Maiden relaunched
Maiden, the famous Farr-designed maxi which Tracy Edwards raced in the 1989 Whitbead Round the World Race with an all-female crew, has been refitted, relaunched and has a new crew ready for a new adventure, this time raising money for women’s educational charities.
Maiden was found languishing in the Seychelles four years ago and purchased after Edwards launched a crowdfunding campaign. The 58ft yacht is 37 years old, and in her first incarnation raced as Disque d’or in the 1981/2 Whitbread.
When she discovered Maiden was almost derelict, Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, daughter of King Hussein of Jordan, the original backer of Maiden, stepped in to fund getting the yacht shipped back to Hamble last spring for a complete restoration.
The yacht was shot-blasted back to bare aluminium before upgrades were made to the interior. She was fitted with modern electronics and deck gear, and a new carbon rig with non-overlapping headsails.
For her future career, Maiden needs to conform to coding regulations, which means she has additional watertight bulkheads as well as bigger fuel and water tanks to increase her cruising range.
Maiden will set sail in September on a three-year world tour, starting with her first ever visit to Jordan, raising funds and awareness of girls’ education under a new banner of The Maiden Factor. They will be visiting 30 stopovers in 20