CHARLIE WROE CAPTAIN OF THE
MARIETTE SUPERYACHT
Pendennis Shipyard recently completed the restoration and repair of the Mariette superyacht, built in 1915, this 42 metre, twin-masted schooner sailing yacht is one of the world’s most historic yachts. We asked the Captain, Charlie Wroe, what life is like on a luxury superyacht.
What was your career background/ history before coming on board as Captain?
I went to Antibes in 1996 and it took me ages to get a decent job which eventually turned out to be a deckhand on the Mariette. I spent three years onboard racing and cruising in the Med and Caribbean. Then it was time for a change and I joined Mari-Cha in the south of France and spent the next four years charging around the world on MCIII and MCIV. During which time I took a sabbatical and passed my Master’s exam. In the autumn of 2003, after the transatlantic record, I joined the Perini Navi Squall as Mate and spent the next year with her. At which point I started looking for a captains job. I went back to Antibes, which was home from home, and caught up with my old captain Chris Gartner. One thing lead to another and I rejoined Mariette as captain in Feb 2005.
Can you give us more of an overview on what it takes to become a Captain?
Probably being slightly competitive helps! 38
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Personally I’ve always enjoyed sailing and especially racing – I’d say that early on in your career you have to be committed to sacrificing holiday time and incurring the cost of getting the RYA and then MCA tickets. Ideally you should work on fast and good looking boats, sailing as many miles as possible in as many different places as possible.
Since you have been Captain, what has been your favourite memories of working on board the 42m twin-masted schooner?
2015 was a great year, we had the centenary to plan and look forward to and over the course of the year we took the boat into the Pacific and cruised the west coast of Panama, then
raced in the NYYC Transatlantic
Race during which we had a smokingly fast crossing, wrapping it up with a memorable black tie party in Pendennis Castle, Falmouth with 200 friends of the boat joining us.
You have regularly competed in the annual Pendennis Cup, can you tell us a little about your experiences taking part?
Falmouth is a great place, so much so that I’ve made it home, so a regatta in Falmouth means sailing with a bunch of Cornish onboard which is always a great laugh. Pendennis Shipyard always put on an excellent event with some of the best parties. Although you cannot always guarantee the sunshine, it is a great place to race a yacht, there is always a breeze of some sort to go sailing in, flat water in the lee of the Lizard, a bit of tide to play with and the yachts look amazing set against the backdrop of green fields. In the past we’ve raced under the IRC rule, which I think does a good job rating classics against their more modern sisters.
What have been your greatest challenges and achievements since becoming Captain of the Mariette?
Although the refits are hard work and take a lot of planning, it’s very satisfying being able to improve the boat - whether that is in terms of material repairs or improvements or simply lightening her and making her faster. In this last refit I finally ticked off several things that had been on a “to do” list for over
Interview
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