The Duke of Medinacelli, a friend of King Alphonso XIII of Spain, commissioned Tuiga from William Fife to race against the king on his new 15 Metre Hispania. Built at Fairlie in 1909, the two yachts were close sister ships. Tuiga was launched on May 20th 1909, just in time for the new season. 

          

Racing under Captain Carring, she was placed at regattas in Spain and Cowes, during her first season. The class was diminishing by the Great War, and after a sojourn in Scandanavia she returned to England to race under a reduced rig.

              

Sold to J.S. Highfield in 1923, her name was changed to Dorina, and she raced out of the Hamble for a while. Later renamed Kismet III she won line honours in the 1935 Fastnet Race under Colin Newman. By 1938 she was back in Scotland, but rarely sailed, and lived out the war and post war period in relative calm. 

By 1970 she had been sold to a Mr Rose, and renamed Nevada. Sailed down to the Mediterranean, she was chartered for a while, and by the late 1980's was owned by a Frenchman who was unfortunately electrocuted on board. Offered for sale, she was acquired by Fairlie Restorations on behalf of the owner of Altair, a famous Fife schooner.

               

Sailed back to Hamble, she then underwent a complete restoration under Lloyd's Register supervision. From 1990 to early 1993 a small team worked on her, resulting in a highly authentic yacht; down to her hand stitched Ratsey & Lapthorn sails The huge rig is still handled only with tackles and no winches, as it was in 1909, and it took a while to learn the ways of the 56ft long boom.

           

        

The attention to detail and her powerful rig made her a natural attraction for that years regattas at Cannes and La Nioularge; which she won. Later sold to the Yacht Club de Monaco, she is now a regular on the circuit and still the one to beat.

Photographer Patrick Roach Copyright © (PRPA 2002)

 

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