The famous N°14

It was with Pen Duick II that Eric Tabarly built his fame. He became a legend after winning the second edition of the Observer single-handed transatlantic in 1964 ahead of Sir Francis Chichester. The ketch bearing N°14 is considered to be one of the most illustrious French yachts. Tabarly’s victory in the USA, ahead of the British, did not just open the gates of oceanic competitions, it also promised a fine future for offshore racing. Pen Duick II revealed not only the tremendous technical ability of Tabarly, but also his architectural perceptiveness. Thirty years after his victory, an association took part in her reconstruction at the Pichavant de Pont Labbé shipyard. Today the famous ketch continues to train crew members at the French National Sailing School in Quiberon to which she now belongs.

Built for the OSTAR.
Pen Duick II was designed to win a single-handed oceanic race against the wind, thanks to an audacious architectural design for the time. Whereas most of the yachtsmen in the 60s spent long periods fine-tuning existing yachts in order to increase speed by fractions of knots, Tabarly revolutionized naval architecture by building a machine adapted to the specific needs of a single race. The hull was long and light : 13.60 m for 6.5 t. The sails were relatively small to ease single-handed sailing. They were divided and spread out along the length of the rig (presence of a small mizen sail) in order to increase the yacht’s stability. Chichester’s Gipsy Moth, which finished behind Pen Duick II, weighed 13 tonnes and was 12 metres long. Never before had such a large boat as pen Duick II been handled by a single man in a competitive race.

History

Inspired by the light displacements of Costantini
Held for the first time in 1960, the OSTAR (Observer Single-handed Transatlantic Race) was won by Francis Chichester in 40 days. Eric Tabarly was told by the press about the second edition and decided to participate as early as 1962. He immediately set to work on the design of a new yacht. While sailing on Margilic V, a Tarann made of marine plywood built by the Costantini shipyard in la Trinité, he realized that it was possible to maneuver a much larger boat alone. “Pen Duick II” would be built according to the same principle and with the same materials, but would be longer and have two masts. The hull has a double waterline bilge in order to reduce the wet area. On the deck a plexiglas dome – a former hydroplane astrodome bought from a scrapyard in Poulmic – allows the sails to be watched from inside while using a safety helm.

One particular detail shows the considerable determination and yachting sense of the future winner. Before the start of the Transat 64, the use of a spinnaker without the assistance of a crew was considered madness. Eric Tabarly nevertheless hoisted his 82 m2 spinnaker in the first few miles at sea. At the finish he spoke of a race without any major problems. In actual fact his navigation had been disturbed by a few accidents. His travel alarm clock, purchased in a supermarket in Lorient, stopped working and he had no replacement. His log was swallowed by dolphins. His jib halyard pulley snapped and he had to climb up the mast to repair it. But the biggest problem was the failure of his autopilot which could have brought his single-handed adventure to a premature end. He was forced to spend longer spells at the helm and reduce his time spent sleeping. He won the event in 27 days and 23 hours, three days less than Chichester.

With the finish line in Newport barely crossed, Tabarly convoyed “Pen Duick II” on a cargo vessel back to Europe in order to compete in the final RORC races of the season. Besides the pleasure of fully-crewed sailing, the soloist needed to measure the capabilities of his yacht against a rule. This experience would lead to him equipping the black ketch with new rigging (schooner in 1965), then a third (wishbone in 1966) for the Bermuda race. For this grand American race the hull of “Pen Duick” was also modified. Her aft was amputated to meet the conditions of the American CCA rule. An unexpected change in wind direction deprived her of a place on the podium whereas she had stormed through the Gulf Stream and pulled miles ahead of the other competitors. On the return leg to Europe the rudder of Pen Duick snapped, making the helm useless. With a makeshift oar she headed through the mist to St Pïerre to be repaired.

In 1966 Tabarly sold Pen Duick II to the French Sailing School in Quiberon. After a short period of usage and bad running aground, the boat was put on crutches outside the school. It was not until 1993 that she was finally repaired and restored by the Pichavant de Pont Labbé shipyard. In 1994, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the famous victory of the ketch in Newport, an association called ‘Restore Pen Duick II’ was formed under the patronage of Eric Tabarly. Numerous members defended the idea of restoring the famous N°14 including the government of France, the region of Brittany, the Morbihan Conseil Général, the French Sailing Federation and the French Navy. That year the yacht was exhibited at the Paris Boat Show Salon and relaunched in September 1995.

The crew of Pen Duick II
In the 1960s very few yachts sailed across oceans and French crew members were hard to find. The crew of Pen Duick II after 1964 were the first in a long line. On board his successive yachts, Eric Tabarly would train numerous crew members in a real informal offshore training school. Gérard Petipas, a merchant navy officer, was part of the crew of the second Pen Duick and would have a career both in the shadow of his master and as his partner. The Bermuda race in 1966 was an opportunity for Alain Gliksman, Michel Vanek, Pierre Lavat and a few others to also sail alongside the winner of the Transat.

Today
Pen Duick II is the property of the Beg Rohu National Sailing School in Quiberon. Apart from the winter months –November to February- the ketch sails throughout the year with two missions. Youngsters are trained on board for their state diploma and career of sporting instructor. The public can get their first taste of sailing during private courses from May to September. In 2003, Pen Duick II will be sailing with Pen Duick V to Ireland during an 11-day cruise in July. (Info: www.env.jeunesse-sports.fr)

On board Pen Duick II
“It was a formidable boat that was extremely uncomfortable. There was no room under the beams and leaks inside the cockpit. It was very wet on the deck as well. She was also hard to steer. Eric already liked putting up as much sail as possible, mush more than the others at the time. During the Bermuda race we had one of the fastest yachts. We had the overall lead a day before the finish before a change in wind direction deprived us of victory. The French and American television channels had already gotten wind of us... »

Gérard Petipas / Extract from the magazine Bateaux.