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Lot Essay
Britannia was designed by G.L. Watson and built by the Patrick Yard on the Clyde in April 1893 for the Prince Of Wales, and later Edward VII, King of England. She was a radical advance on the clipper bowed low aspect yachts of the 1880's and early 1890's both in looks and performance. In her first season's racing that year Britannia had scored thirty-three wins from forty-three starts. In 1913 she was back on the racing scene, entered in the handicap classes with albeit limited success. During the years of the first World War the Britannia languished unattended in a mud berth, until the King brought her out for racing in 1920. Her return to the regatta circuit was spectacular she won twenty-three flags out of twenty-six starts; not bad for a thirty year old yacht! That year also saw the first big class yacht racing with a bermudian rig, but despite altering Britannia's rig in 1926 and 1927, the King only finally agreed to "go bermudian" in 1931. By 1934 she was hardly competitive with the new highly technical 'J' class racers beginning to appear on the scene. Her last race was sailed in 1935 at Cowes. The following year, 1936, King George V died leaving instructions that if none of his sons wanted the yacht, the Britannia should be broken up. As this was the case she was sripped and her bare hull was towed from the Medina at midnight on July 9th, 1936. Out past the Needles light and there she was scuttled and sent to rest beneath the waves.