The Boat

In April 2019 Ian purchased the proven Golden Globe Race yacht Puffin, from Istvan Koper after he completed the 2018 event.

Puffin is a Tradewind 35 designed by John Rock and built by H & T Marine in 1986. A very rugged design with a flush deck, long keel and cutter rig, she has a sea kindly motion and was made for long-distance voyaging.

Tradewind 35 boats were produced in two main variants, with Puffin being the taller mast and bowsprit rigged version.

Puffin has been further strengthened to withstand the rigours of the Southern Ocean and the Golden Globe Race. During 2019 and early 2020 Ian will be refitting Puffin to optimize her sailing systems ready for sea trials and qualifying voyages in 2020 and 2021.

By choosing a race-proven boat Ian believes he can greatly increase the chances of success in the 2022 edition.

RACE NO 37

Name  Puffin
Type Tradewind 35 Cutter Rig (tall rig, twin spreader & bowsprit model)
Year 1986
Designer John Rock
Builder H&T Marine
Hull Number 353
LOA 35.01ft / 10.67m (37ft /11.43m with Bowsprit)
LWL 25.82ft / 7.87m
Beam 10.50ft / 3.20m
Draft 5.51ft / 1.68m
Displacement 19442 lbs / 8819 kgs
Ballast 4 Tonnes / 4,000 kgs
Sail area 725sq. ft / 67.35sq. m

“If the Vendée Globe is the Formula 1 of yacht racing, the GGR is like the Dakar Rally – less glamorous maybe, certainly less high tech, the challenge is very raw and it places adventure ahead of winning at all costs.

I saw Puffin as soon as she came back from the 2018 race. I bought her at the prize-giving, from her former skipper Istvan Koper and the boat told her own story of its nine months at sea: the spider’s web of ropes strung across the cabin deckhead, the mounds of stores and equipment, salt and rust stained in places, what had broken, what had made it through the trip intact all needed to be discovered, but I could tell straight away that Puffin was the right boat for me and for this adventure.

The Tradewind 35 is a sea kindly boat, able to keep her crew safe in the worst of conditions. She is very much the Land Rover of the sea, the perfect boat for this challenge.”