remained out of reach. Intrigued by the hydrofoil designs of Alexander Graham Bell and Casey Baldwin in Nova Scotia, Carstairs ordered a hydrofoil boat from the Bell Boatyard in Baddeck, Nova Scotia which was intended to achieve and capture the Harmsworth Cup. However, circumstances caused her to withdraw and the boat was completed with a more economical engine delivering . During this time, the North American press erroneously began referring to her as "Betty," a nickname she loathed; she claimed that journalists used it out of spite. Carstairs was known for her generosity towards friends. She was close to several male racing drivers and land speed record competitors, using her considerable wealth to assist them. She paid $10,000 of her money to fund the building of one of the Blue Bird land speed record cars for Sir Malcolm Campbell, who once described her as "the greatest sportsman I know." She was equally generous to John Cobb, whose record-breaking vehicle Railton Special was powered by the pair of engines from her powerboat Estelle V. Later life: Whale Cay and Florida In 1934, Carstairs invested $40,000 purchasing the island of Whale Cay in the Bahamas where she lavishly hosted guests such as Marlene Dietrich and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. She constructed a Great House for herself and her guests as well as a lighthouse, school, church, and cannery. She created an agricultural enterprise and employed hundreds of Bahamians, also building complexes for them. Her approach to them was paternalistic, but she was said to be extremely generous. She later expanded these properties by also buying the additional islands of Bird Cay, Cat Cay, Devil's Cay, half of Hoffman's Cay and a tract of land on Andros. During this time, she also started writing poetry under the pseudonym of Hans Bernstein. After selling Whale Cay in 1975, Carstairs moved to Miami, Florida. Carstairs died in Naples, Florida in 1993 at the age of 93. The doll Lord Tod Wadley was cremated with her. Her ashes and those of Ruth Baldwin were buried in Oakland Cemetery in Sag Harbor, New York. See also List of ambulance drivers during World War I Notes References Citations Bibliography External links Leslie Field British motorboat racers Lesbian sportswomen English LGBT sportspeople 1900 births 1993 deaths British women in World War I Bostwick family British emigrants to the United States British emigrants to the Bahamas British LGBT