The Invictus Games flag has been raised at Hull Marina as part of the Full Circle Expedition. Two traditionally rigged tall ships on the expedition arrived in Hull early on Tuesday evening.
The crew, coordinated by veteran sailing charity Turn to Starboard and delivered in partnership with Invictus Games Birmingham 2027, are transporting the Invictus Games Flag to 22 ports, engaging veterans and celebrating one-year-to-go to the games.
The expedition is crewed by a rotating team of 70 wounded, injured and sick (WIS) veterans who are sailing 2000-mile around the UK and today saw them meet local veterans and the local Armed Forces community along with the Lord Mayor Councillor Cheryl Payne who raised the flag on Hull Marina.
The Invictus Flag was handed over to the city and raised to honour the crew, local veterans and all of those competing at the Invictus Games. Captain Stu O’Hagan from 150 Regiment RLC, Middleton Barracks, Hull said: “The arrival of Full Circle has been brilliant, we have been onboard the vessels and the crew are are absolutely amazing, they are all veterans – disabled and able-bodied veterans.
“They are visiting different ports all over the UK and it’s inspiring what they all do and how they are all working together and we are really proud that they have come to Hull and picked Hull as one of the locations. Today we have Armed Forces Agencies and Charities come together to celebrate the flag raising ceremony, being a local army reserve unit we are really proud to be part of it.”
Veteran and crew member Martin Simmons from Plymouth, said, “It’s good to be here, I joined the crew in Chatham and since then we have been sailing up the East Coast. When I first joined none of us knew each other. It’s for ex-servicemen to come and see us, it’s been good to talk about our experiences together as well as enjoying a laugh”.
Crew member John Schmidt from Chesterfield, shared why he joined the Full Circle expedition. He said: “I’m here because my wife identified that I had been down over the last couple of months, I had been turning jobs down and she got hold of Turn to Starboard on my behalf.
“I was fishing one day and Paul, one of the directors at Turn to Starboard contacted me and said I was on the trip, so that cheered the day up. It’s brilliant, it’s where I am on the water, I’ve done quite a bit of sailing before. This crew is the best crew I could sail with, it’s therapy. I have some friends here and hoping to catch up with them as well as keep with the crew and be an ambassador for this trip.”
They are opening the boats tomorrow, Thursday April 16 between 2pm and 4pm. Members of the public are invited onto the two tall ships and to meet the crew.
The Full Circle Expedition will then depart Hull early Friday morning.