G. L. Watson & Co. was founded in 1873 and was the first business created to focus exclusively on the design and project management of large yachts. As such it holds an enviable track record and the names of many of the yachts it designed are the fabric of yachting history.
The legendary royal yacht Britannia remains the most successful racing yacht of all time. In the archive room at G. L. Watson & Co. her drawings sit alongside those of America’s Cup challengers, great schooners, palatial steam and motor yachts. The drawings are works of art in their own right and the firm has recently invested significantly in a program of conservation that has made many drawings accessible for the first time in many years. This however was not solely inspired by sentiment.
In the world of classic yacht racing, the construction of replicas is now a well established trend and yachts such as Thistle, the 1887 America’s Cup challenger are ideal for recreation to join the Mediterranean racing circuit. At 115 feet this is a mid-sized yacht, there are also larger options such as the 154 foot Rainbow, the first modern schooner or more modestly the 50 foot Vril, the stunningly successful racing yacht that brought early fame to the company.
But it is not just the construction of replicas that makes the company’s archive relevant; in recent years the firm has been retained by discerning yachtsmen to oversee the restoration of some of their classic designs.
The first of these remarkable projects was Tara Getty’s 105 foot motor yacht Blue Bird, originally designed for speed ace Sir Malcolm Campbell. More recently the firm was responsible for the restoration of the magnificent 300 foot steam yacht Nahlin.
These are major projects and the role undertaken by the firm goes far beyond merely providing the original drawings. The restoration and re- building of these ocean going beauties involves a great deal of new design work to bring them into compliance with current standards and regulations as well as to adapt them to modern use.
For this the firm draws on its strong design and technical team and, as it has done throughout its history, the firm takes a leading role in the project.
This all round partnering service allows G. L. Watson & Co. to achieve astonishing results, but also gives their clients a single, responsible interface. This is valuable in its own right, but for first-time yacht owners entering a complex environment the trusted partnership that the firm provides is essential. Noting just how much consultancy work the firm is asked to undertake, one senses that this is a firm with long-term client relationships whose clients appreciate its discrete but high quality ethos.
“ Blue Bird, built in 1938 and restored in 2007 Rainbow, built in 1898 and available for re-building
In a very real sense the firm seems to have stayed true to the values that first brought it to prominence and made it the doyen of the yachting establishment.
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