Cambria, originally designed and built by William Fife and Sons in Scotland for British press baron Sir William Berry, is believed to be the largest Fife design still sailing. Berry, had her lines created to meet the International 23-Meter rule... a class that put her in a league alongside the famous America's Cup J-Class boats of the 1930's. After trying unsuccessfully to compete for the America's Cup in 1930 Berry (aka Lord Camrose) fitted her with an elegant cruising interior in 1933.

Berry soon sold Cambria to Belgian George Plouvier who renamed her Lillias. Plouvier kept her for forty years. In that time she was to survive World War II and go on sailing well into the 1960's. Tragedy was to strike when Plouvier's son died in a sailing accident. Cambria/Lillias was laid up until she was brought in 1972 by Mike Sears an American Businessman. He restored the yacht and sailed her to Fremantle Australia for the 1986-87 America's Cup. Sears then sold her to a New Zealander, and, once again, Cambria was laid up. She remained this way hardly being moved in seven years with a university student living onboard as caretaker.

Cambria was discovered in derelict condition in Townsville and brought to Brisbane. New owners, Australian businessmen Denis O’Neil and John David had her restored by Norman Wright and Sons with technical assistance from the Murray, Burns, & Dovell office and advice from Fife expert Theo Ryo, of Fairlie Yacht Restorations, Hampshire, England. More than 27,000 man-hours went into the task in 1995. In order to compete on the classic yacht circuit, Cambria was converted from her current ketch rig back to her original sloop rig. The mast is now the original 154’ high while the mizzen was removed to become the new boom.

In 2001, the 150th anniversay year of the first America's Cup race, the temptation to send Cambria over to join the growing ranks of the newly restored J-Class Era yachts proved too hard to resist. Cambria was shipped (check THIS out!!) to Europe in 2001 to compete in the America’s Cup Jubilee Regatta in Cowes, Isle of Wight, to kick off her European campaign.

Cambria is currently for sale at Nigel Burgess ($$???). She is located in the Med