Fedalma II was constructed in 1936 by C.H. Fox & Son at their Suffolk yard for Mr. Claud Scrutton of Thorpe Bay, Essex. The vessel was intended to be kept at Burnham on Crouch. Mr. Scrutton had previously commissioned the yard to build his first Fedalma, a 35-foot motor yacht, in 1931, indicating his appreciation for their craftsmanship.

Fedalma II is a spacious 47-foot yacht, originally schooner rigged with 375 square feet of sail area. In the late 1940s, her rig was altered to a ketch configuration, and in the early 1990s, she was converted to a single mast rig carrying no sail, positioned ahead of the wheelhouse. The yacht is noted for her elegant appearance, featuring extensive varnished teak both above and below decks. Her interior remains largely unchanged from photographs taken in 1936.

Significant modifications include the installation of two Perkins P6-354 diesel engines, which provide a comfortable cruising speed of 10 knots at a fuel consumption of approximately 4 gallons (18 litres) per hour. Originally, Mr. Scrutton employed a full-time skipper, and the vessel had crew quarters forward of the galley; these quarters no longer exist. Externally, aside from rig changes, an outside steering position was added along with a seating area on the aft deck accommodating six to eight people.

At the outbreak of World War II, Mr. Scrutton and his skipper, Dick Cook, were aboard Fedalma II at Burnham-on-Crouch. They removed the vessel’s stores in anticipation of possible bombing. Shortly thereafter, the yacht was requisitioned and, following the Dunkirk evacuation, was incorporated into the Armed Patrol Service. Although her draft of 4 feet 9 inches made her unsuitable for direct troop landings from beaches, Fedalma II is specifically mentioned as a participant in David Divine’s book The Nine Days of Dunkirk. Mr. Scrutton, who died during the war, reportedly had his ashes committed to the sea from the vessel.

In 1947, Mr. Stanley Olsen purchased the yacht from the Admiralty and renamed her, likely coinciding with the change to a ketch rig. After Olsen sold the vessel in 1952, with the Medway Buildings and Supply Co. as registered owners, Fedalma II passed through three additional owners. By 1967, she was located on the River Clyde in Scotland.

From the Clyde, Fedalma II embarked on a month-long voyage down the west coast of the UK to Poole, Dorset, crossed the English Channel to Le Havre, France, proceeded up the River Seine to Paris, and then down the Rhone River to the Mediterranean. The log of this journey remains aboard. An entry dated 23 June 1967 notes: “Slipped lock 90 at 0530; tied alongside Montbard 2000; Temp 110 degrees F. Met Mr and Mrs Letts on same journey to Malta.” At that time, navigation of the Rhone required a pilot due to the river’s natural conditions.

From July 1967 until August 1969, the log records Fedalma II’s progress around the Mediterranean, concluding in Malta. In 1975, John Knight, then the official archivist of the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships (A.D.L.S.), visited Malta while on holiday. There, he encountered the vessel, then named Charlmaine, lying in Valetta harbour. Captivated by the yacht, Knight purchased her, restoring her original name, Fedalma II, and subsequently prepared her for the 1,200-mile return voyage to England.

In 1977, the vessel reached Port St. Louis on the Rhone, completing the remainder of the journey through the French canals in 1978, despite operating on a single engine for the final 500 miles. Notably, during a 1999 cruise from London to Paris, the stretch from Rouen to Paris was also completed on one engine.