Jolie Brise is a gaff-rigged pilot cutter built and launched by the Albert Paumelle Yard in Le Havre in 1913 to a design by Alexandre Pâris. After a short career as a pilot boat, owing to steam replacing sail, she became a fishing boat, a racing yacht and a sail training vessel.
1923–1977 post-pilot history
Bought by Evelyn George Martin in 1923 she was refitted and won the first Fastnet Race from seven starters in August 1925. In 1927 Martin sold Jolie Brise, through an advertisement in Yachting World to Captain Warren Ferrier and his partner Dr Brownlow Smith.
An engine and an additional cabin were fitted at Morgan Giles' yard at Teignmouth. Bobby Somerset, a founder member of the Ocean Racing Club – as was Martin, purchased her in 1928. After competing in the Fastnet, Bermuda and Santander races he sold her four years later to Lt. John Gage, RNR.
His ownership was only for a year and it seems that in 1934 she was purchased by an American, Stanley Mortimer. Alterations, mostly to the living accommodation were made at a yard in Palma de Mallorca and a Gardner diesel was fitted in Marseille. After cruising the Mediterranean, and with war in the offing Jolie Brise returned to Southampton and was put up for sale.
She was bought by William Stannard but requisitioned by the Royal Navy which laid her up on a mud berth at Shoreham for the duration of the war. In 1945 she was bought by a syndicate headed by Lillian and Jim Worsdell and her name was changed to Pleasant Breeze.
A voyage to New Zealand was aborted and when she put into Lisbon she was acquired by a Portuguese syndicate headed by Luis Lobato. Repaired and refitted, she was once again listed as Jolie Brise. For nearly 30 years her home port remained Lisbon but in 1975, partly because of the political situation in Portugal, she returned to the Solent, 50 years after her first Fastnet win.
1977–present role
In 1977 Dauntsey's School secured the use of Jolie Brise by arranging a long-term lease with Jolie Brise's owners, the Exeter Maritime Museum and the International Sailing Craft Association. When the Exeter Maritime Museum moved its collection from Exeter to Lowestoft, Jolie Brise based in the Hamble - was no longer an active part of the Museum. As Dauntsey's pupils had by then maintained and sailed Jolie Brise for 25 years, ISCA offered to sell her to the School. Thus it was that Dauntsey's became the proud owner of Jolie Brise in 2003.
Between 1977 and 1991 she sailed extensively around European waters crewed by students from the School, including winning Tall Ships Races in 1980 and 1986. The students were also involved heavily in the care and maintenance of her.
In 1991 she entered a major refit at Gloucester Docks, which was completed in 1993. At the post-race dinner at the Royal Western Yacht Club in Plymouth, the new Ocean Racing Club (later the Royal Ocean Racing Club) was formed and its first commodore appointed, Jolie Brise's owner Lt Cmdr Evelyn G Martin. finishing 277th in fleet of 294 boats with a time of 4 days, 19 hours, 11 minutes and 4 seconds.
Blue Water Medals
The prestigious Blue Water Medal was inaugurated by the Cruising Club of America in 1923 to reward "meritorious seamanship and adventure upon the sea displayed by amateur sailors of all nationalities, that might otherwise go unrecognized".
Jolie Brise<nowiki/>'s two Blue Water Medals were both awarded for her conduct in the Bermuda Race.
The first, in 1926, was to Evelyn Martin for "Double trans-Atlantic crossing, including Bermuda Race. LeHavre pilot cutter 56 feet oa. April 3, 1926 from Falmouth, July 27 to Plymouth."
Her second was awarded in 1932 to Robert Somerset "Without Date" for "remarkable feat of seamanship and courage in rescuing all but one of 11-man crew of burning schooner Adriana in the 1932 Bermuda Race."
On the first night of the 1932 Bermuda Race, the schooner Adriana was sailing into brisk southwesterly winds when the heat from the coal stove in her cabin ignited some oilskins. The uncontrollable fire spread so rapidly that the decision was made to abandon ship.
Three miles ahead of Adriana was Jolie Brise, owned and sailed by Henry Robert Somers Fitzroy de Vere Somerset, known afloat as “Bobby.” His crew included Herbert L. Stone and the famous American racing helmsman Sherman Hoyt.
In a feat of seamanship, Somerset, at Jolie Brise’s long tiller, turned the engineless, heavy-displacement vessel around toward the burning Adriana, whose crew was struggling to launch a small boat and heave the spinnaker pole into the water to serve as an improvised float. As Adriana’s helmsman, Clarence Kozaly, held position, Somerset brought Jolie Brise alongside under sail. The yachts’ rails banged together, their upper rigging tangled, and Jolie Brise’s tarred deadeye lanyards were charred.
Ten of Adriana’s crew of 11 jumped across to the cutter's deck.
Only the dutiful Kozaly was left at the helm of Adriana. The two yachts were several feet apart when he finally let go the wheel and made his leap, only to tumble into the gap. Sherman Hoyt desperately threw him a line, but Kozaly's heavy clothing drew him under. After helping to save 10 lives, he lost his own and is the only fatality in Bermuda Race history.
alt=A paperweight containing a Bermudan stamp with a picture of the boat Jolie Brise on it|thumb|220x220px|A paperweight containing a Bermudan stamp with a picture of Jolie Brise on it
Bermuda Post Office stamps
A part of her participation in the Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge 2009, Jolie Brise sailed from Tenerife to Bermuda. To commemorate the event, the Bermuda Post Office Philatelic Department issued a set of stamps depicting six of the ships involved, including the Jolie Brise.
Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant
Jolie Brise was one of a number of prestigious vessels to be moored along the route of the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant, to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II on 3 June 2012. Due to her size, she was not part of the flotilla of vessels, and was instead moored with other vessels at St Katharine Docks.
Jolie Brise Pub
thumb|right|Photo of the front of the Jolie Brise pub in Teignmouth
In May 2018, Wetherspoons opened a pub in Teignmouth and named it The Jolie Brise after the boat which had been refitted in the town before her first Fastnet win in 1923. Jolie Brise visited the town for the opening of the pub.
Chronology
1913: Built in Le Havre by Albert Paumelle
<br>1923: New owner, E.G. Martin
<br>1925: Winner of the first Fastnet Race
<br>1926: 5th in the Bermuda race and awarded Blue Water Medal.
<br>1926: Finished 3rd in Fastnet
<br>1927: New owners, W Ferrier & WB Smith
<br>1927: Retired from Fastnet after reaching The Lizard
<br>1928: 2nd in the Fastnet Race
<br>1928: New owner, H R S F de V Somerset
<br>1929: Winner of the Fastnet Race
<br>1929: Winner of the Queen of Spain's Cup (the first Santander)
<br>1930: Winner of the Fastnet Race
<br>1930: First across line in Santander but second to Ilex on corrected time
<br>1931: Competed Fastnet
<br>1932: Competed Bermuda - retired after rescuing crew, save one, of Adriana who abandoned because of fire
<br>1932: New owner, J F B Gage
<br>1934: New owner, S Mortimer
<br>1938: New owner, W Stannard
<br>1945: New owner, syndicate led by Lillian and Jim Worsdell
<br>1946: New owner, L Lobato and partners (Vaz Pinto - principal owner)
<br>1955: New owner, L Lobato - sole owner
<br>1977: New owners, The International Sailing Craft Association in association with Dauntsey's School Sailing Club and the Science Museum
<br>1980: Winner Tall Ships Race
<br>1986: Winner Tall Ships Race Newcastle to Bremerhaven
<br>1993: Refit complete - Jolie Brises first Fastnet since 1931
<br>1994: Circumnavigation of UK.
<br>1999: Second in Tall Ships Race
<br>2000: Overall winner of the Tall Ships 2000 Transatlantic Race
<br>2002: Overall winner of the Tall Ships 2002 Transatlantic Race
<br>2005: Participated in the Trafalgar 200 celebration
<br>2008: First in Class and Fleet in Tall Ships Race Liverpool, UK to Maloy, Norway
<br>2011: First in Class and Overall Winner of the Tall Ships Race 2011
2015: First in Class and Overall Winner of Tall Ships Race 2015
References
- Dauntsey's School Sailing Club
- official website