History of the Xarifa sailboat
The Xarifa, which is Greek for 'lovely lady', is a schooner built in 1927 at the JS White & Co shipyard on the island of Wright (UK). This three-masted boat with a length of 50 meters was commissioned by the sailor Franklin Morse Singer. Son of the famous manufacturer of sewing machines and Isabella Eugenie Boyer, the model that the sculptor Auguste Bartholdi was inspired to make the Statue of Liberty.
There have been several owners and many anecdotes passed. From British press magnate Edward Mauger, Belgian businessman Louis Empain, who crossed the Atlantic on several occasions aboard the sailboat, to scientist Hans Hass, navigating the Pacific and Indian Oceans as a research vessel.
In 1939 the sailboat was renamed Captain in memory of Christopher Columbus. Performing the routes of the discoverer in the Atlantic, his adventure would be collected in a work called Admiral of the Ocean Sea (1943) that was awarded the first Pulitzer Prize.
In 1960 the yacht was acquired by the Italian billionaire Carlo Traglio. Thus becoming the scene of numerous diplomatic meetings and jet set parties. He even appeared in various Orson Welles and Jeanne Moreau films.
Since 2012 the ship belongs to the company Vibrant Shipping & Corp.
