BALTIC 81 MARTELA

Designed specifically for the 1989 Whitbread Round the World Race, this stripped out maxi certainly had pace, but she failed to finish the race.

She later had considerable success as Bols Sport, owned by an international drinks company to promote a vodka brand in Poland. She was completely stripped of her old rig and equipment, modernised, made lighter and was a line honours winner in the inaugural Atlantic Brazil Caribbean Rally.

Designed by German Frers she had serious racing pedigreeand was built using extremely high-tech methods and materials comprising an all carbon/epoxy, vacuum-bagged laminate construction and a Nomex sandwich.

Her design, hull construction and advanced build method provided her with a longevity very few maxis of the time could benefit from to such an effective degree.