Stalca, top and below, was a
welcome contrast to Deo Juvante
II, right, the larger yacht on which
the royal couple honeymooned.
Stalca had no room for guests
and hardly any crew so provided
the privacy the family cravedPHOTOGRAPHS: MARK NICHOLSON/WINCH DESIGN; REX
same age as Princess Caroline and for me she was
always an icon of style. I remember looking at the
magazines and seeing the outfits she wore; if she had a
pair of wide white trousers, I’d go out and look for some
too. She has always been so chic. It’s really nice to think
that she was on this yacht, having fun.”
Janet began to research the best in 1970s style through
the website No Repro, a mid-century furniture
specialist. “Unfortunately for me, this stuff is very
collectible these days,” she says with a laugh. She kept
the original dining table in the aft guest cockpit “because
we’re Scottish; we’re fine eating outdoors.” The freed up
main salon space now has a rosewood and a chrome
Pieff side table that has been fully adapted for marine
use. “I got Andrew on this one. He loved it and maybe
even copied it.” Other design pieces are Merrow
Associates side tables, vintage Spanish leather
armchairs and Italian leather couches.
Winch provided some ideas for color themes, but
Janet stuck with cream and (royal) blue with orange
accents. Most fabrics are Jane Churchill. “What I
wanted to do was to soften the interiors and make them
more comfortable.”
The previous owner had plugged the Grace Kelly
theme with movie posters and stills as artwork. “But I
don’t think she would have wanted that,” Janet says.
These have been replaced with prints by artists like
Miró, Chagall and Sir Terry Frost, who captured the
spirit of the French Riviera in the 1970s. An Eileen Gray
carpet in the main salon is in a pattern called Blue
Marine, also the name of a charity that both Prince
Albert and Andrew Winch support.
But one piece in particular has captured Janet’s heart:
a painting of Stalca done as a gift from the Wotherspoons’
gardener. “I’m sorry, but if we should ever sell this yacht,
that painting is coming with us. It was such a kind
gesture and it really means a lot to us.” But, like Grace,
they will leave a legacy of care and respect, and a family
haven fit for a princess.BMORE
YACHTS
FORMERLY
OWNED BY
HEADS OF STATE
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