James Bond's yacht is for sale

Casino Royale / Danjaq, LLC & United Artists Corporation

This is not a spectre. Featured on screen in the 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale, the recently refitted transport of choice for agent 007 and his doomed lover, Vesper Lynd, will soon be on display in real life at the London On-Water Show from 4 to 7 May 2016 at St Katharine Docks, London.

In fact, those who fancy a sophisticated chunk of Bond memorabilia can offer in excess of £600,000 for the handmade 16.7m wooden boat built by Spirit Yachts.

Iconic scenes of the yacht, officially named Soufrière, were filmed as Bond (Daniel Craig) seemingly resigns from MI6 and retreats to Venice with Lynd (Eva Green). Sean McMillan, CEO and head designer of Spirit Yachts, describes that particular scene as probably the most challenging voyage for Soufrière.

“We had to take the rig in and out 10 times; she was the first sailing yacht to go up the Grand Canal in 300 years,” McMillan said.

The boat and her skilled team of builders were definitely tested under strain and toughened during the making of Casino Royale. Following her build at the Spirit yard in Ipswich of Suffolk, Soufrière was shipped to the Bahamas for a beach shot, then sailed to Puerto Rico and through the British Virgin Islands to Tortola Harbour, before being shipped to Croatia and finally navigated to Venice.

As soon as her big-screen days were over, the sophisticated yacht was sold to an Irish procurer who occupied the former Bond co-star by cruising and participating in competitive racing.

A decade later, Soufrière returned to Spirit Yachts to complete a refit. Made with mahogany and teak, she was given a fresh coat of paint on her ice-blue-coloured hull and all external varnish was stripped and re-varnished where necessary. Interior woodwork has been re-varnished, plus all equipment, from the engine to the rigging, has been inspected and serviced.

Soufrière sleeps up to six guests in two double cabins with en-suite bathrooms and is powered by a 54hp Yanmar diesel engine.

McMillan, who now has a portfolio of more than 125 sail and power-yacht designs, said: “Soufrière was designed specifically for Casino Royale following the production company’s search for a classically elegant and unique British-built yacht. What better place to re-launch her to the public than London; the home of James Bond?”

For more information about the London On-Water Yacht & Boat Show, please click here.

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