http://www.boatinternational.com | June 2017PHOTOGRAPH: XXXXXXMaurizio Gucci, the last member of the family dynasty to run the fashion
empire, shared the same enthusiasm for the water and bought Creole in
1983, two years after Allegra was born. “I think at the time it was a little bit
crazy,” she says. “We’re talking about the beginning of the 1980s, when there
was not the knowledge we have now about restoring classic boats. And
obviously Creole is not a normal classic boat, she is an enormous classic
boat.” Indeed, this 65 metre behemoth is the largest wooden sailing yacht
in the world. She was launched as Vira by Camper & Nicholsons in 1927
for US carpet manufacturer Alexander Smith Cochran, who messed about
a little too much with the design post-splash. He thought the masts looked
too tall and had them cut (too much), adding more ballast to compensate
for the newly stumpy masts. The result was too much roll and poor
performance. Her next owner was British yachtsman Maurice Pope, who
renamed her Creole after a dessert invented by his chef, and then she was
bought by an English baronet. Now she could sail, but the timing was poor- she was requisitioned for wartime service as a mine-hunter. Afterwards
a new buyer, Greek shipping magnate Stavros Niarchos, lavished more
money than any previous owners on restoring her, but sold her in 1977 to
the Danish navy, who stripped her out to use as a training vessel.
By the time Maurizio Gucci took possession, she was badly in need
of another passionate and wealthy yachtsman to pamper her.
“She was like a wreck really,” says his daughter. “The goal of my father was
to give Creole a second life, to keep the boat as original as possible. There
were no interiors, so those were the only things made new – and they were
made to respect the soul of the boat, in harmony with its history.” Major
refit work was undertaken at Beconcini in Italy, Lürssen in Germany and
ended in Astilleros de Mallorca, while the designer Toto Russo was drafted
in to reflect the style and the elegance of the period in which Creole was
built, and a wealth of artworks was added across the six guest cabins. The
result was a big, stylish and glamorous boat that sails like a dream. “I
remember a day in Saint-Tropez when we had perfect conditions and Creole
was sailing in around 17 knots of wind, the cap rail properly in the water. It
was one of the most thrilling moments I have experienced in sailing.”
This is a boat that has been with Allegra throughout her life – she
holidayed on board as a child with her older sister Alessandra. “Some of the
best memories I have on Creole are the water fights that would suddenly
break out on board. They would start as just a splash between me and my
sister and by the end of it everyone would be soaking wet – owners, crew
and officers. Quite often somebody ended up in the sea. It was great fun!
Gucci has always loved the sea and
started to learn to sail as a child on
small dinghies. She later graduated
to the foredeck of the family yacht
Avel before taking to 65m Creole0123456789 0123456789BLACKYELLOWMAGENTACYAN 91BOIJUN17169.pgs 26.04.2017 18:45ART
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