Fast and Bonnie: History of William Fife and Son, Yachtbuilders

From humble beginnings at Fairlie, Ayrshire, in the early years of the nineteenth century, William Fife and Son grew to become one of Britain’s premier yacht-building yards, attracting commissions from as far afield as America, Canada and America.

By the time the yard closed on the eve of the Second World War, three generations of the Fife family had been responsible for the design and building of almost a thousand yachts – crafts that were recognized world-wide as the epitome of elegance and design.

This memorable story of enterprise and craftsmanship chronicles the development and progress of the Fife yard and its business during its 125-year history. It includes a vast wealth of information on the yachts themselves, and is interspersed with lively anecdotes about the family, their clients and their craftsmen, making it an essential addition to the literature on Scotland’s maritime past.

May Fife McCallum, a descendant of the founder, has had privileged access to private papers, business records and photographs. Over many years she has researched this archival material and also recorded the reminiscences of family friends and of local people personally associated with the yard and its workforce.