TWO famous yachts built in Fairlie's boatbuilding glory days will go under the hammer at a prestigious auction in France later this month.

The Mariquita, pictured, and the Mariska were both designed and built to great acclaim by the renowned William Fife III, inset, in his Bay Street yard in 1908 and 1911 respectively.

Amazingly both vessels are still winning major sailing races on the continent and are expected to change hands for handsome sums.

Mariska is expected to sell for between £600,000 and £1m while Mariquita is expected to sell for between £750,000 and £1.4m.

High quality restoration work has taken place on both vessels and their sale comes as the village prepares for the fifth Fife Regatta in June.

Mariquita last raced at the Fife Regatta in Fairlie back in 2008.

At 77ft, Mariska is the shorter of the two racing yachts, which were cutting edge design at the time of their construction. Her first owner, AK Stothert, was considered to be one of the best yachtsmen of Edwardian times.

It want through a two-and-a-half year restoration project involving 25,000 man hours before returning to competitive sailing in 2009.

The Mariquita was also built for Stothert at 96-feet with with a classic steel and wood Fife design. She raced for three seasons before war broke out in 1914. During the Second World War, the yacht had its rigging removed and became a houseboat in Suffolk.

William Collier came across her in 1987, had her restored and brought back into action.

The Mariquita wowed the sailing fraternity by scooping some big honours including winning the Monaco Classic, Régates Royales de Cannes and the Voiles de Saint-Tropez.

It is hoped that more success awaits the vessel, which is currently maintained in Lymington, having been laid up since 2015.

The Fife Boatyard spanned three generations of the Fife family, with William Fife III designing world class sailing vessels which still sail around the globe and competed in the America's Cup in the early 20th century.

Fife died on 11 August 1944 at the age of 87 in Fairlie.

The yard was continued for some years after his death by his nephew before being closed down in 1985. It was then demolished and replaced with upmarket seafront housing.

Excitement is building for the Fife Regatta's return, with plans for a street party in Bay Street. Villagers also raised funds for a Fife yacht monument near where the old boatyard, which was unveiled in 2011. The Latifa yacht is in the design of the weather vane on Fairlie Parish Church, which also celebrates the proud Fife heritage in the area.

Although there are few existing examples of the old boatyard in Fairlie, the return of the Fife Regatta is expected to be a major local spectacle which marks 2020 as the Year of Marine and Coastal Waters in Scotland.