1. Major Jack Crosthwaite Eyre 1939 – 1946 (?)
NAUSIKAA’s first purchaser was local landowner and future Member of Parliament for the New Forest, (later Sir) Oliver Crosthwaite Eyre, a gift for his father, Major Jack Crosthwaite Eyre. As usual with yachts first launched in 1939, her destiny after one season was wartime lay-up, presumably with her builders.
2. E.J. Jeremy 1946 (?) – 1948
Not long after the war she was sold to E.J. Jeremy of Bournemouth
3. Wing Commander Alec Ingle, DFC, AFC 1948 – 1949
Second World Water fighter pilot ace Wing Commander Alec Ingle, DFC, AFC, who was shot down four times and once captured an intact, just landed Nazi Focke-Wulf Fw190 fighter plane near his airfield after chasing it by car and holding up the pilot with his finger impersonating a gun.
4. Graham Greene 1949 – 1950
The celebrated author Graham Greene owned NAUSIKAA for a short period 1949 -50. He had been a director at Oliver Crosthwaite Eyre’s (Owner No 1) publishing house Eyre & Spottiswoode.
The story was broken by NIC Compton in his 2013 Classic Boat Magazine story and is discussed further in this post.
5. R.H. Goddard (Ipswich) & F.W. Knight (London) 1950-1953
6. Mrs Diana L Spencer (London) 1953-1953
7. Mrs Diana Tylden-Wright (London) 1954-1954
8. Dr Peter Burnett 1954 – 1994
Then in 1954 Dr Peter Burnett and his family’s love affair with NAUSIKAA began and lasted for more than 40 years of cruising the south coast of England, and to Brittany and Scotland.
9. Stewart McDonald, Cowes – 1994-2000
10. John Hutchings & Family (London/ Guernsey) – 2000-2012
11. David Messum 2012-2018
It was London art dealer and serial classic yacht collector David Messum who undertook the extensive refit, having purchased NAUSIKAA in semi derelict condition with so many interior changes that little was original.
In 2014, on her first outing to the Panerai British Classic Yacht Club Regatta she proved her worth in winning the Round The Isle of Wight Race from twenty nine starting yachts.
12. Philip and Miranda Cotton 2019-2021
During the 2019 and 2020 seasons NAUSIKAA collected silverware at the Panerai BCYC Regatta, Cowes Classics and Cowes Spring Classics.
13. John Watkins 2021 – present
John brings NAUSIKAA to Devon and competes annually in the West Country Classics Series and in the Cross Channel Regatta.
He has constructed this web site – a work in progress.
