1923 Berenice is built and registered to VJ Morris

1923 17th November issue of Yachting World: "Slight repairs and adjustments are being carried out by J.S.White and Co. to Mr. Clifford Clifton's auxiliary ketch, Berenice"

1941 Berenice was requisitioned by The Navy for coastal patrol work with a cannon on her foredeck

1942 The J Samuel White yard is bombed. liThe yacht originally cruised and raced under The Royal Yacht Squadron in European waters

1954 Owned by an ex RN officer

1955 She was bought by Raymond & Kay Garrard who took her to the Mediterranean. Due to rot, the mast was cut and £100 was claimed back from the previous owners. Raymond Garrard went on to be skipper of Lord Beatty's yacht and then Albercaro, Prince Rainier's yacht after it was sold to the Sheikh of Abudabi. After her party and by her parents, Norma Hawley was taken for her 21st birthday present on a cruise from Antibes including St Remo and St Tropez. Norma slept in the doghouse. Norma married and became Norma Prudhon and they went on to own and sail Sulara. At that time, the crew on Berenice were Leone and Serge. She used to have a Gardner engine.

1956 Entered the first Tall Ships' Race and manned by the King George VII Nautical College and skippered by Cdr GWT Griffiths. She came 8th (last) in the under 100 ton category

1959 Norma Prudhon cruised from Toulon with her parents. Her father was often seasick and would rest in the doghouse. There was probably no wheelhouse then.

1960 She was sold for £75,000 and sailed from the Cote d'Azur to Greece With the proceeds, the Garrards bought a flat and retired to live in Monte Carlo

1970 Tony Newell bought Berenice and renamed her Meröe of Kent. Tony was a lawyer and had an old property in Feckenham, Kent. Her hull was painted black and he installed an armchair in the saloon. He brought her out to the Caribbean.

1971 Tony and his partner, Sally Marples chartered her as Skipper and Stewardess. They resided in the aft cabin. Sally was interested in horses. Norma and she would meet on Sundays to ride. Tony’s sister, Janetta married Steve Miller who set up an engineering shop in Antigua and she still lives there today. When named Meroë of Kent, she was photographed by Beken of Cowes (you can still obtain copies from Beken directly)

1974 John Smith experiences ciguetera while crewing aboard of Kent in the Caribbean

1978 For 10 days, Meroë of Kent was hired for a film, ‘The Orchid Garden’ which was shot in Dominica One of the Concours d'Elegance judges at the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta 2004 told a story, 'I was sitting on the deck locker forward of the doghouse and the man next to me pulled out a revolver and tried to shoot himself. The gun misfired and nearly shot me in the head.' Berenice holds some bizarre stories.

1980 She was taken back to Kent and put up for sale and remained on the market for some years. Tony & Sally wished to move to France once Meroë of Kent was sold. They were asking for £600,000 then.

1988 Tony Newell, with others, founded the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta

1995 Philip de Beer buys Meroë of Kent c2000 Dart Harbour Authority seize Meroë of Kent in lieu of outstanding harbour dues (allegedly).

2001 Roderick James purchases the yacht and names her Berenice again She is sailed without an engine from Dartmouth to Plymouth to begin her refit in Mashfords yard. The trip was very fraught and Berenice was nearly lost on the rocks.

2002 Berenice is transferred into the newly formed Adventure Capital group

2003 Berenice leaves the Mashford yard at the end of her refit and trials and sets off for Dubrovnik and her new life with Adventure Capital

Nov 2003 Berenice leaves for the Caribbean in the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) and arrives 23 days later. Winner of 'Most beautiful boat', Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, 2003

April 2004 Berenice enters the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta Winner of 'Concours d'Elegance - 2nd', Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta, 2004 Winner of 'Woodstock Boatbuilders Restoration Award’, Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta, 2004