GMIV Isle of Wight crew - Matthew Pakes

Name: Matthew Pakes
Age: 17
Studying: Medina High School, going to University
Voyage: Plymouth to Gibraltar
Highlights: Gaining more confidence

“It was an awesome experience that has given me so much more confidence; I found myself holding interviews with press, something I never dreamed I’d be doing. Also just the chance of sailing on the open sea, watching the dolphins play with the bow of the yacht and seeing glowing phosphorous was amazing."

“I want to be an airline pilot and this experience has given me so much more self-assurance and made me realise that you have to grab opportunities as they arise. I now know that I can and will put in so much effort to achieve my ambition."

Matthew was lucky to have the fantastic opportunity of crewing Gipsy Moth on the first leg from Plymouth to Gibraltar, which created a huge amount of media attention and publicity.