Javotte 12 E 5

(later Betty II, Baccarat, Beduin II, Bettina)

Design and Classification

Javotte was built in 1909 to the International First Rule, during the formative years of the 12 Metre class, and quickly established herself as one of the most successful yachts of her generation.

Early Ownership and British Racing Career (1909–1913)

From 1909 to 1913, Javotte was owned by Charles McIver of Glasgow, Great Britain, previously the owner of Mouchette. Under McIver’s ownership, she achieved exceptional competitive success.

In 1909, she finished second overall (behind Cintra) and recorded 6 firsts, 11 seconds, and 11 thirds from 33 entries. In 1910, again finishing second overall, she competed against 47 entries, achieving 12 firsts, 13 seconds, and 4 thirds. In 1911, she placed third overall, with 8 firsts, 6 seconds, and 3 thirds from 42 entries, confirming her consistency at the highest level.

In 1911, Javotte competed in the first Europe Week at Cowes alongside Alachie, Cintra, Ierne, and Rollo, recording a second and a fourth place. Contemporary accounts note McIver sailing with Alfred Mylne aboard, though the Norse yachts proved dominant in the prevailing conditions. In 1912, McIver assumed command of the 15 Metre Norada and subsequently sold Javotte in France.

French Ownership and War Years (1913–1915)

In 1914–1915, Javotte was owned by Gaston Thubé of Brest, France. The Thubé brothers of Nantes were prominent yachtsmen and 1912 Olympic champions in the Six Metre class. Javotte competed in the Le Havre races in 1913, but with the outbreak of World War I, she appears to have been sold shortly thereafter, and her wartime history is undocumented.

Norwegian Period and Early Modifications (1918–1922)

By 1918–1919, the yacht was owned by Jac. H. H. Lindvig, renamed Betty II, and based in Christiania (Oslo), Norway. In the early 1920s she passed to J. A. Jespersen, was renamed Baccarat, and registered in Tønsberg. From 1920, she appeared in Lloyd’s Register as “formerly International Rating Class 12 Metres,” reflecting both her age and alterations, including conversion to a Bermudan cutter.

Swedish Years and Cruising Career (1922–1950)

Subsequent ownership included Moritz Daumund, who restored the name Javotte, followed by Oscar Botolfsen, who renamed her Beduin II and registered her in Stockholm. Botolfsen, a board member of the Royal Swedish Yacht Club (KSSS), used the yacht both for racing and as a prominent social platform, hosting influential figures including Swedish Prime Minister Per Albin Hansson.

During this period, Beduin II was moored in summer at Saltsjöbaden and laid up in winter at Saltsjöbadens Jaktvarv, where major work was undertaken. In the 1930s, her rig was altered to a yawl, carrying 160 square metres of sail. She undertook extended cruising in 1927 and competed in the Ostseeregatta (1938) and the Round Gotland Race (1939), where she lost her sails during a heavy-weather reach. Following this period, she disappeared from Lloyd’s Register, and little is known of her history during the 1950s.

Final Years and Loss (1960–1964)

By the early 1960s, the yacht—then named Bettina—was owned by Leopold Torgny and lay in poor condition at Skalmsunds Varv on Yxlan, frozen into the ice. In 1963, Åke Cyrus, Peter Pluntky, and Kjell Arvidsson began a serious restoration, towing her to Bergviksvarvet near Stockholm for structural repairs and interior work.

On 8 March 1964, a fire broke out in the early morning hours. The yacht was completely destroyed, with only a few fragments surviving.

Legacy

In 2006, a replica of Javotte was built and launched under the name Kate, preserving the legacy of one of the most accomplished and long-lived First Rule 12 Metres.