The boat on this iconic Greenwich pub’s sign probably gives the game away here – the Gipsy Moth is named after a yacht of the same name.

The Gipsy Moth IV was sailed single-handedly around the globe by Sir Francis Chichester, then aged in his 60s, in 1966-67, who broke numerous records as he did so including the fastest voyage around the world by any small vessel, the longest non-stop passage by a small vessel and what was then the longest single-handed passage.

Following the death of Sir Francis on 26th August, 1972 (he had been knighted by Queen Elizabeth II on the steps of the Old Royal Naval College using the same sword that had knighted Sir Francis Drake in the presence of Queen Elizabeth I in 1581), the boat was put on display in a Greenwich dry dock next to the Cutty Sark. Initially open to the public, it was later closed due to deterioration.

Following a restoration in the early Noughties, in 2006 the Gipsy Moth IV was again sailed around the world (on a trip that wasn’t always smooth sailing) to mark the 40th anniversary of Sir Francis’ journey. It is now owned by a charitable trust based in Cowes on the Isle of Wight.

The renovated pub, located at 60 Greenwich Church Street next to the Cutty Sark, is situated in a building which dates from the late 18th century. It apparently changed its name from the Wheatsheaf in the mid-1970s apparently to mark the arrival of the Gipsy Moth IV.

The pub features a beer garden with views of the Cutty Sark. For more information, see www.thegipsymothgreenwich.co.uk.