A century of sea, war and resurrection

In the spring of 1929, on the shores of the Gareloch in Scotland, the James Silver Limited yard at Rosneath assembled a 52 ft (15.85 m) motor yacht designed by the naval architect John Bain. The boat belonged to the Brown Owl class, a line of elegant motor yachts known for the quality of their build and their seaworthiness.

The hull combined three fine woods: English oak for the frames and keel, iroko for the planking, Maine pine for the fit-out. The deck was teak, as British tradition demanded. On board: a bronze bell engraved Davia 1929, a prism deck light set into the deck to bring daylight into the saloon, and a flag locker for the international code of maritime signals.

Her first owner was Sir William "Alec" Coryton, future Air Chief Marshal of the Royal Air Force, Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath, Chevalier of the Légion d'Honneur, Commander of the Legion of Merit. From her very first year, the Davia stood out: in 1930, under Coryton's command, she won the André Gold Cup for the best performance in the London-Cowes race.

In 2016, Bruno began the process of having the Davia officially recognised as a Dunkirk Little Ship. After exchanges with the archivist John Tough and verification of the Royal Navy records, the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships (ADLS) confirmed the boat's historic status.

In September 2016, the Davia became a full member of the ADLS, a British organisation founded in 1965 and placed since 1990 under the honorary presidency of H.R.H. Prince Michael of Kent. The boat was entered on the register of Dunkirk Little Ships under the name Davia 1929. It was also on this occasion that she was listed with National Historic Ships UK under number 3670.

To give the mission structure, Bruno founded the Davia Association in February 2021 as a French non-profit (loi 1901; RNA W832020100, published in the Journal officiel on 9 February 2021). The association sets out its missions: to restore and preserve the boat, to organise cultural activities around Second World War vessels, to take part in commemorations, to sail and maintain her, and to prepare the Davia's centenary in 2029.

The work has been colossal. Six years of work, 2,400 hours invested by Bruno. A 24-month major refit at the Evans boatyard in Migennes: replacement of hull planks and frames, overhaul and repair of the two Parsons engines and their gearboxes, decoupling and alignment of the propeller shafts, reinforcement of bearings, glands and greasers, bilge pumping, anodes, silent blocks, plumbing, 220 V electrics, electronics, antifouling, sanding, varnishing, painting.

Below decks, the original 1929 fittings have been kept: the bronze bell, the prism deck light, the flag locker for the international code of signals, the leather benches of the saloon, the bronze portholes. "In her own juice", as classic-boat enthusiasts say.