Camper & Nicholsons Marigold

Marigold, launched in 1892, was one of Charles Nicholson's first projects - he was only 22, but by then he had been working for the family firm for five years.

By 1896 Marigold had won a number of important regattas and enjoyed a reputation as a very dangerous racing yacht for her rivals. One of her logbook entries from those years describes her crossing from Southampton to Blyth in 1901 at an average speed of 12 knots, a remarkable achievement for her time! Interestingly, her second owner's sister, born in 1929, got her name after the boat. After a tumultuous racing period, the boat "went by the wayside", frequently changing owners. In 1972 she passed into the hands of a marina owner who remembered that he already owned the boat! The next 10 years of Marigold's history are obscure. All that is known is that in 1982 she was found abandoned and half-sunk. Enthusiasts picked her up and mothballed her, but they did not have the means to do more. Seven years later she was sold at a special auction and ended up in the hands of her current owner, Bermudian yachtsman Glen Allen. After three years of restoration, the yacht has been restored to her original appearance, in particular her Victorian mahogany and two leather interiors with bronze kerosene lamps.