We would like to introduce you to the various crew members that you might find onboard Infanta. Combined, they are responsible for our reputation for sailing hard but equally for our excessive conviviality in the bars afterwards!

Crew Profiles (Transat Classique):

Tim “El Comodoro” Blackman
Role: Normally found on the after deck with a G&T
Profile: Commodore of the British Classic Yacht Club and fantastically enthusiastic about Classic Yachts of which he has owned several, there’s not much Tim doesn’t know about how to blow a small fortune to look good on the water… For which we’re all extremely grateful.

Chris “Mackerel” McRae
Role: Skipper & Weather/Tactics
Profile: Ocean Master Chris – with more qualifications than you can poke a stick at - from sextant to enemas, he’s your boy. Reserved, thoughtful, professional, but we’ll soon change that, and hey, the skipper’s only as good as his crew you know.

Peter “Skrim” Shaw
Role: All rounder & Navigation
Profile: Every yacht doing a long voyage needs one of these – the insomniac. He has given up entirely on beauty sleep, and is able to be on deck in no time when needed. Enjoys long passages – preferably with a bedroom at the end. Silver medallist at the 2007 Tideway World Championships. Great helm.

Alastair “The Knife” Gittos
Role: Trimmer & Safety Officer
Profile: He’s a Kiwi, so of course he’s a great sailor. Eye surgeon by profession, specialising in plastics, we have a schedule of individual de-aging facelifts booked with him during the passage. His deft surgeons touch for trimming and on the helm will enhance Infanta’s speed

Richard “Spoons” Sawle
Role: Bowman & Communications
Profile: People think that Richard is bowman just because he is strong as an ox, tough and skilled with headsails and spinnakers. Whilst this is all true, it is his continual stream of witty banter which prevents him from being allowed aft. However he is permitted to pass through the cockpit area to access the cooker – at which he is king.

Peter “Two Spoke” Laurie
Role: Foredeck & Weatherman
Profile: Experienced passage maker and all round “Bon Oeuf”.  Peter AKA Two Spoke on account of his great skill at the helm is also making a reputation for himself as the boats cocktail waiter, laying his hands on all sorts of ingredients to keep the crew amused at happy hour - a welcome addition to the foredeck gorilla club.

Richard “….” Cross
Role: Bursar & Trimmer
Profile: Richard had originally planned to undertake this race on his own yacht “Suzalah” but when he discovered that their was an opportunity to save himself a small fortune by undertaking the race on Infanta he jumped at the chance - given this demonstration of financial acumen he’s now our Bursar!

Transat Shore Crew:

Josephine “Deck Candy” Blackman
Role: Co Owner & Logistics
Profile: Arriving in foreign lands by yacht can be stressful for the crew, so Josephine, with no thought of herself, arrives by plane a few days before to check out the restaurants, beaches and hotel beds to fully ensure that when the crew arrives that the highest standards of quality are achieved – well someone has to do it !

Laura “Bumpy” Bradley
Role: Shore Support  

Profile: Laura unfortunately scuppered her chance of a fabulous Christmas break in St Barths by getting to close to the bowman which resulted in a beautiful baby daughter Jemima born in September, however not letting that get in her way  she kindly keeps us all together getting things organised and lightening the administration burden - where would we be without her!

Crew Profiles (Solent Racing):

Jane Mendelssohn
Profile: All rounder and excellent galley slave, where would Infanta be without her supplies of tea and cake ?

Catriona Hart
Profile: Our very own poop deck warmer, Cat can often be seen aft with a glass of wine in one hand and tailing a winch in the other without spilling a drop!

Simon Warren
Profile: Everyone wants Simon – not least the girls. He’s a sought after skilled classic yacht crew; a regular on Sumarun, Rebecca of Vineyard Haven or on the Superyacht Regatta at Palma. Yacht Master, joiner, knows where all the good bars are on either side of the pond. What more do we need? (That’s rhetorical)

Chris Matthews
Profile: The wise old man of the Solent, there isn’t much about Solent racing that Chris doesn’t know. Although banned from the foredeck he can regularly be seen plying the helm with infomation, tactics, beer, wine and the list goes on…






Peter Copsey
Profile: Trimmer extraordinaire. Infanta has never gone so fast as when Peter is on board making sure we got the most out of every wind shift.







Baines
Profile: Is he or isn’t he? Our very own L’Oreal bowman kindly jumped ship from Undina to replace our regular bowman, Spoons, who managed to break himself, resulted in a definite increase in windage!