yacht bluebird of 1938

• BLUE BIRD OF 1938

Yacht, IMO 8993320

• VesselFinder
• Miscellaneous

The current position of BLUE BIRD OF 1938 is at West Mediterranean reported 35 days ago by AIS. The vessel BLUE BIRD OF 1938 (IMO 8993320, MMSI 235054628) is a Yacht built in 1938 (86 years old) and currently sailing under the flag of United Kingdom (UK) .

Position & Voyage Data

Map position & weather, recent port calls, vessel particulars.

BLUE BIRD OF 1938 current position and history of port calls are received by AIS. Technical specifications, tonnages and management details are derived from VesselFinder database. The data is for informational purposes only and VesselFinder is not responsible for the accuracy and reliability of BLUE BIRD OF 1938 data.

"Blue Bird Seven Decades at Sea" is a book written by Tom Culiffe the award-winning maritime author, and illustrated by by the acclaimed marine photographer Kos Evans.  The book was promoted at the Southampton Boat Show in 2011 for launch on World Book Day. 

This special book includes historic pictures from private collections, , this is a book for all who love ships, the sea and photography. In 1938, Sir Malcolm Campbell one of the greatest speed aces of the 1930s and one of the outstanding characters of the period, commissioned the 100-ft ocean-going motor yacht Blue Bird to go digging for buried treasure in the Pacific . War scuppered the hero’s plans and his yacht ended up ferrying troops off the Dunkirk beaches in the fire-storm of 1940. The story of her next seven decades reflects the changing of the eras: periods of calm with the Renault family are followed by hard times and transatlantic adventures. Finally, the little ship has one of those strokes of luck the sea is always ready to serve up to those prepared to grab them. She was acquired by Tara Getty, whose vision saw through the shabbiness to the classic she could once again become. Blue Bird’s 3-year restoration earned her top honours at the super yacht awards and Kos’ images of the supremely challenging process of converting the tight confines of a 1930s vessel into a pocket super yacht are remarkable. Cunliffe rattles the tale along with characteristic pace and salty humour, lifting this lovely book far beyond the run of ‘coffee-table’ works about beautiful yachts.

YACHT SPECIFICATIONS

Name: Blue Bird Of 1938 IMO: 8993320 MMSI: 235054628 Callsign: MENX6 Vessel type: Yacht Gross tonnage: 137 tons Former names : Janick, Sterope, Blue Bird IV  Call Sign : MENX6  Year of build : 1938  Flag : United Kingdom  Registered port: London  Length : 103.70 ft / 31.60 m  Beam : 20.10 ft / 6.15 m  Draught : 9.80 ft / 3.00 m  Shipyard : Goole, GBR  Refit : 1968 / 1988 / 2007  Naval Architect : G.L. Watson  Engine : 2x 298kW Baudoin DP12 diesels   Speed (max.) : 12,50 kn 

RECENT PORT HISTORY

2013 July 17th, 19:00:05 UTC St Tropez 2011 October 22nd, 11:00:31 UTC Cannes 2011 May 20th, 12:00:03 UTC Athens

HISTORY 1938 BLUE BIRD MOTOR YACHT

In 1938 the yacht was launched from the Goole Shipyard as Blue Bird IV for Sir Malcolm Campbell. Designed by Scottish naval architects G.L. Watson she was to be an ocean going yacht as Sir Malcolm was planning to go treasure hunting in the Cocos Islands in the Pacific. 

She never made it to the Pacific as she was requisitioned in 1940 and went to Dunkirk to assist in the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force. In 1941 she patrolled off Liverpool, where she was almost blown up by a bomb, and later that same year she left for Northern Ireland, where she was to patrol the coast off Ulster and Eire. After the war she was decommissioned, but by then Sir Malcolm Campbell was too old to undertake long voyages. He died in 1948 and five years later the yacht was sold. When Jean-Louis Renault, of the famous France car manufacturer, bought her in 1958 she was named Sterope. Over the next 25 years she was named Janick and cruised extensively through the Mediterranean, where she could be chartered for $600 a day. In 1973 she was sold to Mr Colberg who based her in Long Beach, California and she was painted green. When Bob Harvey-George bought her in 1986, he sailed her back to the United Kingdom. Major modifications were made that returned the yacht close to her original profile. After nine years of charters in British waters she was sold to a Dutch former deep-sea captain in 1995. She was based in Rotterdam from where she undertook daytrips, as well as cruises to the Baltic and the South Coast of England during the summer.

RESTORATION 2006 A British gentleman had been looking at numerous classic yachts together with his broker, Nick Edmiston, but none of these yachts matched what he was looking for. It was William Collier, who had just taken over the legendary G.L. Watson design studio, who told them about M/Y Blue Bird. Blue Bird was lying in Elburg at Scheepswerf Balk, and soon as they had found out about the yacht the owner, Edmiston and Collier went to Elburg. The yacht was owned by a former Dutch deep-sea captain, who had used the yacht for daytrips around Rotterdam for almost a decade. The Dutch owner was represented by Daan Balk, and by the end of the day both parties shook hands and Blue Bird was sold!

G.L. Watson, her original designers, was appointed to oversee the restoration and Bannenberg Designs would be the interior designers. The late Jon Bannenberg was responsible for the restyling of the family yacht, the 82m Talitha G.

The refit contract was awarded to specialists, Astilleros de Mallorca. Much of Blue Bird's steel hull was still intact, but due to stability problems caused by her heavy superstructure, it was decided to rebuild the entire superstructure. In May 2007 Blue Bird was completed and left Palma. The summer of 2007 she spend cruising the Eastern and Western Mediterranean, while this winter she cruised the Caribbean .

1931 'BLUEBIRD OF CHELSEA' MOTOR YACHT

Bluebird of Chelsea , formerly Bluebird, is a motor yacht originally built for Sir Malcolm Campbell. She was built in 1931 by Thornycrofts of Southampton , as a twin petrol-engined wooden carvel-built motor yacht. Campbell sold her after three years, as his motor-racing experience made him wary of the fire risks of petrol engines aboard. He was also highly superstitious and believed a gypsy warning that, "his death would come from the water". In hindsight, this may have applied more to his son Donald. DUNKIRK & WW2 She had three further owners before being requisitioned by the Admiralty at the outbreak of World War II. Soon she was on her way with the flotilla of "little ships" to Dunkirk. Not without two false starts though, first due to engine trouble and then over-crowding. Her return from Dunkirk was even more fraught: after first refilling the fuel tanks with water, then fouling her screws on debris, she returned under tow. Her later wartime service was spent in Scotland performing transport work for the RASC, then later on the South coast around Weymouth and Gosport. Her history after this is sketchy, although she was renamed Blue Finch and found herself on the Atlantic coast of the South of France. In 1984 the Chelsea art dealer Martin Summers discovered her in France and decided to restore her. Some initial work in France made her apparently fit for a single-engined Channel crossing, but once again another engine failure meant that she returned from France under tow. H & T Marine (Hiscock and Titterington) of Poole performed an extensive restoration, to the very highest quality. After re-launch in 1986 she now lies alongside Cadogan Pier in Chelsea. Her condition today continues in this fine tradition.

SPECIFICATIONS

Name: MY Bluebird Builder: Thornycroft, Southampton Launched: 1931 Status: in service General characteristics Class & type: motor yacht Displacement: 23 tons Length: 52 ft (16 m) Beam: 11 ft (3.4 m) Draught: 4 ft 3 in (1.30 m) Propulsion: twin screws & petrol engines, later Perkins diesels

DAVID SPY - MODEL MAKER

David Spy spent most of his life living and working in Helensburgh, on the north bank of the Clyde. He recently moved further west to Tayinloan, on the Kintyre peninsula. His work involves the building of half-models and full model yachts, ships and boats for a wide range of clients, from yacht owners to yacht builders. Models are commissioned as gifts for friends or family, as prizes given by yachting organisations and as design and marketing tools used by some of the major yacht builders at international boatshows . As a result his work has now become internationally recognised.

The most popular size of half model of a modern cruiser is a hull length of around 24ins ( 60cm ). This costs approximately £450. Other styles of craft are priced individually with a metre boat style costing around £15 per inch (£6 cm). The cost of a full model is determined on an individual basis, dependant on the type of boat and degree of detail. A fully detailed full model will cost several thousand pounds based on a cost of £150-£200 per inch (£60 - £80 per cm). Achanadriane Farm, Tayinloan, By Tarbert, Argyll, PA29 6XG. Tel 01583 441 340

[email protected]

ABOUT SIR MALCOLM

Malcolm Campbell was born in Chislehurst, Kent, England in 1885, the son of a diamond merchant. After an early interest in bicycling and motorcycles, in 1910 he purchased his first car, a "Darracq" which he christened "Bluebird," a name that he used for all is subsequent record cars and boats. The Bluebird K3 , although unstable at speed, netted Sir Malcolm a water speed record of 130.91 mph on 17 August 1938 at Lake Hallwyl in Switzerland . On September 3, 1935 Malcolm Campbell reached 304.331 miles per hour on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, becoming the first person to drive an automobile over 300 MPH. 

Sir Malcolm died on December 31, 1948 having suffered a long illness. His son, Donald Campbell , was killed, attempting to repeat his achievements thirty years later.

Railton Bluebird 1931 - 1933 Daytona Beach

Inspired by Reid Railton and his designs for the Napier Lion and Rolls Royce engined Blue Bird LSR cars in the 1930s, the Blueplanet BE3 features instant battery recharging using the patent Bluebird™ cartridge exchange system under license from BMS . This LSR is also solar assisted. She is designed for speeds in excess of 350mph using clean electricity.

http://www.anodeoutlet.co.uk/book competition blue bird seven decades at sea to be won

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo id 791448

http://yachtmodels.co.uk/

www.telegraph.co.uk/Queens Diamond Jubilee marked with seven mile flotilla of 1000 boats

http://www.superyachttimes.com/editorial/3/article/id/2184

http://www.ycoyacht.com/yacht/blue-bird-of-happiness/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluebird_of_Chelsea

http://www.bluebirdsailing.org.au/

History of the Yacht ‘Blue Bird of 1938’

• / Information , News

We had the pleasure of welcoming the magnificent yacht “Blue Bird of 1938” to the dock of honour of our port a few days ago. This is the story of this ship.

The yacht was launched from Goole Shipyard for Sir Malcolm Campbell. Designed by Scottish naval architects G.L. Watson, it was to be an ocean yacht while Sir Malcolm planned to go scavenger hunting in the Cocos Islands in the Pacific. He never went to the Pacific because the yacht was requisitioned during the war in 1940 and went to Dunkirk to assist in the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force.

  In 1941, he patrolled off Liverpool, where he failed to detonate by a bomb, and later that year, he left for Northern Ireland, where he had to patrol the coast off Ulster and Eire.   After the war he was taken out of service, but Sir Campbell was too old to undertake long journeys. He died in 1948 and, five years later, the yacht was sold. When Jean-Louis Renault, the famous car manufacturer, bought it in 1958, it was named Sterope. For the next 25 years he was given the name Janick and he crossed the Mediterranean extensively.

In 1973 it was sold to Mr Colberg who based it in Long Beach, California and was painted green. When Bob Harvey-George bought it in 1986, he brought it back to the United Kingdom. Major modifications were made that made the yacht close to its original profile. After nine years of chartering in British waters, it was sold to a former Dutch captain on the high seas in 1995. He was based in Rotterdam from where he undertook day trips, as well as cruises to the Baltic and the south coast of England during the summer.   In 2006, it was bought by Nick Edminston who had it completely restored. Much of Blue Bird’s steel hull was still intact, but due to stability problems caused by its heavy superstructure, it was decided to rebuild the entire superstructure.   In May 2007, Blue Bird was completed and left Palma. In the summer of 2007, she sailed in the eastern and western Mediterranean, while in the winter she sailed in the Caribbean.

Excerpt from the book “Blue Bird Seven Decades at Sea” written by Tom Culiffe.

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Motor Yacht

Blue Bird is a custom motor yacht launched in 1938 by Goole Shipyard and most recently refitted in 2008.

Blue Bird measures 31.59 metres in length, with a max draft of 3.20 metres and a beam of 6.03 metres.

Blue Bird has a steel hull with a steel / wood superstructure.

Her interior design is by Bannenberg & Rowell Design.

Blue Bird also features naval architecture by G.L. Watson & Co..

Performance and Capabilities

Blue Bird has a top speed of 13 knots. She is powered by a twin screw propulsion system.

Blue Bird has a fuel capacity of 20,000 litres, and a water capacity of 5,000 litres.

She also has a range of 4,000 nautical miles.

Accommodation

Blue Bird accommodates up to 9 guests in 2 cabins. She also houses room for up to 6 crew members.

• Yacht Builder Goole Shipyard No profile available
• Naval Architect G.L. Watson & Co. No profile available
• Exterior Designer G.L. Watson & Co. No profile available
• Interior Designer Bannenberg & Rowell Design View profile

Yacht Specs

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Mai - Juin  1940

The association of dunkirk little ships .

A D L S  

BLUE BIRD OF 1938

Type:  Motor Yacht  Length:  107ft  Beam:  20ft  Draft:  9ft 10ins  Displacement:  175 tons  Engine:  2 x Baudoin DP12 400hp Diesels  Construction:  Steel  Builder:  Goole Shipbuilding Co Ltd  Year:  1938

The last of the three yachts owned by Sir Malcolm Campbell, holder of the world land and water speed records before the war, was Blue Bird II. His previous two boats, also called Blue Bird, - as were his record breaking cars and power-boats - were the 29-tonner, now called CHICO and the 16-tonner Bluebird of Chelsea, both on this website. All three, as it happened, went to Dunkirk in 1940.

Built by the Goole Shipbuilding and Repairing Company, and designed by G.L. Watsons, the Scottish Naval Architects, it was to be an ocean-going yacht, capable of crossing the Atlantic to fulfil his dream to go treasure hunting in the Cocos Islands in the Pacific, - Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Islands. But, only a year after he took delivery of his splendid yacht, with its five cabins, its dining saloon panelled in English oak and walnut-panelled smoking room, war broke out and Blue Bird, was requisitioned. Although her participation at Dunkirk is recorded in A.D. Divine's book, no more details survive. A Royal Navy telegraphist has left an interesting first-hand account of some of her crew and her activities. At that time, she was engaged in the H.M. Customs Examination Service with a complement of two RNR officers and 16 crew.

It was spring 1941 and Blue Bird's Examination Station was west of the Bar Light Vessel, observing the approaches to the Mersey Main Channel off Liverpool. They spent three days at a time at sea, during which the Examination Officer, assisted by the deck crew, checked on all traffic into the port of Liverpool. There were frequent air raids on Liverpool docks and the Birkenhead shipyards. As soon as the alert was sounded, Blue Bird would cast off from the river pontoon and take up station in mid-stream to look out for enemy mines dropped from the air, and for ships approaching by sea. Once she narrowly missed being blown up by a bomb which, had it not failed to explode, would have blown them sky-high.

In September 1941 Blue Bird was posted to Londonderry, N. Ireland to patrol the coast of Ulster and Eire to intercept 'neutral' cargo vessels and to identify coasters in the channel approaches. This left a fair time for fishing. Bob McKenzie, the coxswain, was a trawlerman in peacetime and many of the lower ranks had been fishermen too. They soon rigged up an improvised trawl, a longline with l00 hooks at a time and hand lines to catch mackerel - all of which provided useful income, or currency for barter with the good people of Eire, when they passed in and out of Lough Foyle. A break in their routine was provided by their periodic visits to Belfast Lough for 'de-gaussing' - a process for making the ship less susceptible to magnetic mines. After the war, Blue Bird was de-commissioned, but by then Sir Malcolm Campbell was too ill to realise his dream of going treasure hunting in her. In 1948 he died and five years later, Blue Bird was sold to Jean Louis Renault, the French car maker, who owned her for 25 years, changed her name to Janick and added crew's quarters on the foredeck. She cruised extensively in the Mediterranean and was eventually sold to Mr. E. Colberg, who kept her at Long Beach, California.

This is where Bob Harvey-George and his wife Sheila heard she was for sale. They succeeded in buying her and sailed back to Cornwall, where they arrived in June 1986 after a five-week voyage, proving her seaworthiness whilst avoiding the first hurricane of the year in the Pacific. Since then, the ship has completed a major process of restoration. She has gone back to her old name: Blue Bird, and closer to her original design. Large areas of her deck have been covered with teak planking recovered from a ship which sank in the Bristol Channel in 1917. Her rigging, panelling and paintwork have all been restored and modern technology and comforts have been introduced discreetly without spoiling the charm of a more leisurely and elegant age.

In 1995 Blue Bird was bought by a Dutch Deep-sea Captain who took her to Holland. There, he and his wife Susan brought Blue Bird back to immaculate condition working seven days a week for four years. In the condition she is now she will survive well into the 21st century!

Until 2004 Blue Bird was a passenger charter yacht kept in the Port of Rotterdam. Known to cruise the Baltic and the South Coast of England.

She was bought by her present owner in 2004 and underwent a 3 year full restoration in Palma de Mallorca to her current condition using G.L.Watson her original naval architects and Bannenberg Designs for the interior. In 2008 she won the World Superyacht Award for ‘Best Refit’.  Blue Bird was originally built by Sir Malcom Campbell to go treasure hunting in the Pacific Ocean on the Costa Rican island of Cocos which didn’t happen because of WWII, the current owner with his family navigated her there in 2015 to full fill this goal for the first time in her life. 

Blue Bird is currently sailing in the Mediterranean Sea being mothership to a classic 1937 S&S yawl. 

Updated: March 2020

Do you have information on this vessel?  Please let us know 

SuperyachtClassics

CLASSIC EXTERIOR

Yachts do not take shape on slipways and in boat sheds through divine scheming or spontaneous creation. Given plans, timber, metal, a quantum of art and an infusion of engineering, the craftsmen work their magic, but no vessel ever felt the first kiss of the sea without the will of her owner. After all, nobody is forcing him to build her. No trading opportunities demand it; no celebrated international cup draws his vanity. In their place lies the kingdom of dreams brought, he hopes, to reality by the yacht.

Sir Malcolm Campbell's yacht in Palma

• Bluebird of 1938

Bluebird of 1938 in Palma. | Astilleros de Mallorca

The classic Bluebird of 1938 yacht is currently in Palma for maintenance, having come from Saint-Tropez. The yacht was built at the Goole Shipyard for Sir Malcolm Campbell , who held both the land and water world speed records at various times in the 1920s and 1930s. These were with vehicles named Bluebird.

The oceangoing yacht was designed by Scottish naval architects G.L. Watson to traditional specifications. Campbell had planned to sail to the southern seas, but the plan was frustrated by the Second World War . The yacht was requisitioned to take part in the evacuation of British forces from Dunkirk.

Many years later, the yacht was restored by Astilleros de Mallorca , work that was to lead to a 2008 World Superyacht Award from Boat International . The shipyard's director, Diego Colon de Carvajal, recalls that this was prestigious recognition for what the magazine described as "a work of art". Adaptations were made to the original specification, and Bannenberg & Rowell were responsible for new interiors in a classic British style but with a modern touch.

With its tall masts and conventional chimney, Bluebird of 1938 is like a miniature ocean liner of the classic era. It is 31.5 metres long and the beam is six metres. The 137 tonne yacht can reach twelve knots, powered by an 800 HP diesel engine. There is room for nine guests and six crew, a feature being the elegant VIP suite .

Malcolm Campbell's final land speed record was set at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah in 1935. The final water speed record was on Coniston Water in 1939. He died of natural causes in 1948. His son Donald died in attempting a new water speed record on Coniston Water in 1967.

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• Majorca nautical industry
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BLUE BIRD – CLASSIC MOTOR YACHT

In 2008 we were delighted to win the World Superyacht Award for Best Refit. Presenting the awards, BBC news-reader Kate Silverton reported that, in the opinion of the judges, the nominated yachts were of exceptionally high standard but that once in a while there was a project which was so outstanding that it bore no competition, Blue Bird was such a yacht.

Click here to watch a video of Blue Bird on Superyacht Media

Sir Malcolm Campbell

Few yachts have as clear cut a raison d’etre as Blue Bird . Commissioned by speed ace Sir Malcolm Campbell when he was the fastest man on earth, his motive was treasure. Back in 1930, armed with an ‘authentic’ treasure map he had made a voyage to the Cocos Islands and found the first in the series of clues that would ultimately lead to a fabulous treasure. The use of a friend’s yacht was not however unlimited and he was forced to return to the UK frustrated. In the late 1930s he sought his own ship for a new treasure hunting voyage.

Inspired by Queen Mary

For the design of Blue Bird , Campbell turned to G. L. Watson & Co. Watson & Co. are perhaps more famous for their classic clipper bow and counter stern steam motor yachts, but for Blue Bird James Rennie Barnett developed a different approach. Inspired by the liner Queen Mary, the contemporary icon of marine design, Blue Bird was given a raked stem, fashion plates and a cruiser stern. This elegant profile allowed for generous interior volumes in a hull that is far more suited to ocean passage making than some of the low freeboard yachts of the period.

Dunkirk Little Ship

The long sought treasure remained undisturbed as Blue Bird’s yachting career was all too soon interrupted by war. Serving in the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkerque has earned her an enduring place in history. A subsequent posting as a Customs Inspection vessel on the Mersey nearly led to her loss during the blitz on the port of Liverpool. By late 1941 Blue Bird was a Royal Navy patrol vessel off the Northern Irish coast complete with a cannon on her foredeck and crew of 18.

Jean-Louis Renault

With the return of peace and Blue Bird’s decommissioning Campbell was too old to undertake long voyages and sold her. Of her post-war owners Jean-Louis Renault of the car making family who owned her for the 25 years till 1973 is by far the most significant. Over these years he carried out extensive work including replacing the original Ruston & Hornsby engines. Towards the end of his ownership he also dramatically altered her profile enclosing much of the exterior areas with new steel structures. Thus disguised and re-named Janick, Blue Bird was eventually sold to Californian owners who painted her a then fashionable shade of green.

Fortunately, Englishman Bob Harvey-George saw through this disguise and rescued the neglected classic, returned her close to her original profile and chartered her in UK waters. During this period she starred in an episode of Jeeves and Wooster and became a regular attendee at gatherings of the Dunkerque Little Ships. In the mid-1990s Blue Bird was sold to Dutch owners and remained a relatively familiar sight in Northern European waters. She remained operational, undertook some charter work but was a far cry from being in yacht condition.

A New Beginning

A fan of classic yachts Blue Bird’s current owner was looking for a mid-sized yacht to compliment his family’s larger Talitha G. Working with Edmiston & Co. he considered many traditional post-war motor yachts but surveys revealed that major work would be required and this did not seem justified on such recent vessels. In frustration Nick Edmiston called William Collier who had recently taken over G. L. Watson & Co. and had kept a weather eye on the firm’s surviving vessels. Collier proposed Blue Bird , it would be a ‘project’ but one with a great pedigree and which appeared to meet virtually all the requirements.

A Challenging Restoration

Completing Blue Bird was a complex and difficult undertaking relying on diverse teams and skill bases. The layering of systems spanning from 1930s equipment to state of the art, the elegant interior and exterior detailing, the modern functionality have been achieved within regulatory environment never contemplated when she was first designed. The beautiful, uncompromised yacht that she is today is a testament to an owner and team who set the bar very high.

Exceeding Expectations

Now Blue Bird has fully come to life again. Whilst her unknown sea keeping abilities were anticipated to be good these have exceeded expectations. She cruises comfortably at 12 knots, the attention paid to vibration and sound attenuation have been supremely successful and comfort at sea has certainly been enhanced by the zero speed stabilizers. Since leaving Palma, Blue Bird has cruised extensively in France, Italy, Greece and Turkey and with her elegantly restored profile turns heads at all ports of call. In 2010 Blue Bird led the fleet at the 70th Anniversary Commemoration of the Dunkirk Evacuation and played host to HRH Prince Michael of Kent.

Whether she will finally make that long-delayed cruise to the Cocos Islands in search of treasure is not known although plans to cruise the West Indies and Indian Ocean are in hand.

G.L. Watson & Co. Ltd. 20-23 Woodside Place, Glasgow G3 7QL, Scotland

Tel: +44 (141) 501 0480

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BLUE BIRD OF 1938 Yacht Video

31.59m  /  103'8 | goole shipyard | 1938 / 2005.

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Blue Bird of 1938

• Delivered 2007
• Length 38 M
• Interior designer Bannenberg & Rowell Design
• Shipyard Astilleros de Mallorca

We carried out the complete refit to this classic motor yacht, originally built by Goole Shipyard in 1938 for the legendary Sir Malcolm Campbell.

Photos: David Churchill

Designed by Scottish naval architects G.L. Watson she was to be an ocean going yacht as Sir Malcolm intended to go treasure hunting in the Cocos Islands in the Pacific. 

She never made it to the Pacific. Blue Bird was requisitioned in 1940 and went to Dunkirk instead to assist in the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force. 

Her current owner completely restored the superyacht in 2007 at Astilleros de Mallorca. Her original designer, G.L. Watson assisted with the rebuild and Bannenberg & Rowell Design created an elegant new interior.

Our first art deco project, the main saloon conjures up the feeling of being at home not at sea thanks to the use of exotic woods including zebrano, American walnut and macassar ebony.

The art deco inspired VIP cabin expands to the full width of the yacht, giving the luxury of warmth and space.

A luxury continued in the guest rooms that also extend to the full width of the aft section. The master bedroom is set in the original dining room to take advantage of the 180 degree views.

Everywhere is the elegance of a lost age, underpinned with contemporary efficiency.