Half Hull Pen Duick red 80cm

Pen Duick 1898, Ireland This racing yacht is legendary for her timeless elegance. Length: 30 cm Width: 80 cm Height: 8 cm

Story In 1898, today’s Pen Duick was launched from Gridiron & Works in Ireland under the name of Yum. The Yum was designed by her constructor William Fife III as a racing yacht for the twenty-rater class. Her first racing season was an immediate success. After gaining a fourth place at her first regatta on 17 June 1899 at the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club, she went on to secure a first and second place. The yacht first passed into new hands in 1900 and the following years were also very successful ones – with the Yum winning many important regattas. The Yum was then sold to the Frenchman André Hachette in 1902, who renamed her the Griselidis and moved her from Cowes to Le Havre at the beginning of February 1902. The yacht changed hands several times during the following years. As a result she went under various names following Yum and Griseldis: Magda (1908), Cora V (1919), Astarté (1922), Panurge (1931) and Butterfly (1933). The Butterfly was bought by the brothers Lebec in 1935, who changed her name for a last time to Pen Duick. In 1940, the Pen Duick was moved to Benodet and spent the next five years languishing in the harbour mud. During this time, the Pen Duick only just escaped the fate of numerous other yachts whose lead ballast was confiscated by the armed forces. In 1952, the Frenchman Eric Tabarly bought the Pen Duick from his father. By this time however, the wooden hull was completely rotten and professional reconditioning was financially out of the question. Eric Tabarly decided to use the original hull as a positive form for a new polyester hull. The enterprise succeeded and at the time, the new hull was the longest polyester hull ever built. With the help of friends and many years’ hard work, Eric succeeded in making the Pen Duick seaworthy again. Because the new hull was lighter, the Pen Duick was able to carry more ballast, making it possible for Eric to use a longer mast. During a later reconditioning which began in 1983, the mast height was lengthened once again. Today the Pen Duick is owned by the Tabarly family and she takes part in various events during the racing season. Pictures (click pictures to enlarge)