Scale: 1:20. John Bertola is well known for his intricately detailed models of yachts and this is a good example of his work, placed in a realistic looking sea with set sails. The model was initially loaned for the NMM’s gallery on yachting at the time Tracy Edwards, MBE, entered ‘Maiden’ (1980) in the 1989-90 Whitbread Round the World Race, crewed by an all-female team, the first ever to take part in the gruelling event. Acknowledging the public attention and popularity that the race brought to Edwards, the Museum subsequently displayed the model in its interactive learning gallery ‘All Hands’ using it as the centrepiece for a display devoted to the yachtswoman. The model proved to be popular with both children and adults alike.

‘Maiden’ was designed by Bruce Farr in 1980 and built in France for the 1981-82 Whitbread Round the World Race in which it finished fourth. Tracy Edwards bought the yacht early in 1988 and had it shipped back to Hamble, Southampton, where it underwent a complete refit, undertaken by Edwards’ all-female crew and its support team. At the end of the gruelling 1989-90 Race, Edwards had sailed 32,932 nautical miles, and returned to Southampton to a tumultuous reception. They finished second, overall, in their class.