From Paris to the prow: The enduring impact of Coco Chanel’s Riviera, romance and yachts

BOAT explores Chanel's deep ties to yachting, from the decks of a four-masted schooner that set the stage for a decade-long romance to the yacht she would one day call her own.

Few figures have shaped modern fashion as profoundly as Coco Chanel. The woman who introduced the little black dress and made pearls a symbol of effortless chic simultaneously released women from corsets, defied expectations and built a global empire. But away from the ateliers of Paris, she found another kind of freedom – on the open sea. 

The making of a maritime icon: Chanel’s early influences

Long before Chanel set foot on a yacht, the sea played a defining role in her creative vision. In the 1910s, she established her first boutique in Deauville, a Normandy seaside resort, where she catered to an elite clientele embracing a new era of resortwear. It was here that she introduced lightweight jersey dresses and relaxed silhouettes inspired by the ease of coastal living.

Her designs borrowed heavily from nautical fashion – a motif that would become a lifelong signature. The coastal town became the birthplace of the brand's signature Breton stripes, wide-legged sailor trousers and loosely tailored jackets, which all found their way into her collections and embodied a nonchalant elegance that defied the restrictive fashion of the time. Trivial as it may sound, Deauville was where the modern Chanel woman was born – independent, sophisticated and unbound by convention.

The Riviera and romance: The Duke of Westminster and Flying Cloud (1920s–1930s)

In the 1920s, Chanel became part of the glamorous yachting set that defined the French Riviera. It was in Monte Carlo, in fact, that she would meet the Duke of Westminster (Hugh "Bendor" Grosvenor) and spark a romance that would span a decade. Their amour played out on board the Duke's 86-metre black-hulled schooner Flying Cloud, a yacht that both acted as a love nest and a gateway to high society.

Chanel's success was self-made, though, and it was her growing status as the go-to dress designer in Europe that caught the attention of Bendor, who happened to be one of the richest men in Britain. Bendor pulled out all the stops to woo Chanel, presenting her with everything from jewels to salmon from his Scottish estate. Eventually, she caved and boarded his yacht in the late spring of 1924, after which their 10-year liaison began. 

Chanel, fiercely independent yet captivated by his lifestyle, was drawn into a world where yachting was both an escape and a stage for society’s elite. And Bendor spared no expense in creating an opulent world at sea; with four-poster beds, silk curtains and a dedicated orchestra so the two of them could dance on the decks, life on board Flying Cloud was a far cry from the poverty-stricken childhood Chanel had endured. 

From sea to shore: Flying Cloud and the creation of La Pausa (1930s)

While sailing on board Flying Cloud, Chanel spotted a patch of land on the French Riviera and knew instantly that she wanted to build a home there. The result was the Mediterranean retreat she designed and decorated in 1928 above Roquebrune, filled with references to the architecture of Aubazine Abbey, the orphanage where she spent her childhood. With whitewashed walls and a simple yet refined interior, Chanel called the villa La Pausa, translating from French as "the break" and acting as her sanctuary inspired by her time on the water. Today, the Chanel brand bottles this escapism through its eponymous eau de parfum, La Pausa.

Though her romance with Bendor eventually faded, her love for the Riviera endured. La Pausa became a gathering place for artists, intellectuals and society’s elite – a testament to Chanel’s ability to shape not just fashion but entire cultural movements.

As for Flying Cloud, it almost set the stage for a second (famous) love affair when Bendor offered to lend the yacht to King Edward VIII, who was deeply infatuated with a 40-year-old married American who had already been divorced once: Wallis Simpson. Simpson rejected the offer, and it was instead the 91.4-metre Nahlin that played host to the royal affair in August 1936.

Commanding her own course: Chanel’s yacht Mathilde (1940s–1950s)

Once quoted saying, "As soon as you set foot on a yacht you belong to some man, not to yourself, and you die of boredom", Chanel was unlike many women of her time. Perhaps inspired by her own experience on board Flying Cloud, Chanel did not just accompany men on their yachts – she sought to own one herself. In the 1940s, she purchased Mathilde, a move that symbolised both her financial independence and her enduring love for the sea. 

She was drawn to a 37-metre steel-hulled yacht, built by Dutch yard Witsen & Vis of Alkmaar. It had been commissioned by a French owner who named it Mathilde, although it never reached the intended buyer and caught Chanel's eye instead. It's hardly surprising when you learn of the yacht's slender beam, high bow and the sleek, low-slung superstructure characteristic of Dutch yachts of the era – core traits that carry through to the brand's timeless aesthetics today. The yacht was as elegant as she was well-appointed, with an interior spanning five staterooms clad in rich teak panelling, in addition to grand dining facilities, ample space for large tenders and, in later years, even a helipad.

While details of Chanel's time with Mathilde remain elusive, the yacht later found itself at the centre of a different kind of infamy. Chanel died in 1971, and sometime thereafter, the yacht was renamed Jan Pamela under the new ownership of Melvin Lane Powers – a flamboyant Houston real estate developer, fond of crocodile skin cowboy boots and acquitted of murder in a trial that gripped the nation. Decades after Chanel’s ownership, Mathilde became associated with "The Wolf of Wall Street", having been owned by Jordan Belfort, whose extravagant lifestyle mirrored that of the Riviera’s 1920s elite.

Weatherbird and Chanel’s lasting maritime legacy (1930s–today)

Chanel’s name has also been linked to another legendary yacht – the 31-metre classic sailing yacht Weatherbird, built in the 1930s by French yard Chantelot & Lemaistre and designed by Henri Rambaud and her captain, Vladimir Orloff. The yacht was commissioned by Sarah and Gerald Murphy, a couple of American expatriates who had relocated to the French Riviera during the prohibition years. 

The sailing yacht became a floating salon for artists, writers and musicians of the Lost Generation, including the likes of Ernest Hemmingway, who referenced his time on board in his 1934 novel Tender is the Night – which begins with a dedication to the couple – as well as Louis Armstrong, whose jazz song inspired the yacht’s name. Weatherbird’s role in artistic and social circles grounds Chanel in a larger creative movement.

Now, nearly a century later, Weatherbird has returned to the headlines as it went up for auction in February 2025 with bidding opening at €1,000,000. Although a great chance to own a piece of yachting history – tied to one of the most influential designers of all time – the yacht did not sell at auction.

Chanel's enduring connection to the sea

From Deauville’s beaches to the deck of Flying Cloud, from her own yacht Mathilde to the legendary Weatherbird, Chanel’s life was as deeply connected to the sea as it was to fashion. Her influence endures not just in haute couture but in the quiet luxury and relaxed lifestyle that continues to typify yachting culture today.

Just as Chanel once said, "Luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury". Nowhere is that philosophy more evident than in the world of yacht ownership and chartering – where comfort, style and freedom converge, much like they did in the life of Coco Chanel.