Marie-Claude Heys

(Guest Skipper from Dubai to Palma) At 17 Marie-Claude (Kieffer) Heys dreamt of participating in the Whitbread Round the World Race. It would be a dream that took a long time to achieve as a woman in a man’s world. In 1983, she entered the single-handed Figaro race. She competed in this race again in 1987, 1990, and 1991, with respectable results. She skippered female crews for the Tour de France a La Voile in 1985 and 1986. At the age of 25, Marie-Claude completed her first successful transatlantic race – Monaco-New York on Lady Elf skippered by Sylvie Viant. The crew of 7 women and 5 men were victorious. In 1986, MC joined Maiden as 1 st Mate and was instrumental in the success of the project. Things did not go according to plan, though, and she was unable to compete in the race until 1993-94 when she competed on “Heineken”, a boat sailed by a crew of 12 women. She competed in this race again for the 1997-1998 edition as part of a 12 woman crew on “EF Education”. After having spent 15 years living out of a suitcase, she started Key Yachting in Hamble, UK, with her then-boyfriend Paul Heys, to whom she was married in 1998 but widowed in 2019. We are so fortunate to have MC back with Maiden where she belongs!