Humble Beginnings
of H.M. Robert the Bald
4th King of Redonda

Bob Williamson began his working life in Canada by spending ten summers as a prospector and surveyor in the Arctic and Northern Quebec looking for gold and uranium. At the tender age of sixteen he spent three months in a Cuban gold mine on the Isle of Pines where, armed with a box of giant band-aids was also the camp doctor and store-keeper for 120 miners.
By the time he was twenty he was running a prospecting syndicate in Yellowknife, NWT, carrying our Geiger and magnetometer surveys over the vast Arctic territory from the McKenzie River to the Barrenlands. He and his partner did so well they both retired for a year. Bob spent his share on a 34’ miniature Bluenose schooner bought in Toronto and, with a pal, sailed her to
the Gulf of Mexico using Texaco road maps.
They had no pump, no radio, and no compass, but lots of adventures all described in his book “The Cruise of the Schooner Driftwood” published by Jonathan Cape in the UK and Clarke Irwin in Canada.

In 1956 he went to Europe, bought a 23’ sloop in Hamburg and sailed her to the Mediterranean. In Cannes, where he had arrived with £1, he met Picasso and worked for
him for six months making mosaics panels and pictures.
After selling the boat he went to London and opened a studio in Chelsea where for three years he made mosaic tables for Peter Jones, Libertys and Heal’s.
He also carried out many interior design commissions for hotels and private homes but the most exciting job was remaking the Gondoliers Room at the Savoy Hotel.
The sixties were spent in an advertising agency in Mayfair where he enjoyed working also as a photographer for Oxfam in South India.

In 1970 he went freelance again with his own studio which he ran for 24 years. During this time, he also ran design workshops in Prague, Sao Paolo, twice in Shanghai
and for UNIDO and UNCTAD/GATT in Havana and Harare.

Most of his graphics, feature film titling, corporate and packaging design clients were London based but he also worked for others in Cape Town, Singapore, Hong Kong, San Francisco,
New York, Copenhagen, Toronto, Munich and Paris.

He’s had an exhibition of mosaics, and a drawing exhibition at the Woodstock Gallery, both in London, and has eight books and eight new typefaces published.

Now, after sailing his 74’ square-rigged topsail schooner “St. Peter” from Russia to the Caribbean, he’s settled down in English Harbour, Antigua.

The paintings in the one-man show in Antigua were done with a pallet of five tins of Lee Wind household emulsion paint: black, white, and the three primaries.

For occupational therapy he also writes nonsense and cartoons for various Caribbean and London papers and several sailing magazines. Bob’s last book called “BUNK”, a collection of published short stories
and cartoons is on sale from his shoulder bag. “DOUBLE BUNK”
which followed has sold more than 2000 copies.

His family can be traced through French, Irish and British nobility back to Robert the Bald, William the Conqueror, Charlemagne and Arnulf, Bishop of Metz who died some say of drink, in AD 643.

He is now the fourth King of Redonda, an island kingdom which is 127 years old.

Check out www.thekingdomofredonda.com). The Kingdom has its own Airforce (RRAF), Navy (RRN) and Yacht Club (RRYC). The Royal Yacht “St. Peter” has been in all three Pirates of the Caribbean movies.