The 160ft Eleonora. Picture by Chris Boynton.
MAST-makers worked 23-hour days to come to the aid of a vessel taking part in this year’s Westward Cup.
The cup, which was created to revive the Big Class classic yacht racing of 100 years ago, brought a glamorous fleet of boats to Cowes, including the spectacular Mariette, Tuiga, Mariette and Eleonora.
However, the 160ft Eleonora, built in 2000 as a replica of the 1910 yacht Westward, suffered a severe blow to her racing prowess when her top masts were badly damaged in gusty conditions.
Bob and Jan Snow, of Yarmouth-based mast and spar makers, Maritime Enterprises, were approached by her owner to see if they could produce two new top masts within ten days, delivering them to Southampton docks ready for their outward journey to the Channel Islands last week.
Bob said: "These top masts are 16 and 14 metres, made in Douglas fir and hollow, so the time scale was exceedingly daunting.
"However, we have an extremely dedicated and talented team and with the assistance of two of Eleonora’s crew and a couple of local enthusiasts, we worked between 16 and 23 hours per day, every day."
The team had the masts ready in time and they were collected by Kingswell Haulage and delivered to Empress Dock, Southampton.
They were then rigged by Martins Rigging, before Eleonora sailed off through The Needles.
Over the past six years, Maritime Enterprises has supplied masts, spars, traditional wooden blocks, bronzeware and mast hoops to many of the super yachts around the world as well as to smaller vessels at home and abroad, including Lulworth, Hispania, Altair, Black Swan, Shenandoah, Nahlin and Atlantide.
Reporter: martinn@iwcpmail.co.uk