Hippocampus Nº46

Falcon at the CIM Championship
PODIUM AT VOILES DE ST .TROPEZ: RICARDO SCHEDEL, NUN O BARRETO, PAULO MIRPURI, ARLETTE MONTEIRO DE
BARROS, PATRICK MONTEIRO DE BARROS, LUIZA MIRPURI, HENRIQUE ANJOS, FRANCISO CAI-ÁGUA, ELISE GARCIN,
RODRIGO VANTACICH, FREDERICO PINHEIRO DE MELO
mentions that an old friend and university
colleague in Paris, Bruno Troublé, creator
of the Louis Vuitton Cup, had imported
several American classics and knew of a
1930 Q Class boat that was for sale and
competitive - Patrick Monteiro de Barros
and Paulo Mirpuri decide to study the
matter and eventually undertake a project.
The decisions were quickly made: both
of them travelled to France, where Paulo
Mirpuri tested the (then named) Jour
de Fête, won a race in Porquerolles, and
naturally became excited about the boat’s
performance. On the other hand, after
a test in Marseille, Patrick Monteiro de
Barros also became enthusiastic, and they
both decided to move forward with a joint
venture for the acquisition of the yacht
designed by Frank Paine and built at the
American shipyard George Lawley and Sons
GILLES MARTIN RAGET JAMES ROBINSON TAYLOR
- at the time located in Marseille. Since its
arrival in France, the yacht had achieved
good results in the CIM Championship
races (in fact, the World Championship
of Classics, which doesn’t use that name
only for formal reasons).
THOROUGH PROCESS
Although in a reasonable condition, Patrick
Monteiro de Barros and Paulo Mirpuri,
both perfectionists, decided to undergo
a complete and comprehensive refit after
the purchase of Jour de Fête. Time was
limited as it was already October, and the
first race was scheduled for May. However,
David Vieira, considered an expert in the
construction and restoration of wooden
classics at his Absolute shipyard in Setúbal,
accepted the challenge after conducting a
detailed assessment in Marseille, where the
yacht was based, and transported it by truck
to the city of Sado. David Vieira worked
tirelessly, and the refit was completed within
the stipulated time frame with utmost
perfection. The two co-owners visited the
“master” several times and received a weekly
report with photographs.
The painting, on the other hand, was
carried out at the Talaminho shipyard in
Amora, all in time for the presentation
ceremony at Clube Naval de Cascais, held
on the scheduled date, with the presence
of Bruno Troublé and Manrico Iachia,
Commodore of the Gstaadt Yacht Club,
which annually organizes a regatta with
century-old yachts in St. Tropez. The
next day, the boat returned to Marseille by
truck, and its owners decided to restore its
original name, Falcon, and sail under the
Portuguese flag. Once it arrived in France,
the final preparations for the first race in
Antibes began.
During this time, the collaboration between
Patrick Monteiro de Barros and
Paulo Mirpuri was intense, often meeting
to analyse and evaluate various issues.
Paulo Mirpuri’s experience in ocean navigation
was very important, with three
participations in the Volvo Ocean Race/
The Ocean Race, and a victory in the inaugural
edition of The Ocean Race Europe
in 2021. Meanwhile, Patrick Monteiro de
Barros could also contribute significantly
to the project with his experience gained
over 65 years of competition in One Design
Clube Naval de CASCAIS 63