Many thanks to Alan and Suzanne Whitewood for sharing this excellent piece about the history of Britannia. In their own words. Ed
Over last weekend the hull of a very special yacht arrived in Cowes and following a complete overhaul and re-fit, it will be ready to be used for charitable pursuits in a bid to introduce as many deserving people as possible to sailing or to the history of this unique vessel.
History of the yacht
In 1893 when he was Commodore Albert Edward, Prince of Wales the yacht “Britannia” a gaff-rigged cutter was built. Later, when King Edward V11, the boat served him and his son, King George V, with a long yachting and racing career.
After the Prince of Wales’ nephew Kaiser Wilhelm II acquired the racing cutter Thistle in 1891, her Scottish designer George Lennox Watson received a commission from Prince Albert Edward for a sailing yacht in 1892.
He designed His Royal Highness’ Yacht “Britannia” to the “Length And Sail Area Rule” as a First Class cutter and had her built alongside his America’s Cup challenger Valkyrie II at the D&W Henderson Yard on the River Clyde. She was launched on 20th April, 1893, a week ahead of Valkyrie II.
Thirty-three wins in first year
By the end of her first year’s racing, the Britannia had scored thirty-three wins from forty-three starts. In her second season, she won all seven races for the big class yachts on the French Riviera, and then beat the 1893 America’s Cup defender Vigilant in home waters.
Despite a lull in big yacht racing after 1897, the Britannia served as a trial horse for Sir Thomas Lipton’s challenger Shamrock I, and later passed on to several owners in a cruising trim with raised bulwarks. In 1920, King George V triggered the revival of the “Big Class” by announcing that he would refit the Britannia for racing. Although the Britannia was the oldest yacht on the circuit, regular updates to her rig kept her a most successful racer throughout the 1920s.
Converted to J Class
In 1931, she was converted to the J-Class with a Bermuda rig and the spinnaker boom was presented to Carisbrooke Castle to be used as the flag pole. At this time the King’s aunt Princess Beatrice was Governor of the Isle of Wight and resided in the Governor’s House at the Castle. Britannia’s last race was at Cowes in 1935.
During her racing career she had won 231 races and took another 129 flags. The flag pole was taken down from the castle ramparts in 1951 and replaced by another flagpole but the original spinnaker boom can be still seen on display at the castle.
Sunk at St. Catherine’s Deep
King George V’s dying wish was for his beloved yacht to follow him to the grave. On 10 July 1936, after the Britannia had been stripped of her spars and fittings, her hull was towed out to St. Catherine’s Deep off the south coast of the Island and she was sunk by HMS Winchester (L55), commanded by Captain W. N. T. Beckett RN.
This fate marked the end of big yacht racing in Europe, with the smaller and more affordable International Rule 12-Metre Class gaining popularity.
Replica commissioned in 1994
In 1994, the only exact replica of the Britannia was commissioned (after due approval by the Queen) and built in Russia, and after many problems and hard negotiations with her Russian shipbuilders, was finally released to her then owner, Mr. Sigurd Coates, who duly shipped her to Norway in 2009. The completion of the project came to a standstill until now.
Britannia and the rebuilding project have been acquired by Minicast Holdings Ltd, Gibraltar, which, upon its completion, will be donating the use of the yacht for a minimum of 10 years, to the Britannia Trust, to be used as a flagship for charity.
Full restoration underway
Britannia will now be fully restored to her pristine condition at her new home in Cowes. Following completion of the restoration, she will be mobilised as a focus for the charity works envisaged for it.
In order to achieve this, the Britannia Trust has executed a corporate charity strategy for her usage to ensure that such success can be achieved. Britannia is ideally suited to be used for charitable works, and makes for an exciting and extraordinary story that could attract and draw thousands of people every year who could be touched by history in the process.
