The Capri Classica – Mariette of 1915 and Naema are winners in Capri

The world’s largest and most beautiful classic schooners lined up off Capri for the first event initiated by the newly formed International Schooner Association

The Classic Schooner Cup Series

The Capri Classica will be the first round of the International Schooner Association’s 2019 Schooner Cup Series. The other two events in this series will be Monaco Classic Week (11-15 September) and Les Voiles de Saint Tropez (26 September- 6 October), at the end of the Mediterranean summer season.

 

The Capri Classica Competitors

  • Mariette of 1915 –138ft 1915 Nathanael Herreshoff schooner
  • Naema – 128ft built in 2012, inspired by the 1938 Alfred Mylne design Panda
  • Orianda –85ft 1937 Dahlstrom staysail schooner
  • Puritan –126ft 1930 Alden gaff schooner

 

Photo by Gianfranco Forza

 

Conclusion – Mariette of 1915 and Naema are schooner winners in Capri

Capri, May 12, 2019 – Racing between the giant schooners concluded on Saturday mY 12 in Capri with the first round of the Schooner Cup Series. For 2019 this comprises single races here in Capri and at September’s Monaco Classic Week and Les Voiles de St Tropez where the winner will be awarded the Schooner of the Year Trophy. This and Capri Classica have been created by the International Schooner Association in conjunction with the International Maxi Association.

For their final day of racing, the four schooners, ranging in size from 85ft Orianda to 138ft Mariette of 1915, once again started in the Gulf of Naples bound for a turning mark off Punta Campanella, at the tip of the Sorrento Peninsula. They then headed on to a finish line off the Faraglioni, the famous rocks off Capri’s southeast shore. The significant different today was the pursuit race format, with staggered starts: Orianda leaving at 1210, followed ten minutes later by Puritan, Mariette of 1915 at 1247 and finally Naema at 1250.

In the event Mariette of 1915 first dug into the Sorrento Peninsula and, having learned her lesson from Friday, chose a generous layline into the Punta Campanella turning mark. Seeming to find her own personal breeze enabled her to overtake all three of her rivals and lead around the turning mark, just ahead of Orianda, with Puritan and Naema still some way astern.

Sadly the wind died on the approach to the finish, leaving crews time to contemplate the towering Faraglioni stacks, hewn over millennia by wind and waves. Eventually Mariette of 1915 ghosted over the line at 14:48:04 followed by Naema at 15:09:38, then Orianda at 15:23:47 and Puritan at 15:42:48.

“We are very happy to have got a good result today, because yesterday wasn’t our best day. It was great to finish the regatta on a high,” said Charlie Wroe, Captain of Mariette of 1915. “The course today was pretty much right, although it seemed to take two hours to cover the last half a mile as we clawed our way around the Faraglioni Rocks, but it is a stunning setting.

“This first Capri Classica has been really good – a lot of fun ashore, like-minded people, a small private event which has been really pleasant, in the evenings as much as on the water. Racing like-for-like with similar boats is more fun than a mixed fleet.”

While Mariette of 1915 claimed first honours in the Schooner Cup Series, winner of Capri Classica after three days of racing over Wednesday-Friday was Naema, with whom she had spent the entire event match racing. The outcome of this competition was decided in Friday’s race when Naema planted a penalty on her rival in a port-starboard incident at the top mark.

“It is the first time Naema has won a regatta,” said a jubilant Florian Franke, Captain of Naema (left with Tomas de Vargas Machuca. Photo: Gianfranco Forza). “We have had several day wins but never won a regatta before. It is especially great because we beat Mariette, which has been our goal since 2016.”

As to why success has come now, Franke explained: “The key thing is training, continuity and management. You make big improvements during the first 80% which is where we still are. The most difficult part will be to get the last 20%. We have a permanent crew of 7-8 and a race crew of 26 and more than half have been with us since the beginning. It’s a great family of people who really understand schooners.”

Naema’s competition with Mariette of 1915 was especially good since it was a straight match race coming down, as always, to starting well, going the right way around the course as well as schooner-specific things like choosing the right sails at the right times and manoeuvring – especially labour-intensive when you can fly eight sails simultaneously – in the most efficient manner.

Simon Pandolfi, captain of Puritan and Vice-President of the International Schooner Association was pleased with the event: “It was incredible – much more than what I expected. We have been working hard all winter and now we see people who are smiling, who are in Capri, which is beautiful. The races have been gorgeous and everyone has enjoyed the events ashore. Everyone is looking forward greatly to coming back. I could not be more satisfied.”

Once this circuit is established Pandolfi believes that around ten schooners might regularly compete including other famous examples such as Atlantic, Adix, Creole and Shenandoah. “We are also thinking about another invitation class for modern schooners,” he adds.

At the prizegiving at Torre Saracena, at Marina Piccola on Capri’s south coast, Florian Franke, accepted the trophy on behalf of Naema for winning Capri Classica, while his crew were presented with Extrema Ratio knives for winning the traditional schooner crafts and skills competition between the four boats. Mariette of 1915’s Charlie Wroe picked up the first Schooner Cup Series trophy, to applause followed by the singing of a traditional sea shanty.

Tomas de Vargas Machuca, President of the International Schooner Association, whose company, The Classic Yacht Experience, owns and runs Puritan and Orianda, hosted the prize-giving. He added: “We didn’t know how it was going to pan out, but it is clearly the beginning of something cool for our wonderful International Schooner Association. We have 150 people here and everyone is smiling and has had a great time – I can say that because I came last every day, but I’m still beaming. It has been amazing to see such close fought racing.”

Andrew McIrvine, Secretary General of the International Maxi Association, which supported the event, added: “The IMA was delighted to support this very successful first event. The international interest has been astonishing. We hope and trust that this format will fire up the interest and enthusiasm of all schooner owners and allow this fleet to develop as an important division of maxi racing long-term.”

 

Photo by Francesco Rastrelli/Blue Passion ISA

 

Day 4 – Naema ahead after mega-schooner port-starboard incident at Capri Classica

Capri, May 11, 2019 – Just when it seemed that the four giant schooners were likely to spend the day tied to the dock, the sea breeze filled in perfectly allowing the penultimate race of Capri Classica to take place, but sadly, due to the light forecast, the much-anticipated 19th century-style start from anchor was abandoned.

Nonetheless the four schooners still had great racing in a competition which has effectively turned into a pair of match races with the giants – Mariette of 1915 and Naema – in one ring and The Classic Yacht Experience-owned schooners – Puritan and Orianda – in the other.

Once again the race committee set up the start between Capri and the Sorrento Peninsula and a first weather mark located off Punta Campanella, the tip of the Sorrento Peninsula. But from there the schooners were sent around a triangle returning them into the Gulf of Naples, back to the start and from there on a final extra leg towards Capri’s Marina Grande.

Today all four boats started respectably, with Mariette of 1915 and Naema first to tack on to port. Mariette of 1915 once again showed her higher pointing ability and as Naema tacked back on to starboard to lay Punta Campanella, Mariette of 1915 tacked on to the same line directly ahead of her.

The navy blue schooner seemed about to perform a horizon job, like yesterday, until the breeze dropped, forcing her to shave Punta Campanella, as Naema managed to stay high, laying the mark perfectly.

After Mariette of 1915 tacked on to port and was approaching the mark she infringed Naema, which was closing on the mark on starboard with rights. In fact Mariette of 1915 should have accepted a time penalty, but in the event she carried out a 360° penalty turn – no small undertaking in a 138ft 180 tonne beast of a vessel with eight sails up – leaving her far behind her rival.

But as on Wednesday all was not over. On the final leg off fickle Capri, the two mega-schooners split tacks, only for the breeze to disappear.

As Naema’s helmsman Hank Halsted observed: “We thought we might have the exact reversal of the first race when Mariette led us around the course and sailed into a hole. In fact this time we spent an equivalent time stopped on each side of the course.”

Mariette of 1915 was able to close, but was awarded a 20% elapsed time penalty for her windward mark infringement. This left Naema to win the day comfortably.

Halsted, once creator of the ‘Bucket’ superyacht regattas, was disappointed that the racing hadn’t been closer, as it had been on Wednesday, but still relished the competition. “Naema is simply not as powerful a boat and our sail plan isn’t as well articulated.

Mariette has been managing those sails since 1915 while this is our fourth regatta! We have 30 people from ten countries speaking four different languages – but everyone on this boat is passionate and their common language is ‘schooner’.”

Behind them Orianda and Puritan were locked in their own personal match race and while the smaller 85ft Orianda led up the first beat, the duo were involved in their own port-starboard incident at the top mark: Puritan came in on starboard with rights but on this occasion Orianda played it safe and ducked her transom. A nimble tack ensured Puritan took the lead.

Helming Puritan today was Tomas de Vargas Machuca, President of the International Schooner Association, whose company, The Classic Yacht Experience, owns and runs the Capri Classica entries, Puritan and Orianda.
He recounted. “We had good pace and touched nine knots downwind. Then off the Sorrento coast there were difficult wind conditions, the wind shifting by 30-40°. We were a bit slow to ease the mainsail and almost did an involuntary tack which lost us two or three minutes to Orianda. Then there was a calm final leg.”

Ultimately Puritan’s position corrected out leaving her behind Orianda, but at least was a point on board after having had to retire from the previous two races due to ensnared a fishing net on day one and running out of wind south of Capri yesterday.

“It was good fun today which was important – at least all four crews had good competition,” said de Vargas Machuca. And this was despite some sore heads this morning, after last night’s party that ran into the early hours across Mariette, Orianda and Puritan.

This had followed a display in which all of the crews were able to show off their traditional schooner craftsmanship and skills such as rope work and leatherwork. This competition is currently being judged – the winner will be announced at tomorrow’s prize giving in Capri’s Marina Piccolo.
Overall Naema leads going into the final day of Capri Classica with another light day forecast.

 

Photo by Francesco Rastrelli/Blue Passion ISA

 

Capri Classica, Day 3. Naema noses ahead

Capri, May 10, 2019 – Just when it seemed that the four giant schooners were likely to spend the day tied to the dock, the sea breeze filled in perfectly allowing the penultimate race of Capri Classica to take place. Sadly, due to the light forecast, the much-anticipated 19th century-style start from anchor was abandoned. Nonetheless the four schooners still had great racing in a competition which has effectively turned into a pair of match races with the giants – Mariette of 1915 and Naema – in one ring and The Classic Yacht Experience-owned schooners – Puritan and Orianda – in the other.

Once again the race committee set up the start between Capri and the Sorrento Peninsula and a first weather mark located off Punta Campanella, the tip of the Sorrento Peninsula. But from there the schooners were sent around a triangle returning them into the Gulf of Naples, back to the start and from there on a final extra leg towards Capri’s Marina Grande.

Today all four boats started respectably, with Mariette of 1915 and Naema first to tack on to port. Mariette of 1915 once again showed her higher pointing ability and as Naema tacked back on to starboard to lay Punta Campanella, Mariette of 1915 tacked on to the same line directly ahead of her. The navy blue schooner seemed about to perform a horizon job, like yesterday, until the breeze dropped, forcing her to shave Punta Campanella, as Naema managed to stay high, laying the mark perfectly. After Mariette of 1915 tacked on to port and was approaching the mark she infringed Naema, which was closing on the mark on starboard with rights. In fact Mariette of 1915 should have accepted a time penalty, but in the event she carried out a 360° penalty turn – no small undertaking in a 138ft 180 tonne beast of a vessel with eight sails up – leaving her far behind her rival.

But as on Wednesday all was not over. On the final leg off fickle Capri, the two mega-schooners split tacks, only for the breeze to disappear. As Naema’s helmsman Hank Halsted observed: “We thought we might have the exact reversal of the first race when Mariette led us around the course and sailed into a hole. In fact this time we spent an equivalent time stopped on each side of the course.”

Mariette of 1915 was able to close, but was awarded a 20% elapsed time penalty for her windward mark infringement. This left Naema to win the day comfortably.

Halsted, once creator of the ‘Bucket’ superyacht regattas, was disappointed that the racing hadn’t been closer, as it had been on Wednesday, but still relished the competition. “Naema is simply not as powerful a boat and our sail plan isn’t as well articulated. Mariette have been managing those sails since 1915 while this is our fourth regatta! We have 30 people from ten countries speaking four different languages – but everyone on this boat is passionate and their common language is ‘schooner’.”

Behind them Orianda and Puritan were locked in their own personal match race and while the smaller 85ft Orianda led up the first beat, the duo were involved in their own port-starboard incident at the top mark: Puritan came in on starboard with rights but on this occasion Orianda played it safe and ducked her transom. A nimble tack ensured Puritan took the lead.

Helming Puritan today was Tomas de Vargas Machuca, President of the International Schooner Association, whose company, The Classic Yacht Experience, owns and runs the Capri Classica entries, Puritan and Orianda. He recounted. “We had good pace and touched nine knots downwind. Then off the Sorrento coast there were difficult wind conditions, the wind shifting by 30-40°. We were a bit slow to ease the mainsail and almost did an involuntary tack which lost us two or three minutes to Orianda. Then there was a calm final leg.”

Ultimately Puritan’s position corrected out leaving her behind Orianda, but at least was a point on board after having had to retire from the previous two races due to ensnared a fishing net on day one and running out of wind south of Capri yesterday.

“It was good fun today which was important – at least all four crews had good competition,” said de Vargas Machuca. And this was despite some sore heads this morning, after last night’s party that ran into the early hours across Mariette, Orianda and Puritan.

This had followed a display in which all of the crews were able to show off their traditional schooner craftsmanship and skills such as ropework and leatherwork. This competition is currently being judged – the winner will be announced at tomorrow’s prizegiving in Capri’s Marina Piccola.

 

Action stations on board Mariette of 1915 © Blue Passion / ISA

 

Mariette of 1915 levels the scoreline at blustery Capri Classica

Capri, May 9, 2019 – For day two of maxi schooner competition at this inaugural Capri Classica, the Gulf of Naples took on a northern European feel with an overcast sky, Vesuvius obscured by the mirk and a dark grey cloud parked over Capri’s highest summit giving the appearance that the island was about to erupt. But with this cold front came what are likely to be the biggest conditions of this four day event, with winds at times gusts above 25 knots.

To make the most of the big breeze, the race committee laid on a course taking the boats from the start area, due north of Capri’s Marina Grande, to a turning mark just south of Punta Campanella at the end of Sorrento Peninsula and from there back past Capri’s famous Faraglioni stacks and onto a clockwise lap of the island, finishing back at Marina Grande, where the boats are moored. The first two thirds of the race were especially lively.

In a reversal of fortunes, today it was the turn of Mariette of 1915 to set agenda. With her smart navy topsides, the 138ft 1915 Nathanael Herreshoff gaff schooner made the best start, immediately pointing higher than her arch-rival, the 128ft Naema, winner of yesterday’s race. Mariette of 1915’s superior upwind pace allowed her lead to increase as the frontrunners passed between the Sorrento Peninsula and Capri. By the time Mariette of 1915 rounded the first turning mark off Punta Campanella she was already some 10 minutes ahead of her rival.

“We had the right sails up today and that meant we were much more comfortable upwind,” explained Mariette of 1915’s captain, Charlie Wroe. Out of the start line, Mariette of 1915 was flying her main topsail (and not her fore topsail) whereas Naema was flying no topsails initially but then hoisted by a topmast staysail.

Benefitting from being first on to the run caused Mariette of 1915 to extend; Naema’s superior downwind pace less evident today perhaps due to her having less ballast and less stability than her rival in the big breeze. Certainly witnessing Mariette of 1915’s 180 tonnes thundering downwind at 12 knots, under full canvas, including her fisherman, blasting apart the substantial seas that were otherwise hammering Capri’s southern shore, was a sight to behold.

As Wroe later enthused:

“These are the best boats in the world to go sailing on – anything after this is not half as much fun.

“In breeze like we had today, everyone is amped up because it is more tricky getting the boat around the course. You change the crew configuration around a bit and put some more experienced people on the runners – which you don’t need on a calmer day – and two people on a job that would usually require one person.”

Aside from overstanding at the last gybe “to put a little in the bank” that allowed Naema to make a small inroad into their lead, Mariette of 1915 sailed a near perfect race. After returning to a much calmer Gulf of Naples, in the lee of Capri, she comfortably won the day on handicap from her rival, levelling their scoreline at one-all at this half way stage of Capri Classica.

Bringing up the rear, Puritan retired for a second day, and this left Orianda, the smallest of the four schooners at a mere 85ft long, to complete the course, coming home third.

“It was exciting, but unfortunately we made a mistake at the end and initially missed the custom waypoint and wasted 20 minutes getting back to it. That 20 minutes could have got us very close to Naema,” explained Orianda’s captain Sebastiano Marulli d’Ascoli.

Orianda is the only one of the four giant schooners competing without gaffs, and her rig is at present substantially shorter than it was originally designed (this is being rectified next year when 5m is being added aloft) however today’s big conditions were perfect for her, even if the large waves weren’t helping, said d’Ascoli. “We saw 9.5 or 10 knots with the gennaker which was nice. I have been told that Orianda has done 12 but I haven’t seen that. Maybe one day…”

Tomorrow Capri and the Gulf of Naples are forecast to return to lighter, more sunny conditions. The highlight of the day will be the four schooners starting a race from anchor, as was the practice before the present day starts (while underway) were introduced in the late 19th century.

Organised by the Circolo Remo e Vela Italia, the Yacht Club Capri and the International Schooner Association with the support of the International Maxi Association, the Capri Classica is an exclusive invitation-only event for large classic schooners. It is the first event of the International Schooner Association’s first Schooner Cup Series and will be followed by Monaco Classic Week and Les Voiles de St Tropez.

 

For further information

 

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Time limit is exhausted. Please reload CAPTCHA.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.