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| Creole |
Some
say that she is the most beautiful sailing ship ever built ; others
say that she is damned... We will tell you the history of Camper &
Nicholsons? most beautiful creation : Creole.
It began in 1926. A rich American, Alec Cochran, decided to
build the most beautiful sailing ship in the world. He knew that she
would be his last yacht as suffering from tuberculosis, his health
was failing. It was one of his friends who baptized her Vira
in 1927. But this man, Fred Hugues was an old man, and he needed
three attempts to break the bottle of Champagne on the hull. As
everybody knows, this brings misfortune! Very sick, Cochran was
impressed but frightened by the height of the masts. Several times
he reduced their height, so that Vira resembled to a
motor-sailboat. Not being in her original configuration, the sailing
ship was too heavy and reacted badly to the swell. Cochran gave up
her and put up her for sale.
A major, Maurice Pope, having made his fortune, repurchased her in
1928. He renamed the sailing ship Creole after (because of a
dessert - a speciality of his cook). The Major left the sailing ship
in her semi-sailboat configuration. He only used her to make
circuits, at this extremely fashionable time. Ten years later,
Creole was again put up for sale. In 1937, Sir Connop
Guthrie bought her. After a return to Camper & Nicholsons, Creole
regained her original splendour. She finally sailed under the
conditions imagined at the time of her creation. She took part in
many regattas.
In 1939, the Second World War erupted. Creole was
requisitioned, renamed Magic Circle and transformed into a
mine hunter. She sailed close of to Scotland throughout all the
conflicts and lost her masts. Returned to the family at the end of
the war, she became abandoned.
In 1947, a Greek ship-owner decides to repurchase her. He was
called Stavros Niarchos. Once of more, Creole was given in a
poor state. The restoration took place at ISC in Germany. The
largest roof which contains the living room was slightly increased
in size. At the beginning, Niarchos very often lived on board
Creole. He worked and sailed on her very regularly. Very
meticulous person, Niarchos required that his crew maintains his
sailing ship perfectly. He was very proud, mainly because Onassis
was jealous of him. But in 1970, Niarchos' wife was found dead.
Officially some spoke about of suicide... Following this tragedy,
Niarchos didn't use Creole again. Again she had become
remained abandoned before once more being offered for sale. During
this time, Onassis built Christina. In Counterpart, Niarchos
built Atlantis...
In 1977, the Danish government bought Creole to make a
sailing ship-school of her. In fact the yacht was used for the
rehabilitation of young drug addicts. After five years of use,
Creole was almost a wreck and was again put up for sale. |
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