The "Moonbeam III" at the Régates Royales 2014 in front of Cannes
The beauty, built in 1903 at the famous William Fife shipyard in Scotland, is to be auctioned at Artcurial's "Rétromobile" auction in Paris on February 5th. The estimated value is between 500,000 and 1,500,000 euros.
The yacht, which was originally built as a yawl but has since been gaffed up, has - like almost all classics - an eventful history. It was built for the London lawyer Charles Plumtree Johnson, who was a member of both the exclusive Royal Yacht Squadron and the Royal Thames Yacht Club. He competed with her in regattas on the east coast of England. After several changes of ownership, it finally came to the Mediterranean, where it won the "Course Croisière Mediterranée" in 1927 and 1928.
The "Moonbeam III" behind the "Moonbeam IV" at the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge 2014
The French aviation pioneer Felix Amiot bought the yacht, after which it stood on land near Cherbourg for 24 years. In 1970 she switched sides of the canal again and was restored in Southampton for ten years.
In 1989 the "Moonbeam III" was auctioned and returned to the Mediterranean, the new home port was St. Tropez. A complete refit took place between 2004 and 2006. Since then she has regularly participated in classic regattas such as the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenges. Further information on the auction can be found here.