Why Did The Maiden Yacht Take On Water?

Maiden, a 17.7-metre aluminium ocean racing yacht designed by Bruce Farr in 1979, was bought by British sailor Tracy Edwards for the 1989-90 Whitbread Round the World Race. The yacht, originally named DISQUE DOR 3, was designed for the Swiss Ocean Racing Club and was abandoned in Eden Island Marina, Mahe, in the Seychelles. Edwards launched a crowd-funding campaign to bring Maiden back to England, where she was unloaded into the water and motored up river.

The Duchess of Sussex followed Maiden’s journey from the beginning, naming the boat at the original launch and seeing them off at the start. In 2017, Edwards brought the boat back to England after a fundraising drive. After a major refit, the boat set off on a global voyage in 2018 to raise funds.

Maineden, skippered by Tracy Edwards, became the first all-female crew to sail around the world in 1990. By 2014, the boat was no longer hers, and the marina demanded €75,000 (£63,000). Maiden has since sailed back into Southampton, joined by a flotilla of boats, to cheering crowds. The all-female crew has spent seven years on the yacht, winning two of the three Southern Ocean legs in Division D.

In April 2024, the Maiden yacht experienced a terrifying incident when the mast went completely in the water, causing water to flood the yacht. The yacht is now sailing the high seas again, changing the lives of young women in the process.