit.

Aukland - 'The City of Sails'

port 5

Following our visit to the Falklands, we will travel around the infamous Cape Horn to Auckland, New Zealand. An important fact that Tom would like to mention is that New Zealand actually has more sheep than Wales. Aside from sheep, Auckland is known as the ‘City of Sails'. The picture-perfect waters and the perfect sailing conditions in Waitemata and Manukau Harbours make Auckland the go-to place for sailing folk from all over the globe.

Focusing on the sailing, this will have been one of the most challenging legs in terms of sea conditions and length. This 5,224-mile journey from the Falklands will push our vessel and the crew to the very limits of their endurance and is a key one for our worldwide viewers to watch.

This Auckland stop is vital for replenishments and another detailed assessment of the condition of the vessel. It provides us with the opportunity for provisioning and repair as well as haul the boat out of the water for general hull cleaning and any maintenance required. Shore itinerary for this stop will be unveiled later in the year.

Singapore

Port 6

In order to reach our goal of travelling over 38,000 nautical miles around the world, we will be heading North-West to Singapore. Our port is yet to be decided but we are sure wherever it is will welcome us with a warm reception.

Over the past 25 years, sailing in Singapore has grown rapidly. Their commission of their National Sailing Centre after their numerous successes in the Asian games in 1994 and 1998 meant that sailing is now much more accessible to Singaporeans. Singapore Sailing and the National Sports Association have a clear vision for sailing in Singapore in the future and one of their goals is to ‘discover the possibilities through social impact programs’.

This is of great interest to us, as on our return we wish to offer similar programs that will have a beneficial impact on so many of our communities. We hope to meet with representatives from Singapore Sailing to discuss the benefits of giving young people and adults access to sailing and to discuss the results they have seen.

Melbourne - Australia

Port 7

Following our replenishment stop, we will be traveling back down to Australia, the home of koalas, Bondi Beach and Fosters. Our stop in Melbourne gives us with the opportunity to provision the boat before our journey across the Indian Ocean to Cape Town. aside from the necessity of provisioning, Melbourne is home to Australia's largest bay, Port Phillip, which has become a hotspot for sailing.

Melbourne is also famous for being one of two ports in Australia that the SS Great Britain sailed to from Liverpool over 160 years ago. It is estimated that nearly 500,000 people can trace their roots back to these 19th century travellers.

Aside from the historical connections and fantastic sailing conditions, we are connecting with some fantastic charities in Melbourne and we are really excited to share them with you next month. We will also be visiting the Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron to speak to them about the sailing training they provide and the impact it has on young people's confidence and life skills.

Cape Town - 'The Mother City'

Port 8

After our visit to the land down under, we will sail west, straight across the southern Indian Ocean which is dominated by the trade winds. We will be sailing against the Arctic Circumpolar, which flows west to east and protects the Arctic ice sheet from the warmer ocean waters. This means we will be sailing against the general flow of the Arctic Circumpolar the further south we go.

Once we reach port in Cape Town, we will haul the vessel out of the water for its final clean and maintenance opportunity before our voyage up the entire western side of Africa through the Doldrums once again to Gibraltar. During our time in Cape Town,we will be speaking to the team at the Halo Project. This organisation works in many countries across the

globe, and provides support to victims of domestic violence and the agencies that support them.

The Halo project is currently working in South Africa, where incidents of domestic violence are among the highest in the world. We will also be investigating why South Africa is becoming such a hot spot for sailing in general, as well as major events such as the Clipper Round the World Race and regattas. Finally, certain lucky/unlucky members of the crew (depending on how you look at it), will be cage diving with great white sharks off the coast of South Africa.

Gibraltar - 'The Rock'

Port 9 - The Final Port

After our sail up the western side of Africa, passing Cape Verde, we will arrive in Gibraltar. Gibraltar is another member of the British Overseas Territory (BOTs), which is located on the southern tip of Spain. Inhabited by over 33,000 people, Gibraltar is most famous for the ‘Rock of Gibraltar’, the main public road that crosses its runway, Winston Churchill Boulevard, and the island's strong link to the Royal Marines.

This is the penultimate stop on our incredible expedition and will allow us to provision after the 5000 nautical mile journey from Cape Town. This brief stop will also give us an opportunity to meet with representatives from all of our partner charities who helped us to find our amazing crew. This is a chance for them to showcase to the world what they do and to show their support for the establishment of a sailing and water sports centre on the Isle of Wight.

ROUND THE WORLD

2023-24

10 Crew, 10 Ports, 10 Extraordinary Stories

Beacon of Hope Sailing Project C.I.C

REG No. 13110985

D.U.N.S No. 227576849

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E-Mail: enquiries@beaconofhopesailing.com

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E-Mail: Press@beaconofhopesailing.com

D.U.N.S No. 227576849