Mariquita Book - mk2

OLD GAFFERS, YARMOUTH
29 – 31 MAY 2015
The Old Gaffers Association are the true old salts of sailing.
They really respected having Mariquita amongst all the other
boats in Yarmouth. John Caulcutt
The town and port of Yarmouth is situated
in the western part of the Isle of Wight
and takes its name from the mouth of the
small Yar river.
Established over a
thousand years ago,
Yarmouth is one of
the earliest recorded
settlements on the
island. The Normans
laid out the town
on a grid system, a
plan that can still be
seen in the layout
today. However, the town was repeatedly
attacked by the French until Henry VIII
built Yarmouth castle in 1547 to strengthen
the Solent and help protect Southampton
and Portsmouth. So where better to hold a
festival of gaffers than in Yarmouth?
The Old Gaffers Festival in Yarmouth has
grown from humble beginnings in the late
1950s when just three boats raced in the
first event held in
the Solent. The ever
popular festival now
attracts over 120
boats and thousands
of spectators each
year, although this
was the first time
it had hosted a
yacht on the scale
of Mariquita. As a
Yarmouth man himself, John Caulcutt was
delighted to have the Old Girl in his home
town. “She won the Concourse d’Elegance
which was a great thrill. It was just wonderful
to be part of such an enormous gathering of
gaff-rigged boats.”
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