1st May, 2022
Photo credit: Jon Worral About
Founded in 2014 by Sam and Vicki Samuels, Britannia Sailing Trust is dedicated to advancing Britain’s maritime heritage, raising awareness of the fragility of our oceans and bringing the experience of sailing and maintaining a historic vessel to disadvantaged people throughout the UK.
The current goal is to complete the restoration of the Class 1 East Coast Smack, Britannia. This vessel is now 107 years old and is the last functional example of her type.
The Samuels have grown the Trust steadily over the last few years, recruiting trustees and a loyal crew of volunteers ranging in age from 18 to 88. The Trust is supported by private donations and, more recently, Heritage Lottery funding.
After restoration works are completed in 2023, Britannia will take to the seas once more. She will traverse the coastline of the whole of the British Isles, connecting deprived coastal communities and offering a range of adventurous, imaginative and life-changing voyages to the people who ordinarily find it hard to access these kinds of experiences.
The Trust also plans to plant a mixed native woodland to contribute to eco-system restoration and to serve as a gift to future generations of boatbuilders, ensuring that sustainably grown timber of the highest quality will be available with which to build and maintain traditional sailing ships such as Britannia for many centuries to come.
