Crowd funding raises money to complete Britannia replica

Unique opportunity to get involved in a piece of yacht racing history

Still parked ashore on Cowes, Venture Quay, is the replica of King George V's famed racing yacht, Britannia. In a novel move, the design and engineering work necessary to completion of her refit are to be funded via crowd funding on Kickstarter. Britannia measures 52m long while her mast, at 55m, will be the tallest wooden mast in the world.

The K1 Britannia Kickstarter campaign can be found here and will run for 60 days.

By pledging to the project, sailing enthusiasts, individuals and organisations from around the world now have a short window of opportunity to be able to receive a unique reward (the choice according to the scale of the pledge) - a special piece of Britannia, crafted by the the project's own team of specialists. But these rewards for donations will be produced in limited numbers. These include replicas of the crew and officers' clothing worn on the original Britannia. There are oil paintings and design prints from world renowned marine artists, hand signed and finished litho prints of Britannia's deck plan, sail plan, and interiors. 

Rewards at the higher end include the opportunity to sail aboard the finished Britannia during her first regattas which she will race for charity in Cannes, St Tropez, the UK and the Caribbean. A tier up from this and donors will have the chance to dine aboard Britannia with the Captain and crew once the refit has been completed.

K1 Britannia, the company behind the refit, intends to reclaim the legacy of this replica of one of British yacht racing most famous vessels using her for a whole range of activities and charitable projects around the world such as maritime education, programs for veterans, while being used by 80-100 charities a year as a floating venue for charity fundraisers and events.

Her completion is scheduled for 15 months’ time. 

The Britannia design and engineering team are attempting to recreate how Britannia was on board when the late King sailed her. In order to complete the design of the interior special materials will need to be acquired. A full laser scan of the interior and exterior of the hull must be rendered and skilled craftsman must dedicate many hours of their time designing and creating each individual piece on board. 

Scott Ward, K1 Britannia's director said, "The spirit of this project is all about gifting Britannia to the people. It is a project that reclaims an iconic piece of maritime history. Without your help the design and engineering of Britannia won't be completed to the standard and specification that made her one of the most incredible and admired vessels in the world."