Mariquita, which means ladybird in Spanish, is one of the last 19 Meter Class yachts in existence. Designed and built by William Fife & Sons, she was launched in 1911 at Fairlie on the Firth of Clyde in Scotland.
This video by Simpson Marine shows what it is like to sail aboard Mariquita:
Mariquita enjoyed three years of competitive racing before being sold in 1915 to an owner who spent much of World War I sailing her in Norway. She was returned to Great Britain after the war and decommissioned. Mariquita’s mast was cut down, her keel bolts removed and her 40-ton lead ballast went to scrap before being converted into a houseboat.
William Collier and Albert Obrist rescued Mariquita in 1991 and spearheaded an extensive reconstruction at Fairlie Restorations. Mariquita returned to racing form in 2004.
