The 39-metre Amazone has arrived in the UK ahead of an ambitious restoration project aimed at returning the iconic vessel to its former glory. The 1936 Thornycroft, famously belonging to Winston Churchill, was delivered to the Pendennis shipyard from France by Sevenstar Yacht Transport earlier this week.

The restoration is a collaborative effort between Nicholas Edmiston and William Collier of classic yacht experts G.L. Watson & Co. Having previously collaborated on the restorations of Blue Bird, Nahlin, Malahne, and Cacouna, they had been monitoring the Amazone for several years.

“The arrangements for the tow in France were extensive and very complicated,” says Mike Herrebrugh, Director of Sevenstar Yacht Transport. “But it’s amazing to be trusted by Nicholas Edmiston and William Collier to handle their project, which is clearly a labour of love, to preserve a historic piece of yachting.”

For over two decades, it has served as a houseboat on the Seine in Paris and was in urgent need of extensive renovations to become seaworthy again. In an ambitious two-week programme, the yacht was acquired, prepared for towage, and taken to Le Havre. It was then loaded onto the 214m DYT semi-submersible Yacht Servant and delivered to Falmouth, where she was unloaded and transferred to the Pendennis Shipyard yesterday morning.

Achieving this tight schedule in heavily regulated waters relied on the detailed collaboration between Mike Herrebrugh of Sevenstar Yacht Transport and William Collier, including the charter of four specialised vessels on the Seine and the heavy lift cross-channel transport.

“These are complex projects where you need the support of strong partners who understand your requirements and remain focused on them throughout,” adds William Collier, Managing Director of G. L. Watson. “Mike Herrebrugh is that partner, and this concludes our third successful project with Sevenstar in the last 12 months.”

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