John Ambler
BRITANNIA & TUG DANASUND
Tug DANASUND
Towing the J Class yacht
Britannia in to the river Medina.
On King George V’s death in January 1936, what should happen to his massive and famous J Class Yacht ‘Britannia’? He’d left instructions that she was to ‘follow him to the grave’. Stripped of all her spars and fittings, her hull was towed out from Cowes and sunk off St Catherine’s Deep, somewhere west of Ventnor and south of the Needles, on July 1st. The remains of her hull are there to-day, rotting in a deep watery grave. Nobody is supposed to know the exact location, though fishermen from the island have snagged nets on her. An exact replica of her hull was built, between 1993 and 2009, at a frozen shipyard north of the Arctic Circle, in Russia’s port of Arkhangelsk, and financed by a Norwegian magnate. Since then she’s been overwintered in Northern Norway. From there, and in January this year her hull has been on a final leg of her journey, trekking west and south – to Cowes. As you might expect, after Artic winters and battered by storms on her way here, the hull looks the worse for wear. Local Anthony Churchill tells us, by the end of this week – weather permitting - she will at last reach her new home, alongside in Cowes, all 40 metres (120 feet) of her. The plan: for her completion to commence, and for the Trust that now owns her, to invest in fitting-in new deck ware, restoring her interior, her mast, rigging and sails, back to what they were in the Classic Days of Cowes Yachting. The goal: for her to become a flagship for charity, reaching out to underprivileged children, war veterans and to be used as a fundraising venue for upcoming charities in the UK and across the globe. Head of the Trust, Scott Ward, says “The hull needs a good brush up and tender care, but we hope to introduce her to you all in a few weeks, once she is out of the water and looking her best”. More details to be announced at the ‘Cowes Yachting’ lunch, on February 6th at the Royal London Yacht Club. Replica J class yacht Britannia being towed from Norway by tug Danasund to Cowes South Boats yard. Yacht constructed at Solombala Shipyard, in Arkhangel, Russia where the yacht was launched only to become subject of a financial dispute, trapping her in Russia until 2009, when she "escaped" to Norway. ------ The replica Royal Yacht, built to the same GL Watson lines as the original sailing yacht of Edward VII and then raced in the J-Class by George V will be finished with some of her systems replaced, over the next few months. Britannia will be officially named at Cowes in May. Owner and project manager Sigurd Coates says he plans to charter the vessel out of Cowes, for recreational training and historical tours on the golden age of yachting. She is due to make her appearance on the classic circuit next July at the the Westward Cup event at Cowes Classics, after that she’ll be in the Med, but she will be based back in Cowes,
BRITANNIA & TUG DANASUND
Tug DANASUND
Towing the J Class yacht
Britannia in to the river Medina.
On King George V’s death in January 1936, what should happen to his massive and famous J Class Yacht ‘Britannia’? He’d left instructions that she was to ‘follow him to the grave’. Stripped of all her spars and fittings, her hull was towed out from Cowes and sunk off St Catherine’s Deep, somewhere west of Ventnor and south of the Needles, on July 1st. The remains of her hull are there to-day, rotting in a deep watery grave. Nobody is supposed to know the exact location, though fishermen from the island have snagged nets on her. An exact replica of her hull was built, between 1993 and 2009, at a frozen shipyard north of the Arctic Circle, in Russia’s port of Arkhangelsk, and financed by a Norwegian magnate. Since then she’s been overwintered in Northern Norway. From there, and in January this year her hull has been on a final leg of her journey, trekking west and south – to Cowes. As you might expect, after Artic winters and battered by storms on her way here, the hull looks the worse for wear. Local Anthony Churchill tells us, by the end of this week – weather permitting - she will at last reach her new home, alongside in Cowes, all 40 metres (120 feet) of her. The plan: for her completion to commence, and for the Trust that now owns her, to invest in fitting-in new deck ware, restoring her interior, her mast, rigging and sails, back to what they were in the Classic Days of Cowes Yachting. The goal: for her to become a flagship for charity, reaching out to underprivileged children, war veterans and to be used as a fundraising venue for upcoming charities in the UK and across the globe. Head of the Trust, Scott Ward, says “The hull needs a good brush up and tender care, but we hope to introduce her to you all in a few weeks, once she is out of the water and looking her best”. More details to be announced at the ‘Cowes Yachting’ lunch, on February 6th at the Royal London Yacht Club. Replica J class yacht Britannia being towed from Norway by tug Danasund to Cowes South Boats yard. Yacht constructed at Solombala Shipyard, in Arkhangel, Russia where the yacht was launched only to become subject of a financial dispute, trapping her in Russia until 2009, when she "escaped" to Norway. ------ The replica Royal Yacht, built to the same GL Watson lines as the original sailing yacht of Edward VII and then raced in the J-Class by George V will be finished with some of her systems replaced, over the next few months. Britannia will be officially named at Cowes in May. Owner and project manager Sigurd Coates says he plans to charter the vessel out of Cowes, for recreational training and historical tours on the golden age of yachting. She is due to make her appearance on the classic circuit next July at the the Westward Cup event at Cowes Classics, after that she’ll be in the Med, but she will be based back in Cowes,