Gipsy Moth IV off the Isle of Wight

This is the yacht in which Sir Francis Chichester made his historic circumnavigation of the world in 1967. I never forgot the images I had seen as a child of this yacht rounding a stormy Cape Horn.

So when the opportunity presented itself to sail the Rio to Wellington leg of the BT Global Challenge in 1996 I jumped at the chance. For years Gipsy Moth was sitting on a hard standing in Greenwich next to the Cutty Sark. Now it has been restored and I am joining the board of trustees. It's not the prettiest yacht, it's not the easiest to sail, but it is the yacht that paved the way for all the single-handed round the world sailing that we have today.

Here she's joining other classic yachts in the Panerai Classic Yachts week.