The 16.4 metre sailing sloop Soufriere is listed for sale by Sean McMillan at Spirit Yachts, but this is no ordinary yacht for sale.
Instead, it’s the very pretty (in yachting terms) co-star of Daniel Craig in his first outing as James Bond in the film Casino Royale. Delivered in 2006, she was built by Spirit Yachts with mahogany frames, Brazilian cedar planking and two Khaya veneers, all bonded with epoxy.
But back to Bond. When the producers first explained their requirements to McMillan he discovered that he had to take Soufriere first to Miami, then Barbados and Croatia before finally arriving in Venice. Each location change required taking down the mast, a two day job that had to take place 10 times.
Sean McMillan told the Daily Telegraph newspaper: “I had to phone them and say we just couldn’t afford to do it. The schedule also involved a 1,500 mile upwind voyage from the Bahamas to the US Virgin Islands. Very tough. But they said they’d pay. Most people pay them so they must have really wanted it.”
“It was the first sailing boat on that part of the Grand Canal in 300 years,” McMillan told the newspaper. Soufriere was subsequently sold to an Irish buyer and has since been used for cruising and racing, mainly in the UK and Ireland. She has been well cared for over the years and offers many more years of fun. She was given new upholstery in 2015 in all cabins and the saloon.
Soufriere sleeps up to six guests in two en suite double cabins and is powered by a single 54hp Yanmar diesel engine. Offers in excess of £600,000 are invited for this exquisite piece of Bond memorabilia.