Max’inux

Gitana was built in 1983 for Baron Edmond de Rothschild, making her debut on the international racing scene at the World Cup at Newport Beach that year. Edmond then brought her to England in 1986 for the second British Open Championships at the Royal Yacht Squadron. Skippered by Benjamin de Rothschild and helmed by Philippe Durr, she finished 4th and was subsequently purchased by John Prentice, who re-named her Battlecry (V) and invested in a new keel. In 1987 he finished second in the British Championships to Erik Maxwell’s Kirlo. Helmed by Lawrie Smith, she won the Seawanhaka Cup in Oyster Bay in 1987.

She was then sold to Peter De Savary and the Blue Arrow Syndicate at Pendennis in Falmouth for crew training. In 1988, as Mistress of Falmouth, she finished 14th in the Europeans in her home port. After a brief hiatus at Cowes where she had been taken, she was bought by Stefan O’Reilly Hyland and, re-numbered F107, took part in the 1994 European Championships at Benodet, finishing 6th.

In 2015 she changed hands again and was entered into the 2016 European Championships in Switzerland, coming in 12th out of 15 in the open division. Soon after, she was shipped to Canada for some alterations, and to take part in the 2017 World Championships in Vancouver. There, she was renamed Max’inux, which means killer whale in the language of the Kwak’wala, a Canadian First Nations people. She was proudly sailed by Peter Wealick and his daughter Alea, representing the First Nations people for the first time in the Six Metre fleet.

Information kindly supplied by Fiona Brown/Tim Street.

Boat NamesOriginal name: GitanaOther names: Gitana Junior (name changed in 1986)Battlecry (name changed in 1987)Mistress of Falmouth (name changed in 1988)Vision (name changed in unknown)Tsigane (name changed in 2015)Last name recorded: Max’inux (name changed in 2017)
Build Year1983
Build CountryUK
Sail NumbersFirst number recorded: K85 (1987)Other numbers: F107 (used from 1994)FRA107SUI107Last number reported: CAN107 (2015)
DesignersIan Howlett
Builders(Ian) Armstrong Mouldings