Voyage of Discovery

An outstanding restoration project has rescued an important historic yacht and created a magnificent series of new interiors in the spirit of the 1930s, as John Good all reveals.

- John Goodall

At her moorings, Malahne looks strikingly different from the surrounding super yachts, with their sharp lines and shining finishes of plastic, metal and glass. Her classic lines proclaim her to be a survival from another age of yachting: Malahne was commissioned in 1937 by William ‘Bill’ Lawrence Stephenson, the managing director and, from 1931, chairman of Woolworths. During the 1930s, he emerged as a prominent figure in the sailing world, winning the King’s Cup in 1936 on a J Class yacht built for him by Camper & Nicholsons in Portsmouth. this was named Velsheda after his three daughters, Velma, Sheila and Daphne.

The victory was perhaps the catalyst for the commission of a new motor yacht the following year, designed by Charles E. Nicholson from the same yard with another composite name. this time, he used the end letters of each daughter’s name: Malahne.

The idea of pairing yachts—one with a motor, the other a sailing boat—began in the late 19th century. Sailing yachts were essentially pleasure boats for racing. In order to combine sport with comfort, therefore, it was necessary to sail in the company of a motor yacht. By contrast, these were luxuriously appointed vessels suitable for entertainment and the accommodation of guests, so a day of racing could conclude with the home comforts of good food and comfortable beds.

Crucially, motor yachts could also sail independently on long journeys. Before the age of the aeroplane, therefore, for the rich, they were the means of foreign travel for pleasure and business.