The 38.1 metre sailing yacht Mariquita is now offered for sale by Mike Horsley at Edmiston & Company.
Designed and built by William Fife & Sons at Fairlie Marine in Scotland, she was delivered in 1911 as a gaff rigged cutter and marked the return of 'Big Class' racing to the world. She competed in regattas and races throughout the following years and was sold in 1915.
Eventually she was moved to a mud berth in Suffolk, England, where she suffered the ignominy of serving as a house boat for over 25 years. She was saved in 1991 and 10 years later the painstaking task of restoring her to racing condition was started. Though her spars and lead keel were lost, her wonderful original interior remained. It took three years at Fairlie Restorations to restore the yacht to match the original structural requirements of the class. She was rebuilt to Lloyd’s class and to a configuration which provided some speed enhancement over the initial design of 1911. In 2003 she set sail again and is now one of the stars of the classic sailing circuit.
Accommodating four guests in three cabins, Mariquita is asking €3.5 million.