GONE, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

The first problem with research into missing yachts relates to the scarcity of archival material – partly because not all builders bothered to keep accurate records, and partly because paper documents are fragile. Fire, for example, obliterated much of the Camper & Nicholsons archive in the early 20th century. During WWII the archive was further damaged by the Luftwaffe, resulting in the total loss of many of this glorious marque’s original plans.

Another problem is the reliability of existing information. Details are often captured haphazardly and an old boat’s provenance usually contains multiple changes – in name, owner, port of registry and even continent. Many simply ‘fall off the radar’.

Furthermore, it’s difficult to keep track of the large number of boats being kept in sheds, garages and fields, yachts (or their remains) that in some cases