Operation Drake (1978–1980) was a round-the-world voyage with the participation of young people from many countries, sailing in the
brigantine
A brigantine is a two-masted sailing vessel with a fully square-rigged foremast and at least two sails on the main mast: a square topsail and a gaff sail mainsail (behind the mast). The main mast is the second and taller of the two masts.
Older ...
Eye of the Wind
''Eye of the Wind'' is a brigantine built in 1911 at the C. H. Lühring shipyard in Brake, Lower Saxony, Brake, Germany, originally as a topsail schooner named ''Friedrich''.
History
''Friedrich'' was initially used as a schooner for the South ...
. She left Plymouth in October 1978 and returned to London two years later, in December 1980.
Named after
Sir Francis Drake
Sir Francis Drake ( – 28 January 1596) was an English explorer, sea captain, privateer, slave trader, naval officer, and politician. Drake is best known for his circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition, from 1577 to 1580 (t ...
, who had
circumnavigated
Circumnavigation is the complete navigation around an entire island, continent, or astronomical body (e.g. a planet or moon). This article focuses on the circumnavigation of Earth.
The first recorded circumnavigation of the Earth was the Magel ...
the world four hundred years before on
the Golden Hind, Operation Drake was divided into nine ocean- and one land-based phases, each lasting about 3 months. On each phase, a number of Young Explorers aged between seventeen and twenty-four, selected from countries all over the world, worked together on serious scientific exploration, research and community projects.
The expedition was mounted by the Scientific Exploration Society, and the expedition leader was
Colonel John Blashford-Snell.
Charles, Prince of Wales
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...
was the Patron of Operation Drake.
Amongst the works produced on the voyage were series of specimens, including bats obtained in New Guinea, that were deposited and examined at the
British Museum of Natural History
The Natural History Museum in London is a museum that exhibits a vast range of specimens from various segments of natural history. It is one of three major museums on Exhibition Road in South Kensington, the others being the Science Museum an ...
.
Books
*
*"In the Eye of the Wind", by Roger Chapman (Hamish Hamilton, London 1982, )
* )
See also
*
Raleigh International
Raleigh International is a youth expedition organisation based in the UK. On 19 May 2022 Raleigh International Trust ceased operations and entered Creditors' Voluntary Liquidation. The Raleigh International brand was bought by Impact Travel Group ...
Further reading
*
References
{{Reflist
External links
Eye of the Wind - Present ownersEye of the Wind - 1973-2001Pictures of "Eye of the Wind"Operation Drake Pictures - April to December 1980 (Borkur Arnvidarson)
Sail training
Replications of ancient voyages
Circumnavigations
Scientific expeditions