It is really quite special getting the opportunity to be part of something that is making a difference and making history in the process. I have just spent 14 days sailing from Plymouth to Gibraltar.

The purpose of the Gipsy Moth IV project was not only to restore an iconic yacht to her former glory but also to provide young adults from tough realities throughout the UK with the chance of a lifetime. Gipsy Moth IV is circumnavigating the world again, this time via the trade winds route, stopping at 25 countries and taking 22 months to complete the voyage covering over 30,000 miles in the process.

When you’re at sea for 5 days at atime and don’t get to see another soul, it really does give you a true sense of isolation. The biggest thing that kept me strong was something I learned from a 13 year old girl from Tain Royal Academy who was up on an Ambassadors’ Leadership Academy - “There are no limits”, she said, “you are being stretched all the time”. To be honest, this is what kept me strong.

My hope now is that our Columban graduates are able to get what is quite simply, ‘the opportunity of a life time’.

Elaine Caldwell
Columban Graduate and member of the Columba 1400 Programme Team