Jolie Brise
Jolie Brise is a gaff-rigged pilot cutter built and launched by the Albert Paumelle Yard in Le Havre 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 (Commander Evelyn George Martin RNR OBE) in 1923 she was refitted and won the first Fastnet race 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. 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, Majorca and a Gardner diesel was fitted in Marseilles. After cruising the Mediterranean Sea, and with war in the offing Jolie Brise returned to Southampton and was put up for sale. She was bought by William Stannard but requisitioned by the Royal Navy who laid her up on a mud berth at Shoreham 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 was aborted and when she put in to Lisbon 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, she returned to the Solent, 50 years after her first Fastnet win.
In 1977 she was bought for Dauntsey's School 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 Lizard
- 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 Museum
- 1980 Winner Tall Ships Race
- 1986 Winner Tall Ships Race Newcastle to Bremerhaven
- 1993 Refit complete - Jolie Brise's 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
