Joseph M. Soper XARIFA 1927

Historical:

XARIFA 1927 has a long and interesting history full of racing, luxury, public service, scientific research and as in all original historic vessels, plenty of intrigue. Her first owner was Franklin Morse Singer, one of the many sons of the multimillionaire king of the sewing machine, Isaac Singer, and a well- known American yachtsman. Franklin Singer’s mother Isabella Eugeny Boye, French, was taken as model by the sculptor Frederic Bartholdi for the Liberty Statue stepped in New York harbour in 1866.

As Mr. Singer did with all his previous yachts, he named her Xarifa, an Arabic word which means ‘noble’, ‘honest’.

In 1930, he ordered his new next yacht and sold the Xarifa to the British businessman and newspapers magnate Edward Mauger (who was given the title of Baron Iliffe in 1933). Mr Mauger renamed her as Radiant. During this period, the yacht was raced actively and hosted important private social events on board.

In 1934, she was bought by Camper & Nicholson.

In 1936 the ship was sold to the Baron Louis Empain, the youngest son of Baron Edward Empain, a wealthy engineer, entrepreneur, financier and industrialist from Belgium, who gave her a new name, Oiseau Blanc. Under this ownership, she crossed many times the Atlantic Ocean, sailed the St. Lorenzo River and took several cruises in Europe and in America.

It has been published in many articles that around 1938 the yacht was sold again to Georgette Malou, who called her Georgette. However, since November 23rd 1936 until 1939, there are no records of the boat. In 1939, Professor and Admiral Samuel Eliot Morison, from the American History Department of Harvard, acquired her. As per the papers of Professor Morison, kept in the archives of Harvard University, in mid-1939, he and other benefactors “purchased a derelict three-masted schooner yacht, which we renamed Capitana and rerigged as a barquentine”. Professor and Admiral Samuel Eliot Morison re-baptized her as Capitana, in honor of Columbus´s Flagship. For a long time Prof. Morison was interested in Columbus´s voyages to America.

As published by the magazine Traffic World in June 8th 1940, the yacht changed hands once again and was bought by Clementino Benoliel De Carvalho, the son of Antonio Miguel de Carvalho, owner of the company Antonio Miguel de Carvalho et Cie. from Cape Verde. The boat was registered for trade use between New Bedford and Cape Verde in what was known as the Brava Packet Trade routes.

In April 1941 Capitana was acquired by an Icelandic merchant called Magnus Andersson in New Bedford, who took her to Reykjavik to be used for fish transportation between Iceland and Europe.

He later sold the vessel in 1947 to the Danish owner Tuxen and Hagemann, converting her into a fishing vessel, while preserving her name.

Negotiations were made by Hjamal Olsen, a Danish yacht broker.

It is thought that Hjamal Olsen navigated and was in charge of some of the “sikre ruter” (secure routes). After the meeting at the Hôtel Angleterre in 1944 between German Officers and members of the Danish resistance, where a secret collaboration was agreed (the resistance transported German goods through the “sikre ruters” between Denmark and neutral Sweden and they received weapons), Hjamal Olsen navigated these “sikre ruters” with a boat called “Capitano”.

In 1951 the famous Austrian Scientist and voyager Hans Hass (some refer to him as the Austrian Cousteau) bought the yacht. He initially renamed her Manta, in honor to one of the principle actors of his acclaimed film Under the Red Sea, released on October 2, 1952 and which was awarded first prize at the Venice Film Festival, as well as winning other major awards. However, he soon gave her back her original name, Xarifa. The yacht took many voyages around the world, especially through the Pacific and Indian oceans, thus becoming famous for Hans Hass’ oceanographic and scientific researches. By way of the International Institute for Marine Research, this new research ship was mostly financed through the proceeds of Hass´s film Under the Red Sea, and then by way of photo safaris in the Red Sea and by the BBC.

In 1960 she was purchased in Singapore by Italian multimillionaire Carlo Traglio. Under his ownership, she went through a refit in Italy and was then taken to her new home port, the Tee-Pier in Port Hercule, Monaco, where she remained berthed until 2012.

Finally, she was bought in 2012 by her current owner. A new full refit and her outstanding original architecture, made it possible for the Xarifa to recover all her strength and magnificence.

Since 2014, she has participated in several regattas, displaying once again her splendour and elegance: Cannes Régates Royales, Les Voiles de St Tropez, Argentario Sailing Week, Copa del Rey – Mahón, Regata Puig Barcelona, Monaco Classic Week, Panerai Transat Classique 2019.

Provenance (The Wall of Remembrance – The Owners, Crew & Notable Guest):

Owner/Guardian: (1927) – Franklin Morse Singer
Owner/Guardian: (1930) – Baron Iliffe, Edward Mauger
Owner/Guardian: (1934) – Camper & Nicholson
Owner/Guardian: (1936) – Baron Louis Empain
Owner/Guardian: (1938) – Georgette Malou
Owner/Guardian: (1939) – Professor and Admiral Samuel Eliot Morison
Owner/Guardian: (1940) – Clementino Benoliel De Carvalho
Owner/Guardian: (1941) – Magnus Andersson
Owner/Guardian: (1947) – Tuxen and Hagemann
Owner/Guardian: (1951) – Hans Hass
Owner/Guardian: (1960) – Carlo Traglio
Owner/Guardian: (2012) – Current owner

Since her launch in 1927, Xarifa welcomed onboard well-known personalities, such as Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor and his wife Wallis Simpson and Sir Thomas Lipton.

In 1967, she appeared in the film The Sailor from Gibraltar, with Vanessa Redgrave and Jeanne Moreau.