Maybe’s History

Maybe has a rather famous history and was owned by Jan Jacob Van Rietschoten, father of the flying Dutchman, Cornelis ‘Conny’ Van Rietschoten, the only skipper to win the Whitbread Round the World Race twice. In the hands of the Rietschoten family Maybe spent many years sailing around the world.

A major milestone in Maybe’s history is that she took part in the first-ever International Tall Ships Race in 1956. She is now one of the few boats that took part in that first race to still be competing in the International Tall Ship Races.

In 1962 she was bought by the Swiss family Hans Fehr, who were experienced sailors and enjoyed sailing in warmer climates. She sailed mainly around the Mediterranean and in the 1970s regularly crossed the Atlantic between the West Indies and the Mediterranean.

Tall ship Maybe was sold to her present owners in 1989 and underwent another complete restoration returning to sailing in 2007. She returned to the International Tall Ship Races in the Baltics in 2009 and in 2011 she was restored to her original gaff rig.