|
Launch in
1909, Tuiga quickly became one of
the stars of the big rallies and
then later was subjected to a whole
host of changes. Her elegant lines
are the work of design genius,
William Fife, and were commissioned
by the Spanish Duke of Medinacelli.
The Duke was very clear about what
he wanted: "a boat which would be
capable of competing on an equal
footing against Hispania, King
Alfonso XIII of Spain's craft.” And
so it was. For over four years, the
two boats competed in Spanish,
French and English waters.
In 1913, Tuiga was sold; she went
from owner to owner with each one
making a change here and there to
better suit her to his needs. The
first installed electricity and
reduced her sail surface by 20 per
cent in 1923. In 1934, another of
Tuiga's owners mounted her with a
35-bhp Bergius engine and changed
her sail plan from fore-and aft to
Marconi. The last act of the changes
came in 1970 when another owner
decided to get rid of the wonderful
rake of her stern.
This marked the beginning of a
decline that lasted until 1989, when
she was a rediscovered by Albert
Obrist, owner of Altair. Tuiga then
spent four years at the Fairline
Restorations boatyard in England.
During this time she was dismantled
and meticulously rebuilt
piece-by-piece using Fife's original
plans.
She was now been fully restored to
her former glory and is enjoying a
magical new life in the waters of
the principality with her new owner,
the Monaco Yacht Club, headed by
Prince Albert Grimaldi. |
