Profiles

A total of 85 young people will sail the 48-foot Scarlet Oyster 2,000 nautical miles around Britain on the Ellen MacArthur Trust's unique four month voyage.

Ellen MacArthur at the start of the voyage.

Scarlet Oyster left Cowes on 3 May - heading eastwards, stopping at 17 ports around England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man. Main stopovers will be in Dover, London, Ipswich, Hull, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Inverness, Glasgow, Belfast, Douglas, Liverpool, Cardiff and Torquay. 

At each stop, the young crew members will return to the paediatric oncology wards of the hospitals they were treated in and relay their experiences and recovery path to those currently undergoing treatment for cancer.

Trust patrons Dame Ellen MacArthur and Shirley Robertson are taking part in three legs of the voyage.  For Ellen it's a throwback to her first round-Britain adventure 14 years ago:

"I have so many fond memories of my first trip sailing around Britain in Iduna in 1995 and this time round I'm delighted that we can give so many young people recovering from cancer and leukaemia the opportunity to experience it."

She will also be giving talks at many of the stops on the voyage.

Harriet Wills

Crew

Fifteen-year-old Harriet Wills from Southampton is part of the crew on the first leg from Cowes to Brighton.

Harriet, whose ambition is to become an oncologist, has previously sailed with the Trust during her recovery from leukaemia and is excited about the prospect of sailing with one of her heroes:

"I'm really looking forward to being back on the water and meeting new people. And best of all I get to sail with my hero Ellen MacArthur!"

As well as the experience of sailing with Ellen MacArthur, the young people will be able to learn the sailing essentials from the professional crew onboard. 

Cath said: "I'm delighted to have been selected for this once in a lifetime voyage. Sailing around Britain is something I have always wanted to do, but to be able to do it as part of such a worthwhile project is fantastic. I can't wait for the adventure to begin!"

Mate, Karen Fraser is also a qualified Yachtmaster and has over 30,000 nautical miles experience including participation in the 2004 Challenge Business Round Britain and Ireland Race.

Trust

Launched by Ellen MacArthur in 2003, The Trust takes young people aged between 8-18 sailing to help them regain their confidence, on their way to recovery from cancer, leukaemia and other serious illness.

The Ellen MacArthur Trust makes sailing accessible to children who, because of their illness would not otherwise been given the opportunity.

In 2009 the Trust is running 25 summer trips and has two boats taking part in the JPMorgan Round the Island Race.