If yacht walls could tell a tale or two, these would gossip. Cacouna, launched 84 years ago and once host to Hollywood royalty, is undergoing a painstaking restoration.
The team tackling the restoration comes from different parts of the globe. The shipyard is Turkey-based Dunya Yachts, while Scotland-based G.L. Watson & Co. is taking on three roles. It’s handling exterior design and interior design, plus serving as the owner’s representative.
The 118-foot (36-meter) Cacouna got her first taste of salt water way back in 1932. Charles E. Nicholson designed her, while Camper & Nicholsons built her. The original owner: F.G.T. Dawson, a.k.a. Francis Gilmer Tempest Dawson. Dawson served as a director of Fairey Aviation, a British aircraft manufacturer. Cacouna changed hands five years later, to Leslie Leroy Irvin, a Hollywood stuntman-turned-parachutist. (He even created his own static-line parachute as a lifesaving device. He turned the concept into a successful company.) More ownership changes ensued, including service for the government during World War II.
Post-war, Cacouna went through a series of private owners. While some of the owners were high profile in their respective career fields, Cacouna herself gained a high profile in 1959. That’s when actor Eddie Fisher and actress Elizabeth Taylor chartered the yacht (then named Olnico) in the Mediterranean for their honeymoon. The megayacht gained fame yet again in 1964, starring in the French film Le Gendarme de Saint Tropez.
Interestingly, the megayacht had one owner all of this time. Gerard Bauche, heir to the Fauchet Bauche safe company and the Marcel Bauche sugar business, bought her in 1952. He sold the yacht in 2000. Olnico became Dear B at that point.
The current owner is restoring the original name. We don’t know how much of the original interior is being restored, however. The classic exterior lines, though, will remain the same.
In the meantime, since G.L. Watson specializes in classic yachts, it’s continuing to collect information and images about the yacht. If you know of any details about her history, contact the company. Or, contact us, and we’ll put you in touch with the design team.
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