Operation Drake Operation Drake Operation Drake (1978–1980) was a round-the-world voyage with the participation of young people from many countries. The voyage was centred on the brigantine Eye of the Wind. She left Plymouth in October 1978 and returned to London two years later, in December 1980. Named after Sir Francis Drake, who had circumnavigated the world four hundred years before on the Golden Hind. Operation Drake was divided up onto 9 ocean and 1 land based phases, each lasting about 3 months. On each phase, a number of Young Explorers, youngsters aged between seventeen and twenty-four, who were selected from countries
Francis Drake the coast of Peru, Drake visited Mocha Island, where he was seriously injured by hostile Mapuche. Later he sacked the port of Valparaíso further north in Chile, where he also captured a ship full of Chilean wine. Near Lima, Drake captured a Spanish ship laden with 25,000 pesos of Peruvian gold, amounting in value to 37,000 ducats of Spanish money (about £7m by modern standards). Drake also discovered news of another ship, "Nuestra Señora de la Concepción", which was sailing west towards Manila. It would come to be called the "Cacafuego". Drake gave chase and eventually captured the treasure ship,