“Queen Mab”

In fairy folklore, Queen Mab was the tiny fairy who visited people when they were asleep, fulfilling their wishes via their dreams. Perhaps the owners of this little yacht were fulfilling a dream of their own when they commissioned a half scale, 6-metre yacht!

Queen Mab’s unusual size has made it an object of interest, with historians suggesting that it was a prototype of the 6-metre yachts which became famous as racing vessels in the 20th century.

The presence of a wheatsheaf carving on the bow also led some to believe that it might have been built by renowned yacht builders William Fife & Son, but modern sources disagree. The real identity of the builder is a mystery, but Mab’s unusual toy-like size continues to fascinate and intrigue.