Vertue battles round Britain

Sailor Matteo Richiardi was o the southern Kent coast as we went to press, in the final stages of the Round Britain and Ireland Race, where he is competing in a wooden Vertue against a fleet of mostly modern yachts.

The race started on 29 May in Plymouth, organised by the Royal Western

Yacht Club, with stopovers in Galway, Lerwick and Blyth.

Matteo’s Vertue, Mea, is the smallest in the fleet at 25ft and was granted a wildcard by the organisers as she is below the standard size requirement. The boat was built in 1959 to the famous Laurent Giles design.