Jolie Brise
Encyclopedia
Pilot boat
A Pilot Boat is a type of boat used to transport pilots between land and the inbound or outbound ships that they are piloting.-History:The origins of the word pilot probably disseminates from the Latin word pilota, a variation of pedota, the plural of pēdón which translates as oar...
cutter built and launched by the Albert Paumelle Yard in Le Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
in 1913 to a design by Alexandre Pâris. After a short career as a pilot boat, owing to steam replacing sail, she became a fishing boat.
Bought by E. G. Martin
E. G. Martin
Commander Evelyn George Martin RNR OBE was a sailor, writer and cricketer. He was educated at Eton and Oxford, where he was awarded a cricket Blue, and served in the Royal Navy during the First World War...
(Commander Evelyn George Martin RNR OBE) in 1923 she was refitted and won the first Fastnet race
Fastnet race
The Fastnet Race is a famous offshore yachting race. It is considered one of the classic offshore races. It takes place every two years over a course of . The race starts off Cowes on the Isle of Wight in England, rounds the Fastnet Rock off the southwest coast of Ireland and then finishes at...
from seven starters in August 1925. In 1927 Martin sold Jolie Brise, through an advertisement in Yachting World to Captain Warren Ferrier and his partner Dr Brownlow Smith.
An engine and an additional cabin were fitted at Morgan Giles's yard at Teignmouth
Teignmouth
Teignmouth is a town and civil parish in Teignbridge in the English county of Devon, situated on the north bank of the estuary mouth of the River Teign about 14 miles south of Exeter. It has a population of 14,413. In 1690, it was the last place in England to be invaded by a foreign power...
. Bobby Somerset, a founder member of the Ocean Racing Club - as was Martin, purchased her in 1928. After competing in the Fastnet, Bermuda and Santander races he sold her four years later to Lt. John Gage RNR.
His ownership was only for a year and it seems that in 1934 she was purchased by an American, Mr Stanley Mortimer. Alterations, mostly to the living accommodation were made at a yard in Palma
Palma de Mallorca
Palma is the major city and port on the island of Majorca and capital city of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. The names Ciutat de Mallorca and Ciutat were used before the War of the Spanish Succession and are still used by people in Majorca. However, the official name...
, Majorca and a Gardner diesel was fitted in Marseilles. After cruising the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
, and with war in the offing Jolie Brise returned to Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
and was put up for sale.
She was bought by William Stannard but requisitioned by the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
who laid her up on a mud berth at Shoreham
Shoreham-by-Sea
Shoreham-by-Sea is a small town, port and seaside resort in West Sussex, England. Shoreham-by-Sea railway station is located less than a mile from the town centre and London Gatwick Airport is away...
for the duration of the war. In 1945 she was bought by a consortium headed by Lillian and Jim Worsdell and her name was changed to Pleasant Breeze.
A voyage to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
was aborted and when she put in to Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
she was acquired by a Portuguese consortium headed by Luis Lobato. Repaired and refitted, she was once again listed as Jolie Brise. For nearly 30 years her home port remained Lisbon but in 1975, partly because of the political situation in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, she returned to the Solent
Solent
The Solent is a strait separating the Isle of Wight from the mainland of England.The Solent is a major shipping route for passengers, freight and military vessels. It is an important recreational area for water sports, particularly yachting, hosting the Cowes Week sailing event annually...
, 50 years after her first Fastnet win.
In 1977 she was bought for Dauntsey's School
Dauntsey's School
Dauntsey's School is a co-educational independent day and boarding school in the village of West Lavington, Wiltshire, England. The School was founded in 1542, in accordance with the will of William Dauntesey, a master of the Worshipful Company of Mercers....
Sailing Club.
Specifications
- Length overall: 56 ft
- Waterline length: 48 ft
- Beam: 15 ft 9"
- Draught: 10 ft 2"
Chronology
- 1913 Built in Le Havre by Albert Paumelle
- 1923 New owner, E G Martin
- 1925 Winner of the first Fastnet Race
- 1926 5th in the Bermuda race and awarded Blue Water Medal.
- 1926 Finished 3rd in Fastnet
- 1927 New owners, W Ferrier & WB Smith
- 1927 Retired from Fastnet after reaching The LizardThe LizardThe Lizard is a peninsula in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The most southerly point of the British mainland is near Lizard Point at ....
- 1928 2nd in the Fastnet Race
- 1928 New owner, H R S F de V Somerset
- 1929 Winner of the Fastnet Race
- 1929 Winner of the Queen of Spain's Cup (the first Santander)
- 1930 Winner of the Fastnet Race
- 1930 First across line in Santander but 2nd to Ilex on corrected time
- 1931 Competed Fastnet
- 1932 Competed Bermuda - retired after rescuing crew, save one, of Adriana who abandoned because of fire
- 1932 New owner J F B Gage
- 1934 New owner S Mortimer
- 1938 New owner W Stannard
- 1945 New owners Consortium led by L and J Worsdell
- 1946 New owner L Lobato and partners (Vaz Pinto - principal owner)
- 1955 New owner L Lobato - sole owner
- 1977 New owners The International Sailing Craft Association in association with Dauntsey's School Sailing Club and the Science MuseumScience Museum (London)The Science Museum is one of the three major museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is part of the National Museum of Science and Industry. The museum is a major London tourist attraction....
- 1980 Winner Tall Ships RaceThe Tall Ships' RacesThe Tall Ships' Races are races for sail training "tall ships" . The races are designed to encourage international friendship and training for young people in the art of sailing. The races are held annually in European waters and consists of two racing legs of several hundred nautical miles, and a...
- 1986 Winner Tall Ships Race Newcastle to Bremerhaven
- 1993 Refit complete - Jolie Brises first Fastnet since 1931
- 1994 Circumnavigation of UK.
- 1999 Second in Tall Ships Race
- 2000 Overall winner of the Tall Ships 2000 Transatlantic Race
- 2002 Overall winner of the Tall Ships 2002 Transatlantic Race
- 2005 Participated in the Trafalgar 200 celebration
- 2008 First in Class and Fleet in Tall Ships Race Liverpool, UK to Maloy, Norway
Further reading
- Deep Water Cruising - E G Martin, OUP 1928 ASIN B0000CHRVF
- Jolie Brise - Robin Bryer, Secker & Warburg 1982 ISBN 978-0436071812