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 The M/Y Queen of Diamonds must have been coming to Bradford Marine Ft. Lauderdale since she was launched in 1970. I recall a photo of the shipyard that used to hang in the front office showing her out of the water. Back in those days, as one of the largest vessels in South Florida, she would have been named Intent, Gillian, Spellbound or Cassiar. The Queen of Diamonds is one of those yachts that everyone remembers.
Bradford Marine was the location of the Queen of Diamonds’ last major refit where she was transformed back to her original condition. The stately yacht was in the shipyard for two years, and with support from the management and Bradford Marine’s team of craftsmen, she was given a new lease on life.
We continue to return to Bradford Marine to get our work done. Most of the foremen and workers are familiar with her, which removes the learning curve and enables us to get a good job done at a fair price. Bradford Marine stands behind their work, and we can always leave satisfied and on time. I have actually been coming to this yard since 1983 and have seen faces change. However, the yard principles stay the same in trying to have customers leave content and hopefully return the following year. I see a lot of the same boats here each year, like the Buckpasser, Mimi, Sovereign, and Avante to name a few.
 Bradford Marine is also well-located since most of the subcontractors work in this area and nearly all of the suppliers are only minutes away. Coupled with Bradford Marine’s full line of services, this makes it a very convenient location to get work done. Also, there are lots of crew houses available for rent when the refit or haul-out makes living ashore a necessity, and the beaches, bars, and restaurants keep most crews happy.
The Queen of Diamonds has traveled the world, and I have been fortunate enough to have been on those voyages. Although she is 37 years old, the vessel is a seaworthy craft and has stood up well to the test of time. Interestingly, a year ago we were in Atlantis during Easter, and the marina was packed. An artist named Michael McCann came and sat behind us in the marina with his sketch book and started drawing the outlines of our yacht for a watercolor he was going to do of Atlantis. Amongst all the megayachts there at the time, he said we were the best subject matter. One of the guests bought the finished work for the owner.
 The owners and crew have spent memorable times on the Queen of Diamonds cruising to some of the unforgettable locations around the world, including Nova Scotia, Rio de Janeiro, Glacier Bay, Auckland, Cape Town, Oslo, Bali, Tahiti, Honolulu, and even Antibes. We have also been fortunate to explore places where most motoryachts would'nt venture like Zanzibar, Ushuaia, Mombasa and the Komodo Islands-all wonderful experiences.
On returning after a long voyage, we always look forward to walking down Bradford’s main street and having everyone stick their head out and say, “Ian and Cici, where have you been? Welcome back!”
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