Iconic Isle of Wight race next on list for Ocean Globe skipper

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Maiden's international crew of 12, skippered by Heather Thomas, crossed the finish line in fifth, at Cowes, on Tuesday (16) after a gruelling 27,000-mile race around the world.
 

The crew of Maiden celebrate finishing the Ocean Globe Race in Cowes on Tuesday. (Image: Don McIntyre)

French boat Pen Duick VI was the first to arrive off the Isle of Wight, crossing the finishing line in the fourth leg of the Ocean Globe Race on Thursday last week.

Read more: Isle of Wight farewell for all-female sailing heroes

Like all the other finishers, Heather and her crew were given a warm welcome to Cowes. 

Although Heather has only had a quick pit stop there in 2021, her latest experience has given her a taste for more of the joys of Solent sailing.

"Cowes is a big, prestigious sailing town and I really need to do more sailing on The Solent," she said.

"I'd love to do the Round the Island Race — potentially this year, if I could find a boat." 

Cowes Week also appealed to Heather, who was, by 13 years, the youngest skipper in the Ocean Globe. 

On Wednesday, after partying with her crew into the night, Heather shared her race experience and revealed just how cramped it was to live, eat and sleep in Maiden.

Heather, 27, started crewing on Maiden in 2021 as navigator and 'plumber'.

And at 8am on Saturday, Heather and crew will leave Cowes on Maiden and head a 'parade of sail' to Southampton's Ocean Village — their official 'welcome home' after completing her final race and six-year world campaign to promote girls' education.

Also poignantly, Maiden arrived in Cowes to mark the 50th anniversary of the first Whitbread Round the World race. 

Maiden's international crew celebrate finishing the Ocean Globe Race with national flags at Cowes on Tuesday. (Image: Tim Bishop/PPL)

Maiden made headlines in the 1989 Whitbread Race when Tracy Edwards skippered the iconic yacht around the world with an all-female crew.

Fast forward 45 years and Tracy was in Cowes to see Heather's team come home.

“I was delighted for the girls," said Tracy. 

"It brought back memories. I knew how they were feeling. That stretch of water from The Needles to the finish line feels like the longest in the world.”

It was Tracy who chose Heather to skipper Maiden.

"When Tracy asked me to replicate what she did in the Whitbread, by skippering in the Ocean Globe Race, I was daunted at first," said Heather, who had never skippered at that level before.

Maiden skipper Heather Thomas below deck of the yacht, showing how cramped it was for the crew. (Image: County Press)

The iconic yacht, Maiden, with its all-female crew. (Image: Kaia Bint Savage/The Maiden Factor/PA)

Some of Maiden’s original crew met the new crew before the race started. (Image: Kaia Bint Savage/The Maiden Factor/PA)

"But I wanted adventure and to achieve something — and we did.

"I found skippering an all-female crew quite easy and I really liked it. There were no egos and we all supported each other."

But as hard as it was to carry out their duties in all weathers, it's hard to imagine how they coped so well in cramped conditions down below.

Every nook and cranny was made full use of, for storage; the galley was tiny, as was the 'head'; and sleeping arrangements were certainly not for the claustrophobic.

Ocean Globe yachts stopped at Cape Town, Auckland and Punta del Este before heading back to the Isle of Wight.

Described as a "retro race for ordinary sailors on normal yachts", the boats competing had to have been designed before 1988, had no modern technology onboard, with crews using sextants, charts and the stars to navigate with.