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William Fife & Sons Yachts III for sale in Cowes, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom

LOCATION

Cowes, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom

YEAR

1911

LENGTH

125.0 ft.

DETAILS

Condition

Used

Year

1911

Make & Model

William Fife & Sons Yachts III

Boat type

Sail

Length

125.0 ft.

Fuel Type

Diesel

Location

Cowes, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom

MEASUREMENTS

Beam

16.99 ft.

Draft

11.84 ft.

LWL

62.99 ft.

DESCRIPTION

This is a chance to enter classic yacht racing at the highest level. Since her restoration in 2004 MARIQUITA’s results have kept improving such that she cannot now stop winning. In restoring this unique yacht her owners sought not only to save her but to recapture the ethos that prevailed when she was built in 1911 and raced shortly thereafter. She remains a wonderful combination of Fife’s design talent and aesthetic with the superb qualities of his celebrated yard.


Brokers Comments


This is a chance to enter classic yacht racing at the highest level. Since her restoration in 2004 MARIQUITA’s results have kept improving such that she cannot now stop winning. In restoring this unique yacht her owners sought not only to save her but to recapture the ethos that prevailed when she was built in 1911 and raced shortly thereafter. She remains a wonderful combination of Fife’s design talent and aesthetic with the superb qualities of his celebrated yard.

History


MARIQUITA - ladybird in Spanish and one of the most iconic yachts in the history of the sport is probably the last 19 Metre in existence and her career spanning over a century and involving something of a resurrection is one of the great maritime stories. The 19 M Class is slightly smaller than most large class cutters and fulfilled the aspiration to have a matched class of large cutters. As a racer she held a distinguished place within her class and won the King’s Cup.

Designed and built for industrialist Arthur Stothert by William Fife III, she was launched in 1911 at Fairlie on the Clyde. Fife’s wonderful design was of course fully complemented with the high build quality of his celebrated yard.

In 1915 she was sold, ending up in neutral Norway where she spent the war years. She returned to Great Britain after the war and was brought to West Mersea by Arthur Hempstead, whose firm undertook the decommissioning. Her fine mast was chopped away above the deck, her keel bolts let go and 40 tonnes of lead cut into scrap on the Mersea hard. The hulk of the once beautiful yacht was towed to Woodbridge on the Deben and in 1958 moved to Pin Mill, on the Orwell, remaining there as a house boat for some 30 years. Bow in to the river bank, moored with chains and supported between four very large posts, at high springs she would float, settling again - not always level as the tide went out. It was from Pin Mill in 1991 that William Collier and Albert Obrist intervened leading to her landmark restoration at Fairlie Restorations. Taken round to the Hamble on a Thames lighter, work started on the restoration in 2001.

After years of painstaking work the restored MARIQUITA finally appeared in 2004. With the restoration, her owners sought not only to save a unique yacht, but also the quality ethos to which she was built and raced originally in 1911. The MARIQUITA project was one of the most professional and well-resourced classic yacht programmes ever undertaken.

Following her re launch she started on a highly successful nine year campaign and was to star in numerous regattas, winning Imperia and looking great alongside the likes of the MOONBEAMs III and IV. Wintering in San Remo MARIQUITA then headed for Greece for 2 months of cruising and race training with the owner. She went on to attend five classic regattas, including the new Porto Rotondo event and the renowned Voiles de St Tropez. In June, 2008 she attended the Fife Regatta on the Clyde and then took part in other regattas on England’s south coast.

2011 marked her centenary with a busy race season with eight more regattas; Ajaccio, Antibes, Barcelona, Palma, Mahon, Monaco, Cannes and St Tropez.

In 2012 MARIQUITA visited the UK again for the Westward Cup in Cowes, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee on the Thames and the Pendennis Cup in Falmouth. She then returned to the Mediterranean for the end of season regattas there. It was in 2012 however that MARIQUITA was unexpectedly offered for sale. The syndicate that eventually purchased her was helped somewhat by inheriting a number of her existing crew as where everything is done by hand on such a complex yacht working as a team is paramount. Of course it took time for the crew to bed in but by the fourth regatta in Barcelona the skipper George Newman was seeing signs of real improvement. Despite some dramatic conditions in both Mahon and Cannes and some very close racing with her great rivals MOONBEAM IV and CAMBRIA, MARIQUITA arrived in Saint Tropez for the final regatta of the season in good shape with six podium finishes under her belt.

Her 2014 season ended with even better results – after winning overall the Big Boat class in the Panerai Grand Prix, MARIQUITA then went on to come second in Les Voiles de St Tropez, behind the mighty gaff schooner ELENA.

Fast forward to 2015 to find MARIQUITA locking horns with ELEONORA and SUMURUN once again on the Solent coming out on top during an exciting week of sailing for the Panerai British Classic Week at Cowes. After recording three 1st and two 2nd places her owner and helmsman John Caulcutt was of course delighted with another regatta win saying “The crew have adapted to the windy and tidal Solent conditions this season with great skill. MARIQUITA has performed really well – I couldn't be happier with another successful week on the water”.

MARIQUITA is now ready to be passed on to her next custodian.

Picture Credits


The 1st main picture is by kind permission of Guido Cantini and other sailing, on deck and interior pictures are by Ben Wood, Island Images, Bembridge

Construction and Finish


- Mahogany planking over steel frames secured with bronze fastenings. See Restoration for
- International paint system on hull
- Epifanes Traditional varnish

Accommodation and Domestic Equipment


After careful dismantling and restoration, it was possible to reinstate virtually all of the original owner and guest accommodation. Consistent with her racing pedigree, the interior design is restrained with weight-saving open deck heads revealing the structure. Very few changes have been made but do include the addition of modern services and some enhancements such as a shower in the owner’s bathroom replacing the original sunken bath whose space is now given over to the engine room. Accommodation is for four guests in one twin and two single cabins and 8 crew including captain. Access is by the main companionway with corridor forward

Saloon
- Dining table to stbd
- Fitted desk
- Sofa
- Doorway to port forward to galley and crew quarters

Galley
-Fridge, freezer and icemaker
- Gas 4 burner hob and oven
- Nespresso coffee maker
- Silver cutlery engraved with Fife dragon
- Full set “Mariquita” monogrammed crockery
- Full Set of crystal glasses
- Full set of crew crockery and cutlery

Fore cabins
- 7 x Pipe cot crew berths
- Captain’s single cabin aft to stbd with en suite and access also to saloon

Coming aft through the saloon and by the companionway
- Single guest cabin starboard with en suite head, accessible to master suite
- Single guest cabin to port with en suite head accessible to master suite
- Master shower
- Twin master cabin aft with direct deck access via the dog house

Rig Spars and Sails


- Solid Columbian pine main mast, boom and bowsprit
- Hollow Sitka spruce topmast
- Hollow Sitka spruce spare topmast
- Hollow Sitka Spruce gaff, jack yard, club yard and spinnaker pole
- Set of ash spare spreaders
- Wooden blocks by Colin Frake
- Traditional, all spliced and served galvanised plough wire standing rigging
- English braid 3 strand lines
- Lazyjacks enable cruising with 6

Sails
- All new sails by James Lawrence Sailmakers JL
- Old sails by Ratsey & Lapthorne RL
- All traditionally cut and hand finished
- Mainsail; 3,500 sq ft; JL 2004
- Mainsail; 3,500 sq ft; JL 2008
- Staysail 715 sq ft; JL 2004
- Staysail 715 sq ft; JL 2008
- Reaching staysail 846 sq ft; JL 2012
- No 1 Jib 807 sq ft; RL 2004
- No 1 Jib 807 sq ft; RL 2008
- No 2 Jib 579 sq ft; RL 2004
- No 3 Jib 426 sq ft; RL 2004
- No 1 Jib topsail 522 sq ft; RL 2004
- No 1 Jib topsail 522 sq ft; JL 2014
- No 2 Jib topsail 283 sq ft; JL 2004
- No 2 Jib topsail 283 sq ft; JL 2012
- N° 3 Jib topsail; RL 2004
- Jack yard topsail 1,000 sq ft; RL 2004
- Jack yard topsail 1,000 sq ft; JL 2010
- Working topsail 632 sq ft; RL 2004
- Working topsail 632 sq ft; JL 2010
- Delivery mainsail trysail 1,380 sq ft loose footed; RL 2004, sheets on deck
- Delivery main topsail 260 sq ft; RL 2004
- Delivery staysail 479 sq ft with reef points; RL 2004
- Spinnaker / ballooner 3,700 sq ft RL 2004
- Spinnaker / ballooner 3,700 sq ft RL 2008

Deck Equipment and Ground Tackle


- Thomas Reid hydraulic reproduction of original capstan with gypsy
- 1 x 65 kg / 140lbs CQR anchor
- 1 x c 48 Kg / 105lbs CQR anchor
- 1 x 108 kg / 238 lb cast bronze fisherman anchor
- 5 x Meissner 77 / 3 electric winches; 2 for main halyards, 3 for sheets
- Full set of bronze stanchions with s/s wire guardrails
- Carbon gangplank
- Aluminium gangplank for winter

Mechanical Electrical and Tankage


- Yanmar 6 LP-STE Diesel engine 315 HP @ 3,800 rpm Halyard Dry exhaust system
- ZF 63 gearbox ratio 2.5:1
- Variprop off centre 32 inch feathering propeller
- Speed 7 knots @ 2,800 rpm
- Approx 500 nm range @ 7 knots
- Thomas Reid traditional quadrant, pinion steering
- Fischer Panda 15 KVA generator 2014
- Single phase 230 V 50 Hz generator
- Shore power to Ivet 8 KVA isolating transformer
- 230 V from 24 service batteries via 2.5 Mastervolt inverter
- 24 V DC supply from 12 x Gel cells, total capacity 800Ah / 20hr
- 12 V DC supply converted from 24 V cells
- HEM series 25 water maker producing 200 litres per hour
- 2 x Stainless steel fuel tanks total 220 gallons / 1,000 litres
- C Warm single coil 90 litre hot water heater
- Aqua Major 40 litres per minute water pump
- Polypropylene 110 gallon / 500 litre fresh water tank
- Polypropylene 33 gallon / 150 litre grey water tank
- Polypropylene 110 gallon / 500 litre black water tank

Navigation Communication and Electronics


- Traditional binnacle and Halcyon magnetic steering compass
- Nav Computer Pro with Max Sea Time Zero navigation system 2014
- B&G ACP2 autopilot with Whitelock motor
- Raymarine RL80CRC radar with chart plotter
- Raystar 120 GPS
- Furuno D fax 207N weather fax
- B&G Hercules 2000 wind instrument system with digital repeaters 2013
- Thrane & Thrane Mini Inmarssat C satcom
- Icom 2012 VHF
- Furuno FMW SSB

Safety


- Emergency tiller

Tenders


- 1 x 11 ft / 3.3 m Clinker rowing tender
- 1 x 11 ft 5 inch / 3.50 m Novurania, with Toisha 25 HP outboard 2 stroke 2007

Miscellaneous


- Full set Crew Uniforms – all by Gaastra 2013
- Full set wet weather gear – all by Gaastra 2013

Restoration / Refit


2001 to 2004 Fairlie Restoration Ltd

It took 3 years to restore the yacht to match the original structural requirements of the class. She was rebuilt to Lloyd’s Register and to her 1912 configuration which provided some speed enhancement over the initial design of 1911. Though her spars and lead keel had been lost, her fabulous original interior remained. Key features of the restoration were:
- Composite construction for great hull strength and weight saving
- Full steel structure framing planked over in mahogany
- All structural fastenings made nickel aluminium bronze
- All hull planking renewed in 2 inch / 51mm African mahogany
- Use made of modern coatings, bedding compounds and insulation methods
- New engine and modern systems installed
- Powered winches for longevity without altering her sailing characteristics
- Teak deck planking laid over 4/5th inch / 20mm plywood sub deck

Other Equipment

A MARIQUITA

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

HULL

Designer

William Fife III

OTHER

Builder

William Fife & Sons, Fairlie

Displacement(kgs)

34473.02

Keel Type

Full keel

ABOUT WILLIAM FIFE & SONS YACHTS III

The William Fife & Sons Yachts III is a 130 feet long that boasts a 17 feet beam.