Liqeur 43

[tamkvaitis]

I am sailing an ex whitbread racer it was named liceur 43, it was spanish entry in 1983-1984 whitbread race. Red hull with yellow leters. Maybe anybody knows anything about this boat? I am very interested in this boats history. Thanks.

[JAIME-G]

This boat was the first attempt to participate in the Whitbread RWR, with a full Spanish project, comprising every aspect of it, Design, building, crew and management.
The boat was designed by Spanish Naval Engineer Joaquin Coello, and built in aluminium (I am not very sure but I think in the Bazan Shipyard in Spain).
They broke the mast during the race having to sail undeer jury rig a long way.
Try the Round the World web for more info.
Joaquin Coello is still working in Spain ( I heard something like he being the head of the Port of Barcelona nowadays, and I heard nothing about his design career since a long time ). If you can find him somewhere in the web, for sure he will give you more precise info about Licor 43.
I myself had a few friends racing as crewmembers onboard this yacht when entered in the Whitbread.

Regards,
Jaime Garcia-German Yacht Designer
Palma de Mallorca, Spain

[Guillermo]

Joaquín Coello is nowadays the Chairman of the Port Authority of Barcelona and Dean of the COIN (Spanish equivalent to SNAME or RINA, more or less), among other responsibilities. An important guy. As far as I know he's not involved anymore in boats design, but if you're very interested about getting info on 'Licor 43' I can ask him when our next meeting in February. Maybe I have even kept some info on old papers at my office. I'll find out...

[Vega]

Tamkvaits, Isn't it a great forum?

I am curious, please post some pictures of the boat.

[tamkvaitis]

Few pictures of the boat, only in the past this boat was painted in red

[tamkvaitis]

It would be wonderful if you can ask him about this boat. Any information would be very great. And people who vere sailing it is intresting for me too, Can you give me thier emails? You can give them personaly to me if you dint want to publish them in the internet. Nowdays this boat is being repaired, we have some problems with the keel, aliuminium around the keel has weakened during the years so it cracked the tiny holes were welded, but it doesn't helped, much, becaus similar holes opened near welds. aLthough the keel section is strong we are loking forward to reinforcing them, we are trying to spread the loads from the keel, because it is imposible to remove and rebuild all keel section. I want to know all coments of this boat. About it's performance, handlibg and so on, so if you know, or friend of yours had something incomon with this boat it would be very nice to talk to you. Maybe you know anybody who has rivaled this boat durring that race, to know oponent opinion is very interesting to.

[Guillermo]

I'll talk to Joaquín and find out what can be done. In the mean time, here you have a photo from him, when he was beginning his career.

[tamkvaitis]

Personaly I like this boat, very much. I was used to old IOR boats, built in poland. Thay were quite fast, but then I sailed "Laisve" (this is a new name of licor 43, in Lithuanian it means freedom) a was amazed about this boat performance, if the sails is trimed corectly this boats handles almost like a dinghy, you can feel 30 tones of aliuminium accelerating then the crew is working with sails. The boat was totalydiferent, the structure was strong (other polish boats vere very soft), So the rig trim was easier to do. Only thing that disapoints me it is that this boat belongs to soceal organization, so funding is quit poor and everybopdy knows how much it takes to sustain 60 ft boat

[Guillermo]

tamkvaitis,
I talked to Joaquín Coello and he tells me he will be glad to contact you and help you with the Licor 43 renewal. Please send me your contact data to:
g.gefaell<AT>mundo-r.com (Substitute <AT> by @)