Not so sure about sail setup, but we like this story so we cut and pasted it. Enjoy.
Mariquita had several lives, having been built in 1911 by Scottish architect William Fife III for Captain AK Stothert. In the 1930s, this 38-meter cutter was used as a dwelling, a cruise ship and then was abandoned for nearly 60 years. Found in a mudflat, it comes back to life thanks to Albert Obrist, emblematic Ferrari collector, who restores it in his shipyard. For 15 years, Mariquita, which means Ladybug in Spanish, has taken part in regattas in the Mediterranean and in Great Britain.
Its new owner wanted to put it in the hands of a benchmark shipyard, the Chantier du Guip, in Brest, to make some changes. Far from the clichés of owners of large yachts, Benoît Couturier wants to create a dynamic around classic yachting in Brest. This boat built for racing will be the focal point of future projects.
“I like rare and beautiful things. I am a car collector. When I saw this boat without a buyer, I was outraged and wanted to do something with it. It’s an adventure that I’m starting with Bretons because in general, classic boats are all doomed to go to the Mediterranean and I think we have to do otherwise. I bought the boat, brought it back here to build a project on the Atlantic coast.
I don’t know how to skipper a boat. I did not go on board when it arrived in Brest but I took advantage of admiring it from the sea. Seeing all these crew on board who had this enthusiasm, that makes me happy. And, when you have a boat, you have to rely on a site, to make the boat perfect. So I’m happy to be here. The Guip shipyard has the skills and expertise to help me restore the boat. Fifteen young carpenters will be able to be trained by working on Mariquita.
We buy a racing boat is to have a project, for it to live! I will surround myself with a crew to operate the boat and participate in regattas. The Fife regatta in Scotland will hopefully be our next race. Then the objective will be to do races in the harbor of Brest, the body of water is beautiful, why not sail from Brest and bring in classic yachts from Great Britain? This boat is made to share a project, create momentum and benefit this magnificent region. “
