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Our first ‘encounter’ with <strong>Mariquita</strong> was in September 2005,<br />
right after we acquired Eleonora, during the 2005 Monaco<br />
Classic Week. We could not have started our relationship with<br />
<strong>Mariquita</strong> on a lower note as we almost collided with her on<br />
the start line. Despite this inauspicious start we have become<br />
good friends with her owners, her skippers and the crew.<br />
I have always admired and had huge respect for the way<br />
<strong>Mariquita</strong> has been sailed, raced and operated. In my view, she<br />
has been the best run, large, truly classic yacht. Meticulously<br />
maintained and kept up, her crew trained to the highest sailing<br />
standards, she has been the boat I have always looked up to. A<br />
great example to us all of how a large classic yacht should be<br />
operated.<br />
Despite the keen rivalry on the race course, <strong>Mariquita</strong>’s owners<br />
and skippers have always been ready to share their experience<br />
and knowhow. Back in 2005 Eleonora was the ‘new kid on<br />
the block’ on the classic scene so I was very grateful for the<br />
way <strong>Mariquita</strong> welcomed us onto the circuit. <strong>Mariquita</strong> and<br />
Eleonora have a shared passion for classic sailing, and this has<br />
been the key factor in our long relationship.<br />
In 2010, Eleonora celebrated the 100th anniversary of the<br />
launch of Westward, the Nathaniel Greene Herreshoff designed<br />
schooner, of which she is an exact replica. We celebrated this<br />
event by arranging a Big Class yacht regatta in the Solent, the<br />
place where these magnificent yachts raced some 100 years<br />
ago, thereby establishing the Westward Cup Trophy.<br />
Despite the long and somewhat risky passage from the<br />
Mediterranean (not the ideal trip for a 19-Metre from 1911)<br />
<strong>Mariquita</strong> did not hesitate to commit at a very early stage to<br />
the proposed regatta and thus helped to create a momentum,<br />
which eventually led to a very memorable event. The RYS as<br />
the organising yacht club and Eleonora very much appreciated<br />
this support. <strong>Mariquita</strong> has subsequently taken part in later<br />
editions of the Westward Cup in 2012 and 2015, making an<br />
important contribution to the revival of Big Class racing in<br />
the Solent.<br />
We wish <strong>Mariquita</strong> all the best for the future and fair winds.<br />
Zbynek Zak<br />
SHARED PASSIONS<br />
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