12/06/2020
So we’ve been doing a bit of digging into Doris’ history and it turns out she has one particularly interesting past custodian.... meet Quintin Riley... intrepid Arctic explorer, Cornishman (coincidently) and referenced as one of Ian Flemings inspirations for James Bond!
Quintin Riley is most famed for his part in Gino Watkins many arctic expeditions to Greenland where they mapped much of the terrain and undertook weather studies that enabled large strides to be made in the course of transatlantic air travel.
Towards the end of the Second World War he was appointed Commanding Officer of 30 RM Commando – the brainchild of Commander Ian Fleming.
This commando and intelligence unit was used to infiltrate enemy positions, intercept enemy transmissions, crack codes and capture key personnel – all exploits that Fleming would later use when writing his famous 007 stories!
Quintin Riley owed and sailed Doris for many years post 2nd world war and she is mention in his biography ‘pole to pole.’
So fascinating finding out about Doris’ past lives and the people that have owned and enjoyed her..... Doris/James Bond’s boat?!?