Chris Gartner Sets His Sights on the Transatlantic
Chris Gartner Sets His Sights on the Transatlantic
You read about Chris Gartner, the captain of Maltese Falcon, in the Starting Line of our July/Aug 2011 issue. Here is the complete interview.
This summer, 30 teams will compete in the Transatlantic Race—the first of three starts is off Newport, R.I., June 26. The flagship of the fleet is Elena Ambrosiadou’s 289-foot Maltese Falcon, for which captain Chris Gartner has high hopes. “We all wanted to put Maltese Falcon to the test, as she is a phenomenal sailing machine,” says Gartner, who’s been handling the neoclassical clipper since its launch in 2006. “We hope to better the 24.9 knots of boatspeed we hit in a full mistral in the Gulf of Lyon.”
Here's the rest of Michael Lovett's interview with Gartner.
How old are you?
Chris: 46 years young
Where do you live when you're not aboard the boat?
C: Antibes, France
How did it come about that MF entered the Transatlantic Race?
C: We all wanted to put the Maltese Falcon to the test as she is such a phenomenal sailing machine and we know she would be perfect for this race!
Does the race coincide with the boat's long-term cruising plans?
C: No, it really has put a dent into our summer program but since we were in the Caribbean until May it happened to work out perfectly for us to sail in the Transatlantic Race.
Will the owner be aboard, or did somebody else charter MF for the race?
C: Elaine Ambrosiadou will be sailing on the Falcon for the Race.
When was the last time MF went racing?
C: We raced in the St Bart’s Bucket this year and we had a very nice time racing with so many other fast and beautiful yachts and we managed to impress the fleet once again with how well a 289 foot, Three masted DYNA Rig can go to weather and sail around a race course with the other boats!
As captain, do you look forward to racing the boat, or is it a pain in your butt?
C: NO, it is not a pain in the butt as I love to race and racing the Maltese Falcon with the crew that we have will surely be a wonderful experience! As part of TEAM MALTESE FALCON I am looking forward to this more than anything that I have been involved with as the Trans Atlantic Race will allow us to prove what a great blue water sailing yacht the Maltese Falcon is!
How do preparations for the Transatlantic Race differ from those you make prior to other passages?
C: Our preparations prior to this race really do not differ much to what we do when we set the boat up for any blue water passage as we always have the same frame of mind when we do these passages, SAIL FAST!
