Tom Bridle
Occasional Maria crewman Tom Bridle showed a fleet that included some of the world’s largest sailing ships how to do it when he skippered the Cirdan Trust’s gaff rigged yawl Duet to victory in the Falmouth to Greenwich Tall Ships’ Race at the beginning of September.
With a crew that included four teenage Met Police cadets who’d never been to sea before, Tom won his class and the overall victory in the race from Falmouth to the Isle of Wight. The trip took a bit over 37 hours, and saw Duet, a 22m long classic built in 1912, take the win on corrected time by 13 minutes from the famous pilot cutter Jolie Brise.
Following the race, the fleet – which included the 1o8m long three masted square-rigger Dar Mlodziezy, crewed by Polish naval cadets – spent a few days in Greenwich, which is where Tom and mate Ed Humphries picked up the silverware.
You must be logged in to post a comment.