Sailing Mariette

In 2008, New Zealander Roy Kum joined the schooner Mariette as race crew after working previously on schooners 'Spirit of New Zealand' and 'R. Tucker Thompson'. In this film, shot in 2012 - 4 years after joining this exclusive yacht, Roy Kum's job is first mate on board and we find out what that's like.

Roy talks about embracing the job's changeability day to day and keeping traditional techniques alive. 'Mariette of 1915', is a steel riveted schooner that was drawn and designed by renowned American Naval architect Nathanael Greene Herreshoff and officially launched in Bristol, Rhode Island (USA). The 138ft gaff rigged schooner was born into a archive of yachts that had countless records for defending the America's Cup. We talked to Roy at the intimate and exclusive Westward Cup 2012 Regatta in Cowes.

Roy Kum talks about why sailing a schooner is world's apart from sailing other types of classic yachts due to her unique, traditional rigging and, her sailing set up. Mariette's 'Queen' and 'Gollywobbler' sails are amongst the 28 sails utilised on board. At anytime these sails readily avaliable for the crew to decipher which combination will suit the day's racing or sailing.

These sails are all used specifically to generate maximum power, although each sail is only picked when this grand schooner is sailing at the perfect angle off/on the wind. A speed of 16 knots was achieved in the 2010 Pendennis Cup, and Roy is hoping to achieve the same!

The Westward Cup was initiated to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the launch of the historical schooner 'Westward' in 1910, by the owner of the Westward replica 'Eleonora' who features in this film.

The Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS), the Yacht Club de Monaco (YCM) and the New York Yacht Club (NYYC) run the biennial regatta in Cowes, Isle of Wight. The Westward Cup's second event, this year (2012), saw typical low pressure dominating the week, as have most major regattas in the UK. The overall results closed with Mariquita in third place, Eleonora in second place, Mariette at the top of the podium! Helmed by her wonderful owner alongside Captain Charlie Wroe, Mariette picked up first prize - the 2012 Westward Cup.

This film is rare opportunity to see what racing is like on board a yacht like Mariette, the footage is shot from on deck and the film also features racing in the week.