DECEMBER 2017 WWW.BOATINTERNATIONAL.COM
system, no fire system on the boat that functioned,” the
captain says. “We worked out a list and prioritized
things based on safety, functionality and cosmetics.”
The owners and the captain came up with a plan for
a several-phase refit, making time for them to enjoy the
boat between yard periods. “Basically she’d been let
go,” says Kristine Williams, who owns the yacht with
her husband and is handling the redesign.
“Bringing back an old boat has to be a labor of love,”
Ewing says, and it seems like the new owners have
plenty to give. The news may not have been what they
wanted to hear, but they delved deep into the project,
determined to make the boat safe. “Even if we had been
disappointed and wanted to sell, you don’t sell a boat
that is unseaworthy,” Williams says. But they also saw
an opportunity to make the layout work better for their
family and eventual guests, and committed to bring
back the steel and aluminum yacht’s beautiful and
occasionally colorful past.
The yacht was delivered in 1978 to E Clayton
Gengras, a self-made millionaire who built his empire
by selling cars, beginning with the Stutz Bearcat before
World War II. He named the Feadship, designed by De
Voogt Naval Architects,Claybethin honor of his
daughters and used her primarily for family and to
entertain political friends in Connecticut. One of those
friends was Malcolm Forbes who bought the vessel a
few years later. AsHighlander IV,the yacht entertained
some notable names. Princess Margaret, sister of
Queen Elizabeth II, once attended a party on board.
Forbes sold the boat four years after buying it, because
as he reputedly told one guest, “the ashtrays are full.”“What my
husband and I
really love are
the classic lines
and the feel of
an older boat –
one with tons
of character”
The protected aft
deck is a great
option for dining,
but the owners love
to deploy a table on
the swim platform
or on the top deck
for barbecue or
pizza nightSmoking on board was permissible but it was subject
to strict rules.Berilda’s current captain found standing
orders from that period. “It says no smoking in the main
salon; smoking in bunkrooms after 6pm prohibited. It’s
definitely dated, but it’s the time when smoking was
allowed on airlines – it’s a bit of a trip,” he says.
Over the years, the yacht was also known as
Sharon S, The Virginian, Lady AllisonandSirenuse.As
Sirenuse, she underwent a yearlong refit in 2004 in
anticipation of far-flung trips in the Pacific Ocean with
a family and teachers. At that time a larger bunkroom
for the kids and a small darkroom were added.
On a more colorful note, daredevil Evel Knievel once
chartered the vessel, making about $50,000 worth of
unauthorized charges, according toEvel Incarnate: The
life and Legend of Evel Knievelby Steve Mandich, and
blamed his behavior on the painkillers he was taking
when the charter company sued him.
While they are respectful
of the history, the owners
did not want a museum feel
or a jarring modern interior
that would disagree with this
Feadship’s classic looks. One
ofBerilda’s great assets is
that her successive care-
takers made no changes to
her exterior styling, which is
authentically graceful.
With her new steel plating
and efficient slow churning
Caterpillars, she proved to
be the great little ship her
new owners had wanted –
incredibly solid and steady.
During their shakedown
cruise, however, the original
Vosper stabilizers started
acting up. “We ran three-
fourths of the season on one fin, and did St Vincent and
Grenadines all the way back up without stabilizers.
I am happy to be redoing the system, but that it was
feasible is a testament of how solid they built the boat
in those days,” Ewing says.
The owners decided that they wanted to replace the
system with brand new Quantum fins and to redo the
bridge, which had been left alone in the first yard period.
Back in Florida, the captain went to Rybovich to discuss
retrofitting the new stabilizers. When the yard told him
the work would take around 15 weeks, the owners
decided to check several more items off their to-do list.
Back on the hard in August,Berildawas once again
opened up. “At the moment the engine room is