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The winning Altair team From the back of the fleet going forward: Kelpie, The Lady Anne, Altair,
Mariette and Mariquita in the lead.

Ladies Who Launch

The Pendennis Cup

On Tuesday I hitched a lift with the obliging crew Mariquita, 19-m classic gaff cutter, on the downwind leg of
of the 39.5-m Altair to join the action from the front the regatta
line. Suddenly I was plunged into a very different
world to the small sailing boats I am used to.
These large classic yachts require a unique and
complex vocabulary (I mean both literally and
metaphorically). Each function has a designated
team of committed crew that runs the yacht like
an efficient and well-oiled sailing machine; add
the brains of Captain Stephane Benfield, tactician
Mark Kennedy and navigator Russell Whitworth
The Lady Anne, 28-m gaff cutter, jostling for position on the start line on port with Adix and you have a winning combination. Altairs crew
refined their performance from day one with better
communication and timing to come out as the
This month The Crew Report sent Crew Correspondent overall victor and take home the Pendennis Cup.
Jude Benning down to Cornwall to experience the I felt privileged to be aboard a vessel where the true
Pendennis Cup, a classic yacht regatta that was neither skill of high-performance sailing was showcased. Adix, a 64-m gaff rigged, fully powered up in 25+ knots of wind
short of drama nor excitement despite the best efforts of
Classic yacht regattas definitely have a different
the British summer weather to intervene! feel to them. The crews are old friends, with rock-
solid bonds forged by mutual extreme experiences;
ugust marked the first ever Pendennis Cup regatta in Falmouth.
once you get to know them youll find loyal
Struggling with damp conditions, our hosts buoyed up spirits with a
friends for life. This was reflected in the aprs-sail
marvellous welcoming barbecue at The Royal Cornwall Yacht Club,
atmosphere where crew mucked in to scrub decks
where crew enjoyed their burgers along with far-reaching views of the bay. This
and polish wood interiors, later enjoying a cold
was a gang of sailors with ebullient spirits and a tough edge, many of whom This sailing malarkey is not for the faint-
hearted! One of Mariettes trimmers was beer lounging on sail bags. The reluctance of the
were old racing hands from the Maxi circuit. Several of the yachts in the fleet
unlucky to lose a finger crew to leave their yachts illustrated the fondness
had just competed in the Fife Regatta in Scotland and were in fine fettle. The
they have for these old ladies and the team spirit
usual suspects were there, including Adix, Altair, Mariette of 1915, Mariquita and
fostered amongst the crew. The bowman of Altair,
The Lady Anne. Additionally, the smaller Lutine and Kelpie were poised to give
Cappa, told me that crew on the Classics treat
the bigger yachts a run for their money.
the yachts with great respect whereas they can
be rougher with plastic boats, which can be more
All five days saw competitive racing, although on both Tuesday and Saturday
easily repaired.
the fleet was diminished due to strong winds gusting as much as a Force eight.
Throughout the regatta the dominant yachts were Altair, Mariette and Mariquita Yacht IRC Rating Total Points Nett Overall
It will be a while until we see so many great classic
but considering their IRC ratings Lutine and Kelpie held their own against the Rank
yachts in British waters as the Fife Regatta is
big girls. The Lady Anne and Adix had a less successful week but contributed to Altair 1.181 12 6 1
only every five years and the next Pendennis Cup
an inspiring fleet.
will be in 2010. In the meantime, the Classics will Mariette of 1915 1.225 15 10 2
be sailing back to the Med for the imminent Les
The windy conditions made for a dramatic regatta with its fair share of Lutine 0.988 14 10 3
Voiles de Saint Tropez Regatta where the sailors
breakages. On Tuesday Adix damaged her foretopsail and Mariette broke her Mariquita 1.25 23 15 4
celebrate the end of the season with a huge party
foremast gaff, forcing her to retire. Her run of bad luck continued on Thursday
before settling on which crew will be delivering Kelpie 0.978 28 20 5
when one of her trimmers lost a finger, giving crew a sharp reminder of the
which yachts across the Pond.
power of sheet loads. On Saturday, to add to Mariettes woes, she damaged her Adix 1.444 29 21 6
fore mainsail leaving her underpowered. A casualty of the high winds: Mariettes gaff
Images courtesy of J. Ratcliffe The Lady Anne 1.164 30 22 7

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