Each week, we spotlight one yacht worth knowing. Not just for how it looks or the amenities it has on board, but for how it changes the experience of where you are. This week, our chosen charter yacht is the 65.3-metre Camper & Nicholsons sailing legend Creole. Delivered in 1927, and the perfect yacht for all of the history buffs out there, Creole charter yacht has the accolade of being the world’s largest wooden sailing yacht and is currently available for charter with Thompson of Monaco.
There are yachts, and then there is Creole. Long before the age of push-button sails, carbon fibre masts and DynaRigs, there was this: a three-masted schooner, hand-crafted from timber, with an inky-black hull and a crown of sails which stops people in their tracks wherever it appears in the harbour or on the horizon.
Built nearly 100 years ago by the storied British shipyard Camper & Nicholsons, sailing yacht Creole is best described as both an exceptional sailing yacht and a floating piece of history. Alongside holding the title of the world’s largest wooden sailing yacht, Creole charter yacht’s significance goes far beyond that of size.
As the masterpiece of Charles E. Nicholson (regarded by many as the greatest naval architect of his era), Creole represents a standard of craftsmanship which the modern world simply cannot replicate. A Creole yacht charter is not just booking a week at sea: it is stepping aboard, and living on, a monument in action.
Creole Charter Yacht: A History Worth Telling
It must be said, Creole charter yacht must have one of the best boat-based origin stories out there. Commissioned in the roaring twenties by Alexander Smith Cochran (1874-1929), who was described as the wealthiest bachelor in New York, this industrialist and keen yachtsman was angling for an elegant and simple schooner which could be handled by a minimal crew.
Nicholson’s design was extraordinary: a staysail schooner rig with self-tacking sails (sails that automatically adjust during manoeuvres, reducing the need for manual rope handling). Creole was conceived as one of the most ambitious sailing yachts of the era. But before it had properly proven itself, Cochran, ill with tuberculosis and reportedly unsettled by her immense rig, ordered the masts to be shortened multiple times and added extra ballast, compromising Nicholson’s original vision. Disappointed, he sold her within a year.
Subsequent owners gradually restored what had been lost. Under Sir Connop Guthrie, Creole finally regained her intended rig and keel configuration, becoming the yacht Nicholson had originally imagined. During the Second World War, however, Creole was requisitioned by the Royal Navy, stripped back and used as a minehunter under the name Magic Circle.
A Story of Reinvention
Creole charter yacht’s most glamorous chapter arrived in 1947, when Greek shipping magnate Stavros Niarchos purchased and rebuilt the sailing yacht as a floating palace, complete with artworks by Dalí, Cézanne and Renoir. Royal guests, including Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía of Spain, spent time aboard, while Creole also competed in the inaugural Tall Ships’ Race in 1956.
By the early 1980s, Creole charter yacht had again fallen into decline, before being rescued by Maurizio Gucci, who undertook a meticulous restoration that returned the boat to active sailing life while preserving its character. That philosophy continues today: beneath the polished teak and carefully maintained systems, much of Creole’s original fabric still survives. In 2013, under Allegra Gucci, the yacht returned to racing at Monaco Classic Week and won the Monaco Classic Week Trophy: proof that nearly a century on, Creole remains exactly what Nicholson originally intended.
Life Under Sail: What Creole Can Do
Not a museum piece in a marina, Creole was designed to move, and move it does. In the right conditions and at full sail, Creole can reach a top speed of 16 knots, and moves at a dignified 11 knots at cruising speed, with an authority unmatched by the technology of modern superyachts.
When Creole charter yacht’s three masts and full spread of canvas catch the wind, travellers on board can enjoy sailing as it was meant to be experienced: fully alive, with cloth straining, hull heeling and crew working the lines.
On Board: One Hundred Years of Elegance
Below deck, Creole’s interiors are a study in restrained grandeur, created during the Gucci restoration of the 1980s and carefully preserved ever since. Six guest staterooms accommodate up to 11 guests, with a grand dining saloon and owner’s suite sitting at the heart of the yacht. Crew quarters are forward, ensuring the rhythm of life aboard is as unobtrusive as it is efficient.
The polished wood, period detailing and considered proportions create a sense of warmth and richness throughout, which suits Creole charter yacht’s amazing pedigree and heritage. Indeed, there isn’t anywhere else on the water quite like it. A crew of 15 looks after guests throughout the charter, ensuring that every aspect of the experience reflects the elegance of the boat itself.
On deck, the aft area provides a wonderful setting for al fresco dining, while the saloon is a beautiful retreat for evenings at sea. And then there is the simple, irreplaceable pleasure of being on deck under sail, watching the masts move against the sky and feeling the movement of the boat underneath you.
Where to Take Creole
Creole charter yacht is offered for charter across the Western Mediterranean, with a suggested itinerary that moves through the Balearic Islands. Beginning in Mallorca (a gateway perfectly suited to a yacht of this scale), the route takes in such sights as the turquoise coves of the island’s southwestern coast, Ibiza Town, Formentera, the stylish shores of Cala Jondal, and the pine-backed bay of Cala Macarella in Menorca.
Why Would You Want to Charter Yacht Creole?
There is no shortage of extraordinary yachts available for charter across the Mediterranean this season. Some are faster, some are newer, some are considerably larger. But there is only one Creole, the world’s largest wooden sailing yacht, with nearly a century of history in its timbers, a Salvador Dalí mural in her past, a Tall Ships’ Race in its logbook, a Monaco Classic Week Trophy won under its current family’s helm, and the Gucci legacy written into every detail of its present.
Charter yacht Creole has survived world war, neglect and changing fashions, and has emerged more magnificent than before. It is not, as Allegra Gucci has put it, owned: it is custodied. “It is a floating piece of history,” Gucci has said. “What’s even better, Creole still has many miles to sail.” Chartering Creole enables you to become part of the next chapter of her ever-growing story.
Creole is currently offered for charter with Thompson of Monaco for €189,000 per week plus expenses.
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