Yachting with the Royal Family
- Kathy Quam
- Apr 10, 2023
- 5 min read
Have you ever wondered about the origin of the term “yacht”? Interestingly, it originated from the Dutch word “Jacht” which actually means “to hunt”. Over 400 hundred years ago, when the Dutch Navy used watercraft to chase off pirates around the shallow waters they were forced to use these fast-sailing vessels “to hunt” and defend themselves against the outlaws!
At the time it was Charles II who was ruling three monarchies and held the throne as King of England, Scotland, and Ireland which made up the royalty monarch in the early 1600s. It is widely known the king used a similar boat to carry him to England from the Netherlands in the year 1660. It was during this time when “yachting” became known as a vessel “used to convey important persons”. While the King was in the city of Amsterdam the Dutch city honored with a 66ft boat he named “HMY Mary” (His Majesty’s Yacht Mary) as a way to extend their gratitude for helping to restore their monarchy. After the first year of sailing on this yacht, he requested it be used to carry prominent diplomats across the Irish Sea. King Charles went on to own 27 yachts between 1660 and 1685 which he used and loved to race!
By the 17th century as the Dutch began to gain prominence as a sea power, a yacht became more of a pleasure craft and was used by royalty in most of the coastal regions of northwestern Europe.
More and more of these sailing vessels were designed for wealthy British patrons and they became desired especially by the Royal family. Since British royal yachting dates back to 1660 (from the reign of Charles II), in total, the British monarchy has had 83 Royal yachts. Britannia was the first royal yacht to be built with ocean going capability and was specifically designed for the royal residence to entertain guests and to travel around the world.
Britannia’s predecessor was the Victoria & Albert III and was the first royal yacht NOT to be powered by sail. It was built for Queen Victoria, but she never went on board the yacht because she was concerned about her safety and the boats stability. King Edward VII however, did sail on the Victoria & Albert mainly in local waters and the Mediterranean.
This yacht was decommissioned in 1939 and was eventually broken up for scrap in 1954.
"Britannia" yacht was constructed from a shipyard located in Clydebank, Scotland
called the John Brown & Company. This was one of the most famous shipyards in the world having also having built the famous ships “Queen Elizabeth” and “Queen Mary”. “Britannia” was one of the last-fully riveted ships to be built with the extraordinarily smooth painted hull. She was known to have been built also for use as a hospital ship, if necessary.
The ships name was a closely guarded secret, only being revealed when the queen christened the vessel by smashing a bottle of Empire wine as Champagne was considered too extravagant in post-war Britain. She announced to the crowds, “I name this ship Britannia… I wish success to her and all who sail her”. You cannot see her name located anywhere on the yacht however she is recognized around the world. She was launched on April 16, 1953.
For over 44 years she served the royal family, sailing over 1,000,000 miles and has become the most famous ship in the world. Britannia was utilized for the royal residence and for glamorous state visits, official receptions, Royal honeymoons, and relaxing royal family holidays. She hosted honeymoons for four royal weddings, including Prince Charles & Princess Diana.
The yacht has cruised around the world eight times and has taken the royal family on almost 700 overseas trips. The Britannia ship was the only ship in the world whose Captain traditionally was an Admiral.
As the English press proudly states “The 412-foot and 6,000-ton Britannia a floating monument to the prestige of a sea-faring nation that was once the world’s foremost naval power”.
It is written in the Royal Yacht Britannia Edinburg that in June of 1994, it was announced that over the long and successful career of over 44 years and traveling over 1,000,000 miles around the globe that the last royal yacht was to be decommissioned. Sir John Major, then the prime minister of the United Kingdom, announced “there will be no retrofit for the Britannia” due to the cost it would incur at the time. It is said that the queen herself vetoed the building of a new royal yacht because many Brits view the ship as too costly and lavish. The 400-foot ship glided onto a misty sea for its last journey, her 44-year career of showing the royal flag on every continent behind her. When she sailed past John Brown’s shipyard the vessel gave a final blast on her sirens as a farewell to the yard who had built her.
The royal yacht’s formal decommissioning ceremony was held at the Portsmouth naval base. It was attended by Queen Elizabeth II, her husband Prince Philip, and her children, Prince Charles, Prince Andrew and Princess Anne.
The queen stated sorrowfully, “It is with sadness that we must now say good-bye to Britannia,” in a farewell message sent to the ship’s crew. “My family and I extend our heartfelt thanks to all these men for their unfailing loyalty, dedication and commitment.”
It is eloquently quoted in the press “The queen, known for rarely showing emotion, struggled mightily to keep her composure. As he met with the families of the crew, Prince Philip wiped his eyes with his hand. The queen finally bid farewell to the ship that served her family and her country for over 40 years. The band of the Royal Marines played a highly emotional rendering of “Highland Cathedral” and on this very rare occasion the queen is seen somberly as she publicly shed a tear. All of the clocks on Britannia were stopped at 15:01 and the queen was piped ashore for the last time.
The Royal Yacht Britannia is presently berthed at Leith, Edinburgh, which is now a five-star attraction for tourists and locals. She is owned by The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust, which is a charity set up to preserve her and her fantastic history. All of the funds collected from these visits goes back into her preservation for future generations.
The Royal Yacht Britannia is accessed via the Britannia Visitor Centre within Ocean Terminal. She is permanently berthed next to the building and can be seen from the center.
The Terminal’s main shops are 85 in total and include six restaurants, three coffee shops, a variety of bars and cafes, as well as a cinema and day-spa. This yacht excursion is certainly going to be added to my bucket list when visiting Europe again.
(Originally published in the 2016 Autumn issue of "The Association News" / MMCC)
Sited sources:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/yacht-club
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMY_Mary
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/list_of_ships_of_the_line_of_the_Royal_Navy
https://www.royalyachtbritannia.co.uk/about-the-royal-yacht/royal-residence/decommissioning
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