The History of The Classic Power Yacht Evadne
Launch of the Evadne, February 1931
The yacht slips into the water of Portsmouth Harbour at the Camper and Nicholson yard in Gosport
Oil on canvas 36”x 24”
The motor yacht Evadne was designed by Camper and Nicholson in Gosport for Montague Stanley Napier. Sadly Napier died before her launch in 1931 and the yacht was subsequently left unnamed until she was sold to the founder of Fairey Aviation, Charles Richard Fairey.
When World War II broke out, Fairey handed Evadne over to the Royal Navy to be converted and used as an anti-submarine vessel. HMS EVADNE served in the Irish Sea and later the Atlantic protecting shipping convoys.
After surviving the war, Evadne returned to being a private yacht for Charles Fairey until his health declined and she was sold to R.J.Reynolds Jr in 1951 for him to use until his own Camper and Nicholson designed yacht was built. Evadne took the name Sapelo for the two years that Reynolds owned her until she was registered with a new owner, Arturo lopez-Willshaw under the name of Gaviota IV.
When Lopez-Willshaw died in 1962 the yacht was bought by Robert de Balkany who was married to Princess Maria Gabriella of Savoy, the daughter of the last king of Italy. He renamed her Marala - the combined names of his two eldest daugters. De Balkany owned Marala for 53 years and entertained many notable guests including Princess Alexandra, King Juan Carlos of Spain and Frank Sinatra.
Marala’s current owner bought her in 2017 after which she underwent a refit to remove the concrete and steel wiring reinforced ballast that the navy had put in the hull, replacing the rusted hull plating and carefully restoring the interior to it’s art deco splendour.
Marala off Cowes
The yacht as she is today: oil on canvas, SOLD
Placed in private collection
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