Blue Marlin, FIN-1

HISTORY:

1936: Miss Marion Betty Carstairs, home port: Portsmouth, England

Miss Cartairs, an American heiress living in the Bahamas, commissioned Hurricane. (She was quite active in powerboat racing, winning the Harmsworth Trophy in 1928.) She sold the sailing yacht before it was completed

1937: Charles Eric Addington Hartidge, home port: Portsmouth, England

Renamed: Alanna (K-2)
Sail Number: K-2
The C&N plans are also labeled Alanna, so the acquisition of the yacht must have happened early in the building process. Hartridge had already ordered the 12mR Alanna (now Evaine), but due to family reasons he had sold her to another owner before completion. During the 1937 racing season she had seven starts with only one third scored.

1938: Sir Thomas Octave Murdoch (T.O.M.) Sopwith, home port:

Renamed: Blue Marlin (K-17)
New Sail Number: K-17
Although now painted Murdoch’s renown “Endeavour blue”, her first racing season was rather disappointing. Of 31 starts, she had 0 firsts, 2 seconds and 9 thirds racing against Trivia (K-10), Marina, Evaine(K-2) Little Astra and Flica (K-16). At the beginning of the new season Sopwith sold her and started racing his new 12mR Tomahawk (K-13).

  1939-1945: W.R.Westhead, home port:

Blue Marlin performed much better the following year. Despite an early season dismasting, she finished third overall after Vim (US-15) and Tomahawk with 6 firsts, 2 seconds and 3 thirds. She was considered to be a fast boat and was the only British Twelve to have beaten Vim (in a scored race) by 13 seconds at the Royal Albert Y.C. Southsea Regatta, on August 9. Yachting World reported:

…Now none had a career so interesting as that of Blue Marlin. Mr. Sopwith never did any good with her in 1938. Mr. Westhead brought her out late in the season which she began by losing her mast and it was some time before thate was any indication of her being any better than before. Mr. Colin Newman steered her with considerable skill and as time wnt on Blue Marlin became a very formidable member of the Class. In very light airs in particular, she was good. She was a very fast “drifter”. There were races when she beat Trivia to windward in the latter’s weather, but I think Trivia was a little faster running.”– Major Heckstall-Smith- Yachting World, September 8, 1939

1946: Geoffrey and Ralph Hawkes, home port:

1947: Mrs. J.W. Boumphrey, home port:

Engine installed

1948-1950: Charles Eric. A. Hartridge, first owner re-purchased, home port: Portsmouth, England

1951: John G. Fairweather, home port:

1951-1956: Ippolito Berrone, home port: Genoa, Italy.

The Berrone family was one of the outstanding families of Genoa. Ippolito Berrone himself shipped Blue Marlin from England down to Genoa. Two officers of the Italian Navy served as crew. A log book was written by the owner, but it has been lost. Upon arrival in the Mediterranean, her mast was shortened and Blue Marlin was used for extensive cruises.– Luigi Lang

1956: Disappeared from Lloyd’s Register

1956-1997: Alessandro Colussi, home port: Venezia, Italy

Purchased for Eight million Lire, Blue Marlin continued to cruise and race in the Mediterranean visiting France, Spain, Greece, Turkey and Northern Africa. She entered several races in Italian and Dalmation waters and was rewarded with several firsts.- Luigi Lang

1997-2006: Rossella and Andrea Colussi, daughter and son of Alessandro, home port: Isola, Slovakia

1999: Re-powered with two new 68 HP Ford engines.

2006: Henrik Andersin, home port: Helsinki, Finland

The yacht was moved to Kotka, Finland where she benefited from a complete restoration and refit at Red Sky Yachts in Kotka, FN.
Leo Skogstraom led the program with David Pedrick as advisor.
2014: Relaunched, competes and cruises with 12mR Northern European fleet in the Baltic

2019: Blue Marlin competes at 12mR World Championship, Newport, RI
2021: Blue Marlin competes at 12mR Worlds Championship, Helsinki, Finland– home Yacht Club, NJK

2021 Evli 12 Metre Worlds I Felix Diemer

Blue Marlin, FIN-1, photo by Jost Koerte

10th July 2019. Day Two of the 12m World Championship, Newport, RI, USA.

9th July 2019. Day One of the 12m World Championship, Newport, RI, USA.

Blue Marlin, FIN-1, photo by Jost Koerte

12th July 2019. Day Four of the 12m World Championship, Newport, RI, USA.

Blue Marlin, FIN-1, photo by Jost Koerte

Blue Marlin, FIN-1, photo by Jost Koerte

Blue Marlin, FIN-1

13th July 2019. Parade of Sail, 12m World Championship, Newport, RI, USA.