royal yacht britannia refit

'The Crown': Did the Queen Really Demand That the Public Pay for the Britannia Yacht Refurb?

In season five of the Netflix drama, the Queen asks Prime Minister John Major to intervene. This is what actually happened

In episode one, series five of The Crown , a GP asks a “rather personal” question of the Queen (Imelda Staunton): is Balmoral her favourite residence? She demurs to answer, and instead the scene cuts to a majestic yacht, the HMY Royal Britannia, sailing somewhere in the Irish sea, presumably up to Scotland.

Five-star service? Try 10-star service on board this boujie boat: silver service suppers by candlelight; landscape painting sessions on the portside deck, a waiting staff of hundreds. Well, who wouldn’t love it? Try the British public, when, in the middle of a global recession, they were expected to shoulder a not-so-slight refurb costing £14.745 million (according to papers held by The Crown ’s Prince Phillip, Jonathan Pryce).

But while the Queen is seen asking – nay, telling – the then-PM John Major (Jonny Lee Miller) that her royal subjects will foot the bill in Peter Morgan's series, how much of this is true, and what happened to the luxury yacht in the end?

Royal Yacht Club

King Charles II first kicked off the idea that a personal boat was essential to the ruling monarch in 1660, and by the time the tradition was passed on to HRH Elizabeth II in 1953, it had evolved into the most luxury of ships.

The Queen launched the yacht in 1953, a 126-metre beast that could accommodate up to 250 guests, manned by 21 officers from the Royal Navy and 250 Royal Yachtsmen. The maiden voyage in 1954 took Prince Charles and Princess Anne to Malta to meet their parents, and over the years the boat entertained everyone from presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton to Nelson Mandela. Interestingly, the boat also doubled as a nuclear shelter for the Royals, who would have taken shelter in it off the coast of north-west Scotland, in case of an emergency.

While the yacht was mainly used for maritime jollies – Charles and Diana honeymooned on it in 1981, while the rest of the royal family used it for their annual fortnight jaunt to the west coast of Scotland, also known as their Western Isles Tour – it was also utilised to evacuate 1,000 people from Aden, Yemen, during a civil war in 1986.

However, in 1994, the Conservative government, then headed up by John Major, announced that the yacht would be lowering its anchor for the last time, due to the exorbitant running costs. Viscount Cranborne, House of Lords, said at the time: “The yacht last underwent a major refit in 1987. A further refit at an estimated cost of some £17 million would be necessary in 1996–97 but would only prolong her life for a further five years. In view of her age, even after the refit she would be difficult to maintain and expensive to run. It has therefore been decided to decommission "Britannia" in 1997.”

However, by 1997, and with a general election looming, the idea of royal yacht became a contentious issue, and the Tories declared they would recommission the yacht if they were re-elected. According to The Guardian at the time, the Queen was “furious” that the royal family was “dragged into the centre of the election campaign, just as it is fighting to restore its public image.”

“At the same time I hope it is clear to all concerned that this reticence on the part of the palace now way implies that Her Majesty is not deeply interested in the subject; on the contrary, the Queen would naturally very much welcome it if a way could be found of making available for the nation in the 21st Century the kind of service which Britannia has provided for the last 43 years.”

Speaking to the Daily Express , Professor Murphy, director of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, said of his letter discovery: “It is clear that behind the scenes the palace, which had been closely informed of the progress of discussions, was keen to keep the issue alive and was putting discreet pressure on Whitehall to come up with some alternative proposals.”

While The Crown goes a step further and shows the Queen putting her foot down to demand that John Major’s party – and the public – should pay for the refurb and to keep the boat on high seas, it’s highly unlikely this meeting ever took place. In 2003, the Sunday Telegraph quoted a source that claimed the monarch would have never put pressure on the government over a politically sensitive subject: “Neither the Queen or the Duke of Edinburgh have ever expressed an opinion on the way the issue was handled and nor would they do so.”

Britannia was eventually decommissioned in 1997, after Tony Blair and Labour were voted into power, ​​and its final trip was to convey the last Governor of Hong Kong, Chris Patten, and the Prince of Wales back from Hong Kong after its handover to the People's Republic of China. The Queen was later captured shedding a tear when it moored up in Portsmouth. The yacht is now a permanent visitor attraction in Port Leith, Edinburgh, and gets up to 300,000 shipmates a year.

@media(max-width: 73.75rem){.css-1ktbcds:before{margin-right:0.4375rem;color:#FF3A30;content:'_';display:inline-block;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-1ktbcds:before{margin-right:0.5625rem;color:#FF3A30;content:'_';display:inline-block;}} Culture

‘Reacher’ Series 3: Release Date, Cast & Spoilers

Steven Knight’s This Town: Release Date and Cast

I Finally Figured Out the ‘Shōgun’ Pheasant Fiasco

‘Masters of the Air’: What Happened Next?

The Biggest TV Shows of 2024

What to Do in London This Weekend

Gloria Steinem Is Still In the Fight

Who Will Actually Be The Next James Bond?

Percival Everett's New Novel Is a Modern Classic

Shōgun: Your Guide to Understanding the Characters

The Best Movies of 2024

Sign Up Today

Start your 14 day free trial today

The History Hit Miscellany of Facts, Figures and Fascinating Finds

• 20th Century

10 Facts About Royal Yacht Britannia

Peta Stamper

28 nov 2022.

The 83rd and last in a long line of royal yachts, HMY Britannia has become one of the most famous ships in the world. Now permanently moored at Edinburgh’s Port of Leith, the floating palace is a visitor attraction welcoming some 300,000 people aboard each year.

For Queen Elizabeth II, Britannia was the ideal residence for state visits and peaceful royal family holidays and honeymoons. For the British public, Britannia was a symbol of Commonwealth. For the 220 naval officers who lived aboard Britannia , and the royal family, the 412-foot-long yacht was home.

Having travelled more than a million nautical miles over 44 years of service to the British Crown, Her Majesty’s beloved boat was decommissioned in 1997. Here are 10 facts about life aboard HMY Britannia.

1. Britannia was launched by Queen Elizabeth II on 16 April 1953 using a bottle of wine, not champagne

Champagne is traditionally smashed against a ship’s hull during launching ceremonies. However, in a post-war climate champagne was seen as too frivolous, so a bottle of Empire wine was used instead.

Britannia launched from the John Brown & Company shipyard in Clydebank, Scotland.

2. Britannia was the 83rd Royal Yacht

King George VI , Elizabeth II’s father, had first commissioned the royal yacht that would become Britannia in 1952. The previous official boat had belonged to Queen Victoria and was rarely used. The tradition of royal yachts had been started by Charles II in 1660.

George decided that the Royal Yacht Britannia should both be a regal vessel as well as a functional one.

3. Britannia had two emergency functions

Britannia was designed to be converted into a hospital ship in time of war, although that function was never used. Additionally, as part of the Cold War plan Operation Candid, in the event of nuclear war the ship would become a refuge off the north-west coast of Scotland for the Queen and Prince Philip.

4. Her maiden voyage was from Portsmouth to Grand Harbour in Malta

She carried Prince Charles and Princess Anne to Malta to meet the Queen and Prince Philip at the end of the royal couple’s Commonwealth tour. The Queen stepped aboard Britannia for the first time in Tobruk on 1 May 1954.

Over the next 43 years, Britannia would transport the Queen, members of the Royal Family and various dignitaries on some 696 foreign visits.

The HMY Britannia on a visit by the Queen to Canada in 1964

Image Credit: Royal Canadian Navy, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

5. Britannia hosted some of the 20th century’s most notable figures

In July 1959, Britannia sailed the newly opened Saint Lawrence Seaway to Chicago where she docked, making the Queen the first British monarch to visit the city. US President Dwight Eisenhower hopped aboard Britannia for part of the journey.

In later years, Presidents Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton would also step aboard. Charles and Diana, the Prince and Princess of Wales, took their honeymoon cruise on Britannia in 1981.

6. The crew were volunteers from the Royal Navy

After 365 days’ service, crew members could be admitted to the Permanent Royal Yacht Service as Royal Yachtsmen (‘Yotties’) and serve until they either chose to leave or were dismissed. As a result, some yachtsmen served on  Britannia  for over 20 years.

The crew also included a detachment of Royal Marines, who would dive underneath the ship each day while moored away from home to check for mines or other threats.

7. All royal children were allocated a ‘Sea Daddy’ on board the ship

The ‘sea daddies’ were primarily tasked with looking after the children and keeping them entertained (games, picnics and water fights) during voyages. They also oversaw the children’s chores, including cleaning the life rafts.

8. There was a ‘Jelly Room’ onboard for the royal children

The yacht had a total of three galley kitchens where Buckingham Palace ‘s chefs prepared meals. Among these galleys was a chilled room called the ‘Jelly Room’ for the sole purpose of storing royal children’s jellied desserts.

9. It cost around £11 million every year to run Britannica

The cost of running Britannia was always an issue. In 1994, another expensive refit for the ageing vessel was proposed. Whether or not to refit or commission a new royal yacht entirely came down to the election result of 1997. With repairs at a proposed cost of £17 million, Tony Blair’s new Labour government were unwilling to commit public funds to replace Britannica.

HMY Britannia in 1997, London

Image Credit: Chris Allen, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

10. All the clocks on board remain stopped at 3:01pm

In December 1997,  Britannia was officially decommissioned. The clocks have been kept at 3:01pm – the exact moment the Queen went ashore for the last time following the ship’s decommissioning ceremony, during which the Queen shed a rare public tear.

You May Also Like

The Peasants’ Revolt: Rise of the Rebels

10 Myths About Winston Churchill

Medusa: What Was a Gorgon?

10 Facts About the Battle of Shrewsbury

5 of Our Top Podcasts About the Norman Conquest of 1066

How Did 3 People Seemingly Escape From Alcatraz?

5 of Our Top Documentaries About the Norman Conquest of 1066

1848: The Year of Revolutions

What Prompted the Boston Tea Party?

15 Quotes by Nelson Mandela

The History of Advent

The Princes in the Tower: Solving History’s Greatest Cold Case

clock This article was published more than  1 year ago

What really happened to Royal Yacht Britannia from ‘The Crown’ Season 5?

LONDON — The much-hyped fifth season of “The Crown” opens with a heavy-handed metaphor weighing approximately 4,000 tons.

It’s 1953, and a young Queen Elizabeth II, a month before her coronation, is in Scotland to launch the new royal yacht, the Britannia. “I hope this brand-new vessel, like your brand-new queen, will prove to be dependable and constant, capable of weathering any storm,” she declares to great applause.

And so the queen and her ship are inextricably linked as the Netflix TV show fast-forwards to 1991, when questions about costly repairs for the Britannia are presented in parallel to questions about whether the 65-year-old queen is too old for her role.

King Charles III wants to look ahead. ‘The Crown’ drags him back.

There is no missing that this is a narrative device in a series now labeled a “fictional dramatization.” But the episode’s release this week has renewed interest in the history of the royal yacht and ignited a debate about how the British monarch interacted with her government. It also happened to coincide with a modern-day echo of 1991, as new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, facing a recession, sank plans for a replacement royal yacht.

What to know about Britannia, ‘the floating palace’

There is a real Royal Yacht Britannia, and, as in the show, the young queen really did announce its name and christen it with a bottle of Empire wine. (Though not with a self-referential speech.)

The Britannia was the latest in a series of royal yachts dating back to 1660 and King Charles II . In 44 years of service, the ship sailed more than 1 million nautical miles — equivalent to more than 40 circumnavigations of Earth — calling at more than 600 ports in 135 countries and projecting British influence around the world.

The Britannia was used for state visits and receptions, royal family holidays and honeymoons. Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton all spent time on board, as did Boris Yeltsin and Nelson Mandela. When civil war broke out in South Yemen in 1986, the yacht was rerouted to help evacuate civilians.

“The Crown” suggests the yacht was the queen’s favorite “home,” cherished even more than Balmoral in the Scottish highlands. Biographers don’t dispute that this could have been true. In his book “Queen of Our Times,” Robert Hardman writes, “There were few places where the Queen would be happier.”

Although served by a crew of 220, the ship was a place where the royal family could relax and escape the watchful eye of the public. Hugh Casson, who designed the interior, once recounted, “the overall idea was to give the impression of a country house at sea.” Prince Philip, the queen’s husband, was fascinated with the birds he saw during voyages in the 1950s and even published a book titled “Birds from Britannia.”

Did the queen lobby for repairs?

The controversial part of “The Crown” portrayal centers on whether the queen actively lobbied Prime Minister John Major for the government to pay for extensive repairs — which could have amounted to inappropriate interference in politics by a constitutional monarch.

She says in the show: “Here I am, coming to you, prime minister, on bended knee, for the sign-off, but I’m hoping that will be a formality.”

The character of Major, who was prime minister during a tough recession, responds by suggesting the royal yacht is “something of a luxury” and that spending public money on it while the economy is in the tank would not be good for the government or the royal family.

The queen persists, arguing that the yacht is “a central and indispensable part of the way the crown serves the nation” and “a floating, seagoing expression of me.”

The queen-ship metaphor is dragged out in a later conversation, when the character of Prince Charles — impatient to be king — tells Major about the Britannia: “Sometimes these old things are too costly to keep repairing.”

So did any of that actually take place?

The real-life Major has called the show’s imagined conversations “a barrel-load of nonsense.”

Robert Lacey, a historical consultant on “The Crown,” defended the depiction. He told The Washington Post that the subject of the yacht would have inevitably come up between the queen and the prime minister, who met once a week to discuss matters of state.

“She certainly spoke about it to the prime minister,” Lacey said. “Obviously, the royal family would have lobbied for it. The queen did want another royal yacht.”

Hardman, the royal biographer, insisted that while the queen no doubt would have been interested in repairs or a replacement, she would not have “leaned on her prime ministers for money.”

In a letter written in 1994, later stored in the National Archives, the queen’s deputy private secretary Kenneth Scott wrote to the cabinet office that “the Queen would naturally very much welcome it if a way could be found of making available for the nation in the 21st century the kind of service which Britannia has provided for the last 43 years.”

Scott noted, however, that “the question of whether there should be a replacement yacht is very much one for the government” and “the last thing I should like to see is a newspaper headline saying ‘Queen Demands New Yacht.’”

The Times of London headline when the letter was uncovered in 2018: “ I want a new yacht, Queen told Whitehall in secret letter .”

What happened to the Britannia?

Major’s government wasn’t swayed by arguments to repair or renew the ship. Even with a retrofit costing an estimated 17 million pounds, the Britannia would be expensive to run and hard to maintain. It was hard to justify when air travel was a readily available alternative for royal trips and trade missions.

The yacht’s final voyage abroad was to Hong Kong in 1997, when the territory was handed back to China. A few months later, the Britannia undertook a farewell tour of Britain, calling at six major ports and blasting its sirens as it passed the shipyard that built it, before returning for a decommissioning ceremony in Portsmouth, England on Dec. 11, 1997. The ship’s clocks were stopped. The Royal Marines band played. Lacey noted: “The only time the queen was seen to cry was when the royal yacht was de-commissioned.”

The ship is now a visitor attraction site in Edinburgh, Scotland. On the day of the queen’s state funeral in September, a lone piper played a lament on the deck.

What about plans for a replacement royal yacht?

The possibility of a replacement yacht gained some traction during the 1997 general election, but the incoming Labour government nixed the idea.

More than two decades later, as part of a campaign to promote a reinvigorated “Global Britain” in the aftermath of Brexit, Prime Minister Boris Johnson proposed a new royal yacht . There was a push to name the ship after Prince Philip, who died last year, though it would be more for the government than for the royal family. In Johnson’s vision, the ship would tour the world as a “floating embassy,” where officials would host summits and cement trade deals. It would cost an estimated 250 million pounds to build, plus 30 million pounds a year to run.

But once again, the economic climate is not favorable for big yacht projects. The new Sunak administration announced this week that it was terminating the royal yacht plan and would instead procure a surveillance ship that could protect energy cables and other infrastructure. The prime minister’s spokesman said it was “right to prioritize at a time when difficult spending decisions need to be made.”

Reflecting on Edinburgh's Royal Yacht Britannia 25 years after arriving in Leith

As the nation gears up for the historic coronation of King Charles III, we wind the clock back a quarter of a century when the monarchy's own Royal Yacht Britannia made her way home to her final resting place in sunny Leith.

• 12:54, 5 MAY 2023

Get the latest nostalgia features and photo stories from Edinburgh straight to your inbox

We have more newsletters

When the Royal Yacht Britannia was decommissioned in 1997 following forty-four years of serving the country, the late Queen Elizabeth II thanked the ship and its crew for providing "great support" to the nation.

Having sailed one million miles, carrying over 700 hundreds royal visits at home and overseas, the Queen hailed the ship's achievements as "a great testament to those who designed and built her."

The year after the ship was decommissioned, it made its way to Leith where it has been an ever-present for 25 years as we approach the momentous anniversary of the Royal Yacht Britannia docking in Edinburgh.

READ MORE: Edinburgh's infamous 'pirate' market that closed down in a flurry of controversy

Thousands lined the dock as the impressive vessel made it way into the harbour in 1998. Many now know it as one of the capital's most popular tourist attractions, welcoming around 350,000 visitors every year.

Images taken on May 5, 1998 show hundreds of excited locals in awe as the vessel sails into Leith Docks, played in by a pipe band.

As well as the ship herself, a special museum is also present within Edinburgh's Ocean Terminal Shopping Centre where visitors can read about every landmark achievement the ship made and just how much the late monarch loved it.

The Royal Yacht was in service from 1954 until 1997 and was the 83rd such vessel since King Charles II acceded to the throne in 1660. During her extensive career, the yacht visited more than 600 ports in 135 different countries.

HMY Britannia, as she is also known by, was built at the shipyard of John Brown & Co. Ltd in Clydebank. The Queen officially launched the vessel on April 16, 1553 and commissioned her on January 11, 1954.

The ship was designed to be converted into a hospital ship in time of war, although this capability was never used. In the event of a nuclear war, it was intended for the Queen and her husband Prince Philip to take refuge onboard off the north-west coast of Scotland.

At 20:00 on 17 January 1986, the Yacht dropped anchor at Khormaksar Beach. Civil war had broken out in South Yemen and ships were urgently required to evacuate British nationals and others trapped by fighting. As a non-combatant Royal Navy ship, Britannia would be able to enter territorial waters without further inflaming the conflict.

In 1994, the government announced the yacht's retirement. It last underwent a major refit in 1987 with a further refit at an estimated cost of £17million necessary in 1996-97 but would only have prolonged her life for a further five years.

In view of her age, even after the refit she would be difficult to maintain and expensive to run.

In a special sending-off ceremony letter, written by the Queen as one last goodbye to Britannia, she said: "Together with members of my family, Prince Phillip and I join you today to pay tribute to Britannia and give our thanks to all who have been part of her company.

"Looking back over forty-four years we can all reflect with pride and gratitude upon this great ship which has served the country, the Royal Navy and my family with such distinction."

Sign up to our Edinburgh Live nostalgia newsletters for more local history and heritage content straight to your inbox

She continued: "It is with sadness that we must now say goodbye to Britannia. It is appropriate that with this final event show bows out in the style which is so typical of the manner in which her business has always been conducted."

Now, the Royal Yacht Britannia has been awarded a five-star visitor attraction status by Best UK Attraction with guests able to discover five decks of stories from the Royal Family and the 220 Royal Yachtsmen who served onboard.

The vessel has also been converted into a luxury floating hotel where guests can stay the night, as well as visit the Royal Deck Tea Room.

Edinburgh's first TGI Fridays was like nothing capital diners had ever seen before

These 31 retro Edinburgh signs that will give you a serious nostalgia overload

Amazing Edinburgh image captures city centre street as it was 60 years ago

These 24 Edinburgh photos will transport you right back to the 1990s

The short-lived Edinburgh superclub that closed down in a haze of violence

• Most Recent

The global authority in superyachting

• NEWSLETTERS
• Yachts Home
• The Superyacht Directory
• Yacht Reports
• Brokerage News
• The largest yachts in the world
• The Register
• Yacht Advice
• Yacht Design
• 12m to 24m yachts
• Monaco Yacht Show
• Builder Directory
• Designer Directory
• Interior Design Directory
• Naval Architect Directory
• Yachts for sale home
• Motor yachts
• Sailing yachts
• Explorer yachts
• Classic yachts
• Sale Broker Directory
• Charter Home
• Yachts for Charter
• Charter Destinations
• Charter Broker Directory
• Destinations Home
• Mediterranean
• South Pacific
• Rest of the World
• Boat Life Home
• Owners' Experiences
• Interiors Suppliers
• Owners' Club
• Captains' Club
• BOAT Showcase
• Boat Presents
• Events Home
• World Superyacht Awards
• Superyacht Design Festival
• Design and Innovation Awards
• Young Designer of the Year Award
• Artistry and Craft Awards
• Explorer Yachts Summit
• Ocean Talks
• The Ocean Awards
• BOAT Connect
• Between the bays
• Golf Invitational
• Boat Pro Home
• Pricing Plan
• Superyacht Insight
• Product Features
• Premium Content
• Testimonials
• Global Order Book
• Tenders & Equipment

HMS Britannia: 10 facts about Queen Elizabeth's former royal yacht

From humanitarian missions to hosting royal honeymoons, the HMS Britannia has a fascinating history serving the British Royal Family for over four decades. When she was decommissioned in 1997, Queen Elizabeth II shed a tear in a rare display of emotion. The occasion marked the end of long succession for royal yachts dating back to the reign of Charles II. As the country prepares to celebrate the Queen’s diamond jubilee, we remember her beloved Britannia .

1. Britannia was launched in 1953

Britannia was commissioned by Queen Elizabeth II following the death of her father and was launched from John Brown & Co. Ltd - the shipyard that built the Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary cruise liners - in 1953. However, there was to be no traditional Champagne-smashing against her bow. In a post-war Britain, Champagne was considered too extravagant so instead, a bottle of Empire wine was selected to do the honours at her official launch ceremony.

2. There are three masts on board

Unlike her predecessors, Britannia possessed a more modern profile with a clipper bow and cruiser stern. The ship was designed with three masts: a 41-metre foremast, a  42-metre mainmast, and 36 metre mizzenmast. The last six metres of the main mast were placed on a hinge so she could pass under bridges.

3. Britannia logged over one million nautical miles

Between family vacations and official tours, Britannia logged over one million nautical miles, which roughly equates to one trip around the world for each of her 44 years in service.

4. The wheel was inherited

The ship’s wheel was taken from King Edward VII’s racing yacht, a 37-metre gaff-rigged cutter also named Britannia . She was a near sistership to Valkyrie II which challenged for the 1893 America's Cup, and won over 230 races in her lifetime. At the end of her life she was stripped of her spars and fittings - the wheel was saved and fitted on Britannia

5. The engine room was hyper-clean

The engine room was hyper-clean  Rumour has it that the engine room on Britannia was kept in such pristine condition that any visitors were made to wipe their feet on a door mat before entering.

6. Royal honeymoons were hosted on board

A number of royal couples chose to spend their honeymoons on Britannia given its privacy and security. Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones started the trend with a six-week sail between Mustique, Trinidad and Antigua, followed by Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips, and Princess Diana and Prince Charles. The royal apartments were located on the shelter deck with access to a large veranda.

7. There were more than 200 crew on board

During royal tours, Britannia was manned by 220 yachtsmen, 21 officers and three season officers and a Royal Marine band of 26 on royal tours. Up until the 1970s, the crew had a daily ration of rum and she was the last Royal Navy vessel to have the crew sleep in hammocks.

8. Ready for war

Britannia was designed to be converted into a hospital ship in times of war. Although she was never used in this capacity, she did assist in the evacuation of refugees during the South Yemen civil war. The drawing room was used as a temporary dormitory for the evacuees.

9. The golden rivet

It was common for officers to send junior crew off on a fool’s errand to search for a single "golden rivet". It became a right of passage and engrained in maritime folklore. During a state visit, so the story goes, the Queen had caught wind of this elusive rivet and was keen to see it for herself, so the crew found some gold leaf and hastily created a golden rivet to present to Her Majesty.

10. Decomission

HMS Britannia was officially retired from royal service in 1997. Britannia  is now permanently berthed in Edinburgh and has been converted into a museum. To this day, all the clocks on board remained stopped on 3.01pm which is the exact time the Queen last disembarked the vessel.

More stories

Most popular, from our partners, sponsored listings.

'The Crown' Raises Questions About Britannia — Where Is the Royal Yacht?

The Britannia was a grand ship that transported the British Royal Family overseas for decades. What happened to the yacht? Here's what we know.

Feb. 22 2023, Updated 10:41 a.m. ET

What happened to the royal family's yacht, Britannia?

The britannia required major maintenance and repairs over the years., where is the royal yacht britannia now.

The British Royal Family 's yacht, the Britannia , is believed to have traveled more than 1 million maritime miles during her 43 years of sailing. Much like its passengers, the Britannia was a regal vessel that carried the royal family overseas for important visits and vacations. However, the yacht also required expensive maintenance.

If you're curious about what became of the yacht after watching The Crown or due to your love for the royal family , look no further — we've done the digging for you.

Although The Crown is a dramatized retelling of the royal family's history, the yacht is very much real. The 412-foot vessel could hold more than 250 guests. The Britannia also hosted U.S. presidents Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton. In 1986, it even served as a shelter for over 1,000 refugees fleeing a civil war in Aden, Yemen .

The Britannia first set sail in 1954 from Portsmouth to Grand Harbor, accompanied by Prince Charles and Princess Anne. The boat was built by the Scottish shipbuilding firm John Brown & Company Ltd. in Clydebank, Dunbartonshire, and was launched by Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales on board the Royal Yacht Britannia in Gibraltar, at the start of their honeymoon cruise, August 1981. She is wearing a floral silk dress by Donald Campbell.

The Britannia was an aging vessel with nearly five decades worth of nautical mileage. It was in need of expensive repairs and stirred a small debate as to how it would be paid for. In Season 5 of The Crown , Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip are shown vacationing in Scotland aboard the royal yacht. They discussed restoration costs.

During this time, which was also an election year, there were conversations within the Conservative party about replacing the vessel, while the Labour party promised not to use taxpayers' money to renovate the ship within their first two years of government.

"The yacht last underwent a major refit in 1987. A further refit at an estimated cost of some £17 million would be necessary in 1996–1997 but would only prolong her life for a further five years," said Viscount Cranborne, House of Lords Hansard. "In view of her age, even after the refit, she would be difficult to maintain and expensive to run. It has therefore been decided to decommission 'Britannia' in 1997."

When the Labour party won the election in 1997, it was ultimately decided that the ship wouldn't be replaced.

"We made clear that we would not spend public money on a royal yacht, and I am keeping that promise," said George Robertson, Labour's Defence Secretary at the time. "We in the Ministry of Defence have to justify every penny of the taxpayers' money that we spend, and in this case, I could not do so."

The Britannia retired on Dec. 11, 1997. Today it sits at the Ocean Terminal, Leith, in Edinburgh, Scotland. Queen Elizabeth II was even reported to have wept during the decommissioning ceremony. The Britannia is open to the public and has more than 300,000 visitors each year to keep her company.

Living my best ‘The Crown’ life onboard the @britanniayacht . pic.twitter.com/ppO1GcyA7j — Morag (@MoragForbes) January 21, 2023

Those who are interested in getting a first-hand experience at what it was like to travel in luxury some decades ago can visit the Royal Yacht Britannia museum for a small fee. Entrance fees start at £18.50 (about $23) for adults and £9.25 (about $11) for children between the ages of 5 and 17. During the tour, you can expect to see the following:

• Britannia's five decks
• Visit the bridge
• Walk through the Queen's favorite room
• Tour the engine room
• Enjoy a light lunch in the Royal Deck Tea Room

Where Is Jen Shah Now? ‘RHOSLC’ Star Starts Her 78-Month Prison Sentence

Want to Enjoy a Movie Night for Less? Here Are Some Tips

'Wheel of Fortune Live' Brings America's Game Across the Country — Everything You Need to Know

Latest Media & Entertainment News and Updates

• ABOUT Market Realist
• Privacy Policy
• Terms of Use
• CONNECT with Market Realist
• Link to Facebook
• Link to Instagram
• Contact us by Email

Opt-out of personalized ads

© Copyright 2024 Market Realist. Market Realist is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.

Photos show what it's like onboard the Royal Yacht Britannia, the queen's 'floating palace' that she took on lavish vacations

• The Royal Yacht Britannia was the royal family's private yacht from 1953 to 1997.
• It's five stories tall, had more than 240 staff, and was known as the queen's "floating palace."
• Britannia is now anchored in Leith, Scotland, and reopens as a tourist attraction on May 12.

For 44 years, the Royal Yacht Britannia carried the queen and members of the royal family around the world.

Source: Royal Yacht Britannia

Built in 1953, it logged more than 1 million miles and became known as the queen's "floating palace."

The five-story ship was part royal residence and part Royal Navy ship, with a full-time staff of more than 240 royal yachtsmen and officers.

The queen traveled on the ship for tours abroad, during which she would meet with dignitaries both on land and onboard.

She also used it for vacations like the royal family's annual summer cruise to the Western Isles of Scotland.

The queen once said that "Britannia is the one place where I can truly relax."

Four royal couples used the ship for their honeymoons, including Prince Charles and Princess Diana in 1981.

In 1997, the Labour government decommissioned the ship, citing costs as a primary reason. The Britannia cost about £11 million to run each year, Reuters reported.

Source: Royal Yacht Britannia , Reuters

While the queen has yet to build a new yacht, that wasn't the end of the Royal Yacht Britannia.

One year later, it opened as a public museum in Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland.

The ship is set to reopen on May 12, almost six months after it closed in November due to the pandemic.

Source: Royal Yacht Britannia , BBC

Visitors will be able to step into spaces like the teak-lined sun lounge, the queen's favorite room, where she took her breakfast and afternoon tea.

The queen's bedroom, featuring a vanity table, writing desk, and twin bed, is also on display. The queen and Prince Philip slept separately while onboard the Britannia.

The largest room on the ship is the state dining room, where the queen entertained dignitaries like Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela, Ronald Reagan, and Margaret Thatcher. The room could fit 56 guests.

Nearby is the state drawing room, which served as a place for the royal family to relax as well as a reception area for guests.

Toward the front of the ship are rooms where the staff lived and operated, like the 24-hour laundry room. Here, yachtsmen and officers would change outfits up to six times per day.

The former royal yachtsmen, known as "yotties," now reunite annually to help maintain the ship.

The clocks on the Royal Yacht Britannia don't get touched. They are permanently stopped at 3:01 p.m., the time when the queen stepped off the ship for the last time.

Prince Philip once said that the ship occupies a unique place in royal history. "Almost every previous sovereign has been responsible for building a church, a castle, a palace, or just a house," he said, according to the Royal Yacht Britannia Trust. "The only comparable structure in the present reign is Britannia."

Our Royal Insider Facebook group is the best place for up-to-date news and announcements about the British royal family, direct from Insider's royal reporters. Join here.

• Main content

The Story Behind the Royal Family's Yacht, Britannia

The ship hosted four royal honeymoons in its 44 years of service.

Often referred to as the last royal yacht, the Britannia was decommissioned in 1997, and despite some efforts , there are no signs of a new one in the near future. Though its seafaring days may be behind it (the ship now serves as a tourist attraction in Edinburgh, Scotland), the Britannia remains an important artifact and a peek behind the curtain of royal life—it even garnered a prominent place in the fifth season of The Crown . Below, a few of its most notable moments throughout history.

It was the first royal yacht designed for ocean travel.

The ship was built by John Brown & Co at the same shipyard in Clydebank, Scotland in the same location the famous ocean liners the Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary were constructed. With 12,000 horsepower, the ship could travel at a maximum 22.5 knots (approximately 25 miles per hour), ideal for ocean-going diplomacy. Prior to its launch in 1953, the royal family used ships from the Royal Navy or even passenger liners for the overseas portions of the royal tour.

In its 44 years of service, the HMY Britannia traveled around 1.1 million miles.

It was commissioned just two days before the death of King George VI.

The King was already in failing health by the time the designs for the HMY Britannia were submitted, and the hope was that traveling might help alleviate some of his symptoms. However, just two days after the John Brown shipyard in Clydebank, Scotland received the order the King passed away on February 6, 1952.

It would take just over a year for the ship to be completed, during which time its name remained a secret—it wasn't announced until the ship's official launch in April of 1953, less than two months before the Queen's coronation . Elizabeth cracked a bottle of English wine (in the post-war era, champagne was considered too extravagant for the launch of a ship) and announced, "I name this ship Britannia … I wish success to her and all who sail in her."

It was created to double as a hospital.

When Britannia was first envisioned, less than a decade after the end of World War II, the designers sought to make it as functional as possible, crafting a space that could be converted from an ocean-going royal residence to a seafaring hospital during any possible future wartime. The main veranda was laid out and re-enforced so that it could support a helicopter landing and the laundry was made much larger than on a standard naval vessel to accommodate the potential patients. Though the ship was never actually put to that purpose, it was pressed into service on a rescue mission to help evacuate European nationals from South Yemen in 1986.

The ship was home to a lot of history.

Long before it became a floating museum, the Britannia had an eye for history. The gold and white binnacle housed on the ship's veranda deck was originally part of the HMY Royal George , a royal yacht that served Queen Victoria . Likewise, some of the bed linens used by Queen Elizabeth aboard the vessel were originally made for Victoria's bed for one of the previous royal yachts.

Britannia's steering wheel was lifted from her namesake, the racing yacht HMY Britannia , built in 1893 for King Edward VII .

It was redesigned to be less opulent.

Despite the sense of luxury that the term "royal yacht" inspires, the Queen and Prince Philip were actually concerned when they began overseeing the project in 1952 that the original interior design plans by the design firm McInnes Gardner & Partners were too lavish for a country still recovering from the war. The interiors were ultimately redesigned by Sir Hugh Casson and received very minimal updates throughout her 44 years of service.

But it still had homey touches—by royal standards.

Suffice to say that even low-key royal living is a fairly high class. In addition to the 56-seat State Dining Room, which hosted luminaries including Winston Churchill, Noel Coward, Nelson Mandela, and multiple US Presidents, the ship also sported a formal staircase where the Queen would greet guests, separate bedrooms and sitting rooms for both Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh, and a phone system designed to match the unique configurations of Buckingham Palace's telephones.

In the early years of the Britannia's life it was also home to the Queen's Rolls-Royce Phantom V which was hoisted and lowered from a special garage compartment at port so that the Queen could drive her own car at each location. The space was ever so slightly too small, forcing the bumpers to be removed in order to get it into the garage without damage and then refitted when the car was removed. Ultimately Elizabeth began using cars provided for her at port instead and the garage was converted into a storage area for beer.

The steering crew couldn't see where they were going.

Life on board the HMY Britannia was far from typical for her crew. To begin with, due to the prestige and pressure of the position, the commanding officer of the royal yacht was always a flag officer, most commonly a Rear Admiral, although the first two to serve were Vice Admirals, and Britannia 's final CO was a Commodore.

While working, the crew reportedly used hand signals to communicate rather than shouting orders, in order to maintain a sense of quiet and calm for the royal residents. It was also the last ship in the royal navy where the crew members slept in hammocks, a practice that they maintained until 1973.

Perhaps the most unusual element of the ship's functioning, though, was the steering. While on most ships, the steering wheel sits on the bridge, overlooking the front of the vessel, Britannia 's was on the deck below, in the wheelhouse, which meant that the yachtsmen who were actually doing the steering couldn't see where they were going. The crew got around this rather surprising pitfall by using voice pipes from the bridge to confer navigational orders.

It was a royal honeymoon essential.

No fewer than four royal couples celebrated their honeymoons in the HMY Britannia 's honeymoon suite (the only room onboard with a double bed.)

Princess Margaret started the tradition in 1960 for her Caribbean honeymoon with Anthony Armstrong-Jones , a quiet, formal affair where dinners were taken in full evening dress every night. Things didn't go quite as smoothly for Princess Anne on her honeymoon with Captain Mark Phillips in 1973—storms and 20-foot waves left the couple stricken with seasickness for the first week of their Caribbean cruise. Prince Charles and Princess Diana famously spent their 1981 honeymoon on a Mediterranean cruise aboard the yacht. The crew managed to duck the press so efficiently they garnered the nickname "the ghost ship." The final royal honeymoon aboard the Britannia was taken by Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson , Duchess of York in 1986 when the couple traveled around the Azores.

And a family vacation spot.

In addition to her diplomatic duties on royal tours and her service as a post-wedding retreat, the Britannia was also a vessel for family vacations. During the summer months, the royal family would often take off on what became known as the Western Isles tour, cruising around the western isles of Scotland. During the trip, the family would play games and have barbecues on the islands. The stairway off of the veranda was sometimes even converted into a waterslide for the younger royals. The tour often included a stop off at the Castle of Mey to visit the Queen Mother, then making berth in Aberdeen so that the Queen could travel to her favorite summer home, Balmoral .

The Queen openly wept when HMY Britannia was decommissioned in 1997.

With so many memories around the yacht, it's not hard to understand why the decommissioning of the Britannia was upsetting for the royal family. Though plans were initially drawn up for a replacement yacht, the government ultimately determined not to fund the effort. After the Queen officially took her leave of it in 1997, the ship was placed in the port of Leith in Scotland where it serves as a floating museum and events venue . All of the clocks on board remain stopped at 3:01, the exact time that Her Majesty disembarked for the last time.

It was used for a reception for Zara Phillips before her wedding.

Though it's no longer used as their private vessel, the Britannia 's connection to the royal family didn't end in 1997. In 2011 on the night before her wedding, the Queen's oldest granddaughter Zara Phillips contracted the ship for a reception. Though her grandmother wasn't in attendance Zara celebrated her upcoming marriage to Mike Tindall onboard along with her mother and her cousins Prince Harry, Prince William and Kate, Princess Eugenie, and Princess Beatrice.

Lauren Hubbard is a freelance writer and Town & Country contributor who covers beauty, shopping, entertainment, travel, home decor, wine, and cocktails.

@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-1jdielu:before{margin:0.625rem 0.625rem 0;width:3.5rem;-webkit-filter:invert(17%) sepia(72%) saturate(710%) hue-rotate(181deg) brightness(97%) contrast(97%);filter:invert(17%) sepia(72%) saturate(710%) hue-rotate(181deg) brightness(97%) contrast(97%);height:1.5rem;content:'';display:inline-block;-webkit-transform:scale(-1, 1);-moz-transform:scale(-1, 1);-ms-transform:scale(-1, 1);transform:scale(-1, 1);background-repeat:no-repeat;}.loaded .css-1jdielu:before{background-image:url(/_assets/design-tokens/townandcountrymag/static/images/diamond-header-design-element.80fb60e.svg);}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-1jdielu:before{margin:0 0.625rem 0.25rem;}} Royal Family News @media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-128xfoy:before{margin:0.625rem 0.625rem 0;width:3.5rem;-webkit-filter:invert(17%) sepia(72%) saturate(710%) hue-rotate(181deg) brightness(97%) contrast(97%);filter:invert(17%) sepia(72%) saturate(710%) hue-rotate(181deg) brightness(97%) contrast(97%);height:1.5rem;content:'';display:inline-block;background-repeat:no-repeat;}.loaded .css-128xfoy:before{background-image:url(/_assets/design-tokens/townandcountrymag/static/images/diamond-header-design-element.80fb60e.svg);}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-128xfoy:before{margin:0 0.625rem 0.25rem;}}

Kate Made Cancer Announcement On Her Own Terms

What Type of Cancer Does Kate Have?

Harry & Meghan Send Well Wishes to Kate

Kate's Cancer Diagnosis: Everything to Know

James Middleton Posts in Support of Kate

King Charles Is "So Proud" of Kate

What Is Going on with Kate Middleton?

Timeline of Kate Middleton's Health News

When Will Kate Return to Royal Duties?

Will Has Been a "Great Source of Comfort" to Kate

What Kate Told Her Kids About Her Cancer Diagnosis

The Royal Yacht Britannia Has a Fascinating History—Here's Everything You Should Know

It doesn't get more majestic than Queen Elizabeth II's yacht.

Seventy years ago, the Britannia began its journey as the royal yacht for Queen Elizabeth II and the Royal Family of the United Kingdom. Over the next 44 years she’d travel more than a million nautical miles and, in all her glamour and old world elegance, served as a residence that welcomed state visits from all over the world and family holidays alike. Then and now, she was and is a majestic symbol of the British Commonwealth and the reign of Queen Elizabeth II .

“Britannia is special for a number of reasons,” Prince Phillip once said. “Almost every previous sovereign has been responsible for building a church, a castle, a palace or just a house. The only comparable structure in the present reign is Britannia. As such she is a splendid example of contemporary British design and technology.”

Although she retired from service in 1997, today the Britannia, one of many of the world's grandest yachts , is docked in Edinburgh, where she is open as a visitors’ attraction and host of private events. Below we give you all the Royal Yacht Britannia facts you might want to know, from who owns the yacht now to why she was decommissioned to how fast she is to how to get tickets to visit. Britannia was, after all, the one place the queen said she could “truly relax,” so why not see why for yourself?

Royal Yacht Britania Facts and History

On February 4, 1952, John Brown & Co shipyard in Clydebank, Scotland, received the order from the Admiralty to build a new Royal Yacht to travel the globe and double as a hospital ship in times of war, according to the royal yacht's website . King George VI passed away two days after, sadly, and so on April 16, 1953, the newly crowned Queen Elizabeth II announced the yacht’s new name as the ship was revealed.

"I name this ship Britannia,” she said. “I wish success to her and all who sail in her." Britannia was commissioned into the Royal Navy in January 1954 and by April of that year sailed into her first overseas port: Grand Harbour, Malta.

The queen and The Duke of Edinburgh worked with interior designer Sir Hugh Casson for the ship to serve as both a functional Royal Navy vessel and an elegant royal residence. Queen Elizabeth II selected deep blue for Britannia’s hull, instead of the more traditional black. Its Naval crew included 220 Yachtsmen, 20 officers, and three season officers—plus a Royal Marines Band of 26 men during Royal Tours.

All of them might have had to change uniform up to six times a day, so the laundry service on board worked nonstop. The yacht also engaged in British overseas trade missions known as Sea Days and made an estimated £3 billion for the Exchequer between 1991 and 1995 alone.

The ship’s wheel was taken from King Edward VII’s racing yacht, also named Britannia, according to Boat International , and the 126-meter ship could reach speeds of 22.75 knots, or a seagoing cruising speed of 21 knots, according to Super Yacht Times . Other fun facts: The yacht could produce her own fresh water from sea water, and shouting was forbidden aboard to preserve tranquility, favoring hand signals for Naval orders instead.

Over the next 44 years, the Britannia would sail the equivalent of once around the world for each year, in total visiting 600 ports in 135 countries. Princess Margaret and Anthony Armstrong-Jones were the first of four couples to honeymoon on the ship in 1960, gifting them all privacy to sail to secluded locations. Prince Charles and Princess Diana followed in 1981 on the Mediterranean as well as Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips before them in 1973 in the Caribbean and Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson in 1986 in the Azores.

For family vacations aboard the ship, games, treasure hunts, plays, and picnics were organized, and on warm days the children could play in an inflatable paddling pool on the Verandah Deck.

In the Sun Lounge, the queen especially enjoyed taking breakfast and afternoon tea with views through large picture windows, a space you can see replicated in the TV show The Crown. Although no filming took place on board the Britannia for the show, researchers ensured scenes aboard it were accurate. In the queen’s bedroom, the resemblance is seen down to the decorative wall light fittings and embroidered silk panel above her bed that had been specially commissioned.

In 1997, the ship was decommissioned after the government decided the costs to refit it would be too great. On its final day in her service that followed a farewell tour around the U.K., the queen openly wept as the Band of HM Royal Marines played "Highland Cathedral."

"Looking back over 44 years we can all reflect with pride and gratitude upon this great ship which has served the country, the Royal Navy and my family with such distinction," Queen Elizabeth II said. All clocks on the ship stopped at 15:01, the exact time the Queen disembarked from the yacht for the final time, and they would remain at that time until the present.

How to Tour the Royal Yacht Britania

Today the yacht is owned by Royal Yacht Britannia Trus t, and all revenue it generates goes to the yacht’s maintenance and preservation. Ticketed entry allows you to step into state rooms like the Sun Lounge, the State Dining Room and State Drawing Room, in addition to the working side of the ship in the Crew’s Quarters, Laundry and gleaming Engine Room. Along the way you will see original artifacts from the shop—95 percent of which is on loan from The Royal Collection.

How to Visit the Royal Britania

You can visit the Britannia any day of the year on Edinburgh’s waterfront. Hours vary by season, and you can find them listed and purchase tickets on the yacht’s website . Private tours are also available, and you can visit the Royal Deck Tearoom, where the Royal Family hosted cocktail parties and receptions, for drinks, meals and scones. Additionally, the Britannia hosts special ticketed events for New Year’s and other occasions, and event spaces can be booked as well.

While you are in Edinburgh, you can also stay on the Fingal , a neighboring yacht-turned-floating-hotel, which is a seven-minute walk from the Britannia, and dine at its Lighthouse Restaurant & Bar, which serves breakfast, afternoon tea, dinner, and cocktails.

These Are the 15 Best Places to Travel in June

The 12 Best Luxury Luggage Pieces of 2024

How to Spend a Perfect Weekend on 30A

The Most Remote Destinations on Earth

How to Spend the Perfect Weekend in Jackson Hole

The Most Expensive Luxury AirBnBs in the World

The 15 Best Travel Purses to Carry You in Style

Paris's Most Beautiful Churches and Cathedrals

How to Spend a Perfect Weekend in Phoenix, Arizona

Your Ultimate Travel Guide to Paris’s Left Bank

11 Places in the U.S. to Learn About Black History

K1 Britannia Kickstarter launched to help complete Britannia yacht’s refit

• Inspiration

Related News

Popular news this week, popular news this month, latest news.

• Yacht Charter & Superyacht News >

Written by Eva Belanyiova

In order for her refit to be finalised, yacht Britannia ‘s design and engineering opens its doors to crowd funding on Kickstarter. Britannia is a replica of the famous racing yacht owned by King George V at the turn of the century.

Britannia restoring a maritime legacy © K1 Britannia 2012

The K1 Britannia Kickstarter will run for 60 days and the clock is ticking. Many of the rewards will be produced in limited numbers and will be claimed fast! By pledging to the project, sailing enthusiasts, individuals and organizations from around the world now have a short window of opportunity to be able to own a special piece of Britannia crafted by our team of specialists. Over the next 60 days every pledge to the project will be rewarded with a wonderful and unique gift; a choice of a reward to match the pledge.

K1 Britannia, the company behind the refit, will reclaim the legacy of this historic vessel to leverage her for a whole range of activities and charitable projects around the world. Upon completion, Britannia yacht will be used for maritime education, programs for veterans, and gifted to 80-100 charities a year as a floating venue for charity fundraisers and events.

The Britannia yacht is currently in her cradle preparing for a refit at the Venture Quays shipyard in the Isle of Wight. Upon her completion, in 15 months’ time, she will measure 52 metres in length and her mast, at 55 metres, will be the tallest wooden mast in the world.

K1 Britannia Kickstarter Rewards © K1 Britannia 2012

The Britannia design and engineering team are making history, working to bring to life what would have been on board sailing yacht Britannia when the King sailed her during her legendary yachting and racing career. We are currently raising funds for Britannia’s interior design and engineering to recreate every item that would have been on board Britannia at the turn of the century.

The Britannia refit team will bring to life a limited quantity of incredible replicas of the crew and officers’ clothing worn on the original yacht 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. Everything is custom made and for some items, the quantities are limited.

The offerings at the higher end include experiences aboard the finished Britannia such as sailing days during her first regattas where she will race for charity in Cannes , St Tropez , the UK and the Caribbean . At another level you have the chance to dine aboard Britannia with the Captain and Officers of Britannia once the refit has been completed.

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.”

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. This all costs time and money. By helping to fund the interior design and engineering of Britannia you have the chance to partake of the spirit this special project offers and take a wonderful reward home with you.

Whether you sail, own a vessel, or have never been to sea before, we believe that the items crafted for Britannia by our team of specialists will be treasured and cherished by many. By giving to the project you in turn will receive a once in a lifetime opportunity to forever have a part of this legendary maritime treasure in your life.

Please contact CharterWorld - the luxury yacht charter specialist - for more on superyacht news item "K1 Britannia Kickstarter launched to help complete Britannia yacht's refit".

• Charity & Fund Raising
• CharterWorld News
• Classic Yachts
• Coronavirus
• Cruise Ship
• Ecological Yachts
• Expedition Yachts
• Expert Broker Advice
• Feature Superyachts
• Interior Design
• Legal & VAT Yacht Issues
• Luxury Catamarans
• Luxury Gulet
• Luxury Phinisi
• Luxury Trimarans
• Luxury Yacht Design
• Luxury Yachts
• Marinas & Harbours
• Marine Ecology
• Marine Electronics
• Marine Equipment
• Mega Yachts
• Modern Yachts
• Motor Yachts
• New Launch Yachts
• New To Charter
• Open Style Sports Yachts
• Private Jets
• Sailing Yachts
• Social Media
• Sports Yachts
• Superyacht Crew
• Superyacht Photographers
• Superyacht Products & Supplies
• Superyacht Refits
• Superyacht Reviews
• Superyachts
• Uncategorized
• Yacht Builders
• Yacht Charter
• Yacht Charter Destinations
• Yacht Charter Picks
• Yacht Charter Specials
• Yacht Delivered to Owner
• Yacht Designers
• Yacht Events & Boat Shows
• Yacht Fashion
• Yacht Industry News
• Yacht Photos
• Yacht Racing
• Yacht Racing & Regattas
• Yacht Safety Equipment
• Yacht Support Vessels
• Yacht Tenders
• Yacht Videos
• Yachting Associations
• Yachting Awards
• Yachting Business
• Yachts For Charter
• Yachts For Sale

Quick Enquiry

Superyacht news:.

Email Your Yachting News to: news @ charterworld.com

ECCE NAVIGO

Luxury Yachts At Events

The Caribbean

The rebuild of sailing yacht Britannia launched on Kickstarter

Preparations of Pendennis-refitted Superyacht LIONHEART for J-Class Regatta

Reconstruction of His Royal Highness’ Yacht Britannia

Majestic Claasen Yacht LIONHEART Winner of J Class Falmouth Regatta

Ferretti Custom Line Navetta 30 series motor yacht GINDUNGO hits water in Italy

50m luxury motor yacht BEL1 launched in Pisa by Rossinavi

Luxury yacht UNIQUE S is brand new to the charter market in the Western Mediterranean

44m superyacht EXTRA TIME new to charter around the Western Mediterranean

Baglietto announces the launch of 41m luxury yacht ASTERA

Superyacht KISMET – the 122m Lurssen motor yacht the charter market has been waiting for

Another great special offer on board 36m motor yacht CALYPSO I

37m luxury yacht LEGEND offering unparalleled comfort on charters in the Western Mediterranean

Discover our Top 10 brand new yachts available for charter worldwide this year

Florida charter yacht REAL SUMMERTIME offering 10% discount

Looking ahead to the 2024 MYBA Charter Show in Genoa

Discover summer in New England aboard a luxury charter yacht: Escape to this beautiful northeast corner of the USA

Last minute yacht charter deals in the Bahamas

Westport announce the first hull of their 36m W117 range is nearing completion

49m sailing yacht ANIMA MARIS is offering discounted rates for the remaining summer weeks in Croatia

Take advantage of the exceptional 15% discount by 44m charter yacht BLISS in Greece

Royal Deck Tearoom

• Group Visit
• Accessibility

Annual Pass

• Our Green Tourism
• Weekly Snaps
• Things to do in Edinburgh
• What's On
• Private Events
• Private Dining
• Drinks Reception
• Private Tours
• Testimonials
• Meet The Team
• Historical Timeline
• Explore Britannia
• Royal Residence
• Life Below Decks
• Bestsellers
• Gift Vouchers

The Royal Yacht Britannia, Ocean Drive, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6JJ

Tel: 0131 555 5566 Email us: [email protected]

The Royal Yacht Britannia is open, visit today 10am – 3pm!

• Search this website

Tripadvisor’s No.1 UK Attraction 2023

Step aboard The Royal Yacht Britannia

Due to the  upcoming construction work at Ocean Terminal Shopping Centre , Britannia will be closed 25 - 28 June. 

Explore each of the five decks of The Royal Yacht Britannia, Best UK Attraction (Tripadvisor) and discover what life was like during Royal service on board Queen Elizabeth II's former floating palace. A great day out for all the family at this top attraction in Edinburgh.

(Last Admission 5pm)

Ticket information, opening times and more.

Buy Tickets

Pre-book your tickets to visit The Royal Yacht Britannia, top attraction in Leith.

Homemade soups, sandwiches and cakes, along with speciality teas and coffees.

Apply for 12 months' free admission after your first visit.

Stay at our luxury floating hotel, Fingal, AA Hotel of the Year Scotland.

Find souvenirs and gifts from Britannia's online Gift Shop.

Visiting Britannia

Due to upcoming construction work at Ocean Terminal Shopping Centre , Britannia will be closed 25-28 June.

Click on the Visit page  for all you need to know before you visit.

Step aboard to enjoy a great day out!

Fingal Hotel

Get away from the everyday aboard Britannia’s sister ship, Fingal.  Extend your visit with a stay in one of Fingal’s luxurious cabins, your own oasis by the sea. 

AA Hotel of the Year Scotland, AA five-star hotel and 2 AA Rosettes

Learn more: fingal.co.uk

• AI Generator

Premium Access

Custom content, media manager.

Grow your brand authentically by sharing brand content with the internet’s creators.

Royalty - Royal Yacht Britannia Re-Fit - Portsmouth

• 1970-1979 ,
• Arts Culture and Entertainment ,
• Passenger Craft ,
• Royal Yacht Britannia ,

• AI Generator

Premium Access

Custom content, media manager.

Grow your brand authentically by sharing brand content with the internet’s creators.

Royalty - Royal Yacht Britannia Re-Fit - Portsmouth

• Standard editorial rights
• Custom rights
• 1970-1979 ,
• Arts Culture and Entertainment ,
• Passenger Craft ,
• Royal Yacht Britannia ,

Vintage Everyday

Bring back some good or bad memories, march 25, 2024, amazing photos show the inside of the royal yacht britannia, 0 comments:, post a comment.

Browse by Decades

Popular posts.

Advertisement

Moscow Metro Font

Moscow Metro is a multi-line display typeface inspired by the Moscow underground map. It comes in Regular and Color versions.

Moscow Metro is ideal for posters and headlines, neon signage and other artworks.

• Share by email

Designed by: Nadira Filatova Website

License: free for commercial use.

zefira valletta yacht proprietario

• Vessels: 209889
• Vacancies: 273
• Registered: 63894
• Online: 203

ZEFIRA , IMO 1011094

• Current position
• Certificates

World’s fastest growing seamen employment service!

• Apply for a vacancy (updated daily) Vacancy list
• How does it work? Learn more
• Receive job opportunities by email
• CHIEF OFFICER
• SECOND OFFICER
• THIRD OFFICER
• FOURTH OFFICER
• TRAINEE OFFICER
• ABLE SEAMAN
• ORDINARY SEAMAN
• SAND BLASTER
• CHIEF ENGINEER
• SECOND ENGINEER
• THIRD ENGINEER
• FOURTH ENGINEER
• TRAINEE ENGINEER
• ELECTRICAL ENGINEER
• GAS ENGINEER
• REEF ENGINEER
• ELECTRICIAN
• TRAINEE ELECTRICIAN
• MOTORMAN/OILER
• MOTORMAN GRADE 2/WIPER
• ELECTRONIC OFFICER
• SUPERINTENDENT
• ENGINE CADET
• ELECTRICAL CADET
• CHIEF STEWARD (-ESS)
• STEWARD (-ESS)
• WAITER (-RESS)
• MESS MAID/BOY
• JUNIOR OFFICER
• CRANE OPERATOR

Upload vessel photos

Add to block list, delete note.

Do you really want to delete this note?

Add to a vacancy

E-mail: [email protected]

• Specification
• Accomodation Plan
• Moment of construction
• The Land of Construction
• Social Life
• Owner & Guest Cabins
• A Gourmet Heart
• Sunset & Nightlife
• Sport & Relax
• Fiji Islands
• Panama Channel
• San Blas Islands
• Dominica – Leeward Islands
• Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta 2013
• Dubois Cup 2013
• St Barths Bucket Regatta 2013
• Loro Piana Caribbean Superyacht Regatta & Rendezvous 2013
• Caribbean Superyacht Regatta & Rendezvous 2011
• Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta 2011
• Dubois Cup 2011

“Zefira, a magnificent, lean aluminium and carbon 50 metre yacht. A project in which, together with our designers, we put our heart”

Experienced european owners brought together a top team of Dubois, Fitzroy and Tessier to produce their dream yacht: sleek, sophisticated and impressive under sail.

The push for a single level between bridge, saloon and cockpit, combined with ultra-sleek aesthetics, nudged the Dubois design team into new territory. “To get good visibility from the helmstations we had to work hard to lower the accommodation as much as possible, while keeping an open feeling” adds McKeon.

The interior, styled and drawn by Remi Tessier , features a combination of bleached timbers and white leather which results in clean modern lines and provides bright comfortable living areas.

Comments are closed.

• Photo Gallery
• Press Reports
• Dubois Yachts
• Fitzroy Yachts
• Remi Tessier
• Caribbean Superyacht Regatta
• International Maxi Association
• Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta
• St. Barths Bucket Regatta

Fitzroy Yachts Zefira

The sea trial was pubblished on Superyacht 31 – spring 2012

Zefira S/Y is one of those few yachts that became an attraction for yacht enthusiasts and professionals  well before she hit the water.

This yacht was designed and built with the experience and passion for sailing boats her owners demonstrated from the start as well as a naval engineering and a project design team from  Ed Dubois studio for the exterior, while Remi Tessier was responsible for all the interiors. Zefira was built in a yard which enjoys a  worldwide  reputation for the construction of large sailing yachts.

With such an opening introduction one can expect nothing less than something absolutely extraordinary, where the term used must be read in its best meaning to underscore something that has really nothing of the ordinary. We had the pleasure of talking with the owners who are currently sailing on their yacht after they had  carried out important work in the design phase with the project team to define specific guidelines and details.

Beyond the highly involving dialogue which ensued with flowing examples  of their own sailing experience and passion, we managed to grasp and better understand the idea behind the project which began with a seven metre sloop and  gradually developed in the course of the following 40 years  of which  many were spent at  sea. Putting words to emotion and feelings is never easy to do and  more so when they are other people’s. In this case however everything was a lot easier for us   thanks to our interviewee’s eloquent communicative capability.

The first point our attention was brought to was that Zefira is the largest sailing y

acht ever designed by Dubois with no fly bridge and built by Fitzroy Yachts in New Zealand.  This may strike our readers as a mere detail, but it is in fact one of the principal fundamentals outlining this project because it translates into flowing external lines and a unique profile when observed sideways on.

The choice  of doing without a fly bridge is somewhat unusual since up until  recently a “fly” had been widely accepted as  a run of the mill thing to have on a sailing yacht beyond a given size, but which nevertheless, Zefira is proud to do without giving cause for, among others ,  the following comment volunteered by some of the designers not involved in the project: “The world of sailing now stands  divided between before Zefira and after Zefira”.

Naturally enough this comment in particular is aimed at the yachts’ profile, which brings to a standstill what had become a consolidated practice on yachts this size. Aesthetics is principally  why the owners decided to do without the fly option as well as for practical reasons  they eloquently highlighted: without one  on a  50 metre sailing boat  there’s a complete total view of both what lies ahead up to the horizon and of the sail plan.

Moreover using a higher windswept and sun scorched horizontal plane rather than the main deck itself is by its very nature something destined to be exploited only sporadically and quite correctly in their opinion doesn’t justify having one.

The thought behind the whole project as the requests submitted to both designers and yard indicated,  were to enjoy a pure thorough bred for its performing lines and technical contents, capable of offering the sort of space and commodities expected when cruising extensively in all weather conditions. At a first glance the goal seems to have been easily achieved, but if  we then go into an in-depth analysis, the comments volunteered by project designers earlier seems surely appropriate. The husband and wife team (the owners) followed up on construction work from the initial stages to completion, working through the more important phases in close contact with the professional teams involved.

According to the owners the best part was witnessing the step by step progress of such an enterprise. We can understand the reasons why and genuinely  hope that in  the future such desire will generate the construction of other such extraordinary ships.

Several International prizes for design and technical contents have been awarded to Zefira. Dubois Naval Architects’ studio is proud of the recognitions bestowed since this is the largest sailing yacht project without a “fly” they’ve ever made so far and also for the passion and creativity expressed time and time again by the owners who incidentally had been the previous owners of another Dubois  project built by Alloy Yachts: Kokomo of London (now Nubero Blau). The challenge taken on by the studio was one that meant blending the huge experience acquired by the owners to innovative aesthetics, with a hull capable of delivering the sea-keeping qualities and performance requested.

The owners wished for a boat that could be another home from home: spacious, with a project design that looked ahead into the future. For this reason the design team was invited by the owners to pay them a visit and to take a look at their house to better understand what they wanted.

The choice of the yard was principally dictated by delivery times even if Fitzroy Yachts had been chosen also in function of preceding work carried out from Dubois projects.

Among some of the clever solutions highlighted by the owners in the course of our conversation we wish to mention the ease in steering they experienced and handling the yacht, of course aided by electronics and important data communication systems capable of monitoring and performing many of the required manoeuvres without hindering visibility.

The rig which is capable of carrying up to 3,000 square metres of canvass is per se a very interesting technical achievement inasmuch as it sports a 63.50 metre mast and can still be defined as being “light”. Obviously there’s a carbon fibre mast and boom, as well as fibre stays that have been purposely chosen to reduce weight high above the waterline which translates into less draught and better performance in breezes.

All of the choices adopted for Zefira mean she is very competitive on the race track even against racers and  in spite of the many commodities she carries with her.  As for the interiors and  much of the work put in by  Remi Tessier designer and the co-owner they enhanced an undoubted feeling of both tranquillity and elegance.

Gauged chromatic variety  meets the discerning eye as it takes in lighter and darker shades of handcrafted woodwork placed without ever causing excessive contrast, followed by polished steel elements and ad hoc lighting which enhances relaxation throughout every area. The space chosen to house each piece of furniture, is fruit of  careful study that has contributed into ensuring an uncompromised degree of comfort in the owners’ suite which is situated in the stern and in each of the three guest cabins as well.

One is a twin while the other two are double each one of them sports its own private bathroom. The crew quarters are situated in the bow area and with space for a lounge and crew mess room, which translates into staff’s quality living standards on board. The yacht’s convivial areas are also well distributed and large to ensure adequate privacy to guests and owners alike.

The electronics and navigation aids installed are the most modern on the market, with data and alarm control systems and displays in each of the two external command /control stations  as well as on the bridge deck as can be expected on a state of the art ship such as this. Dictated by reasons of space we have to limit our text to that which has so far been described even when the meeting with Zefira’s owners was so stimulating  we were prompted  to go further.

Since both of them  described Zefira as being a point of arrival but of departure too, we wish them to continue their research work in the yachting field and to offer us, who knows what other input and ideas in the future. For further information please contact: Angelo Colombo

For further information Ocean View Parade, Private Bag 2014; New Plymouth, New Zealand +647699380 www.fitzroyyachts.co.nz

TECHNICAL DATA

Loa: 49.70 m – lwl: 44.56 m – beam: 9.95 m – draught: 4.90 m – light displacement: 322 t – engines: 1×1,400 hp caterpillar c32 acert – top speed under power: 16 knots – under sail: 18 knots – fuel tank capacity: 35,000 litres – range at cruising speed: 3,800 nm – consumption at cruise speed: 110 litres/hr – class: lloyds + 100 1 ssc yacht mono g6 mca london ly2 – yacht in line with the international convention for the prevention of pollution from ships (1973) and 1978 protocol including all subsequent amendments (marpol)., everywhere you are, read.

Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!

Find anything, super fast.

• Destinations
• Documentaries

We don't have any additional photos of this yacht. Do you?

Zefira is a custom sailing yacht launched in 2010 by Fitzroy Yachts.

Zefira measures 49.69 metres in length, with a max draft of 4.90 metres and a beam of 10.00 metres.

Zefira has an aluminium hull with an aluminium superstructure.

Sailing yachts have long combined nature with man-made beauty.

Her interior design is by Remi Tessier.

Zefira also features naval architecture by Dubois .

Performance and Capabilities

Zefira has a fuel capacity of 37,380 litres, and a water capacity of 10,440 litres.

She also has a range of 4,000 nautical miles.

Accommodation

Zefira accommodates up to 8 guests in 4 cabins. She also houses room for up to 7 crew members.

Other Specifications

Zefira is a Lloyds 100A1 SSC Yacht Mono G6 MCH class yacht.

• Yacht Builder Fitzroy Yachts No profile available
• Naval Architect Dubois No profile available
• Exterior Designer Dubois No profile available
• Interior Designer Remi Tessier No profile available

Yacht Specs

Other fitzroy yachts, related news.

• Builder Fitzroy Yachts , New Zealand
• Delivered 2010
• Naval Architect Dubois Naval Architects
• Exterior Stylist Dubois Naval Architects
• Interior Designer Remi Tessier
• LOA49.7m (163ft)
• LWL44.6m (146ft)
• Beam (max)10m (33ft)
• Draft4.9m (16ft)
• Fuel Capacity 37,380 litres
• Water Capacity 10,440 litres
• Range4,000 nm at cruise speed
• Displacement 372 tonnes
• Staterooms4
• Crew4 cabins
• Construction Aluminium
• ClassificationLloyds 100A1 SSC Yacht Mono G6 MCH

http://www.syzefira.com/

| LINK PHOTO INTERIOR ART REMI TESSIER

Zefira is the largest vessel crafted by Fitzroy Yachts to date. The Dubois designed vessel was built to exceptional quality levels which continue the yards reputation for building award winning superyachts. Powered by a Caterpillar C32 1450 bhp main engine and a Hundested variable pitch propeller, the propulsion system provides long range motor sailing abilities. The 56 meter ‘light weight’ carbon fiber sailing rig was supplied by Southern Spars, and the sails inventory provided by North Sails.

The interior, styled and drawn by Remi Tessier , features a combination of bleached timbers and white leather which results in clean modern lines and provides bright comfortable living areas. Generous accommodation spaces are provided for the owners and guests all with private ensuite facilities and state of the art entertainment systems. The large main deck saloon opens to a covered cockpit area which features electrically retracting side windows. The very best in lighting and entertainment control systems was incorporated into the yacht by Liquid Automation, allowing the interior ambience to be seamlessly controlled at the touch of a button.

The stainless steel galley with black granite bench top is extremely spacious for a sailing yacht with its carefully planned layout and stylish Gaggenau and Sub Zero appliances. The forward crew area is built to match the guest cabins with similar styling and detail incorporated into the joinery. There are four crew cabins each with their own ensuite which can comfortably accommodate up to 8 crew.

Designed by Dubois Naval Architects Interior Designed by Remi Tessier Built by Fitzroy Yachts Limited

• DUBOIS FLEET
• FITZROY YACHTS FLEET

Navigation menu

Zefira fitzroy yachts, nz.

• Inspiration

Zefira has 24 Photos

Zefira News

Top 10 Best Aft Decks on Luxury Yachts

Similar yachts.

ALMYRA II | From EUR€ 175,000/wk

• Yachts >
• All Yachts >
• All Sail Boats Over 100ft/30m >

If you have any questions about the Zefira information page below please contact us .

Superyacht Zefira is a luxury sailing yacht built by Fitzroy Yachts, designed by Dubois Naval Architects, with interior design by Remi Tessier. Measuring 49.7m, sailing yacht Zefira is the largest luxury yacht crafted by Fitzroy Yachts in New Zealand to date and is the largest sloop Dubois Naval Architects has designed without a fly bridge. Sailing yacht Zefira is the 7th Dubois designed sailing yacht to be built by Fitzroy Yachts.

The modern interior, of sail yacht Zefira was designed by Remi Tessier and features a combination of bleached timbers and white leather providing clean lines and bright comfortable living areas. S/Y Zefira’s large saloon on the main deck opens to a covered cockpit area which features electrically retracting side windows. Lighting and entertainment control systems by Liquid Automation, enable the interior ambience to be effortlessly controlled at the touch of a button.

Superyacht Zefira’s stainless steel galley features a black granite bench top and stylish Gaggenau and Sub Zero appliances. The carefully planned layout of the galley and is extremely spacious and functional for a sailing yacht. Forward, the forward crew area is built to match the guest cabins with similar styling and detail incorporated into the joinery. There are a total four crew cabins each with their own ensuite accommodating up to 8 crew.

Zefira Specifications

The Dubois designed fast cruising sloop Zefira, built under the project or model name x50 was crafted to exceptional standards which continue the yards reputation for building award winning superyachts.

Sailing Yacht Zefira boasts excellent technical performance and features beautiful lines. Her aluminium hull is painted a stylish light grey and she measures 49.7m with a beam of 9.95m. Zefira is powered by a Caterpillar C32 1450 bhp main engine and a Hundested variable pitch propeller, the propulsion system provides long range motor sailing abilities. The 56 meter ‘light weight’ carbon fiber sailing rig was supplied by Southern Spars, and the sails inventory provided by North Sails.

Yacht Accommodation

Guests are accommodated in generous 4 staterooms including the owner’s suite and 3 guest cabins all with ensuite facilities and state of the art entertainment systems.

Amenities and Extras

We do have available further amenity, owner and price information for the 49.69 yacht Zefira, so please enquire for more information.

Zefira Disclaimer:

The luxury yacht Zefira displayed on this page is merely informational and she is not necessarily available for yacht charter or for sale, nor is she represented or marketed in anyway by CharterWorld. This web page and the superyacht information contained herein is not contractual. All yacht specifications and informations are displayed in good faith but CharterWorld does not warrant or assume any legal liability or responsibility for the current accuracy, completeness, validity, or usefulness of any superyacht information and/or images displayed. All boat information is subject to change without prior notice and may not be current.

Quick Enquiry

Fitzroy built some wonderful sailing yachts which showcased the result of New Zealand passion,quality and yacht building tradition.

PERSEUS | From EUR€ 165,000/wk

ELEONORA | From EUR€ 70,000/wk

ANIMA MARIS | From EUR€ 64,000/wk

Zefira, il “miglior yacht a vela del mondo” in sosta a Vibo Marina

L’imbarcazione di 50 metri, unanimemente considerata una barca da sogno, è rimasta attraccata per poche ore per attività di bunkeraggio

Per gli appassionati di barche , e non solo, si tratta di un’impagabile attrazione, qualcosa di assolutamente straordinario nel suo significato letterario, cioè qualcosa che non ha niente di ordinario. Ma solo in pochi sono riusciti ad accorgersi della sua presenza in porto, che è durata giusto una mattinata . “ Zefira ”, imbarcazione di 50 metri vincitrice dei prestigiosi riconoscimenti internazionali “Show boats Design Award 2011” e di “World Superyacht Awards 2011” come miglior yacht a vela del mondo per il 2011, è rimasta attraccata presso la banchina Bengasi del molo Cortese di Vibo Marina per poche ore, impegnata in attività di bunkeraggio. Costruita in Nuova Zelanda nei cantieri Fitzroy, ha uno scafo in alluminio e una trave con un raggio di quasi dieci metri. Gli interni sono stati disegnati da Remi Tessier e possono ospitare otto ospiti in quattro cabine. Battente bandiera maltese, è unanimemente considerata una barca da sogno : elegante, sofisticata, impressionante sotto vela con il suo albero in carbonio alto 63,5 metri . Un’estetica innovativa, che ha portato uno dei suoi progettisti ad affermare, non senza una punta di orgoglio: «Il mondo della vela si divide tra prima di Zefira e dopo di Zefira». Proveniente da Patmos(Grecia), dopo la sosta tecnica ha ripreso il mare facendo rotta verso Capri .

La nave yacht “Menorca” in rada a Vibo Marina

Giuseppe Addesi

The global authority in superyachting

• NEWSLETTERS
• Yachts Home
• The Superyacht Directory
• Yacht Reports
• Brokerage News
• The largest yachts in the world
• The Register
• Yacht Advice
• Yacht Design
• 12m to 24m yachts
• Monaco Yacht Show
• Builder Directory
• Designer Directory
• Interior Design Directory
• Naval Architect Directory
• Yachts for sale home
• Motor yachts
• Sailing yachts
• Explorer yachts
• Classic yachts
• Sale Broker Directory
• Charter Home
• Yachts for Charter
• Charter Destinations
• Charter Broker Directory
• Destinations Home
• Mediterranean
• South Pacific
• Rest of the World
• Boat Life Home
• Owners' Experiences
• Interiors Suppliers
• Owners' Club
• Captains' Club
• BOAT Showcase
• Boat Presents
• Events Home
• World Superyacht Awards
• Superyacht Design Festival
• Design and Innovation Awards
• Young Designer of the Year Award
• Artistry and Craft Awards
• Explorer Yachts Summit
• Ocean Talks
• The Ocean Awards
• BOAT Connect
• Between the bays
• Golf Invitational
• Boat Pro Home
• Pricing Plan
• Superyacht Insight
• Product Features
• Premium Content
• Testimonials
• Global Order Book
• Tenders & Equipment

ZEFIRA is a 49.68 m Sail Yacht, built in New Zealand by Fitzroy Yachts and delivered in 2010.

Her top speed is 18.0 kn and she boasts a maximum range of 4000.0 nm when navigating at cruising speed, with power coming from a Caterpillar diesel engine. She can accommodate up to 8 guests in 4 staterooms, with 7 crew members waiting on their every need. She has a gross tonnage of 363.0 GT and a 9.95 m beam.

She was designed by Dubois Naval Architects , who also completed the naval architecture. Dubois Naval Architects has designed 77 yachts and created the naval architecture for 72 yachts for yachts above 24 metres.

Her interior was designed by Rémi Tessier , who has 26 other superyacht interiors designed in the BOAT Pro database - she is built with a Teak deck, a Aluminium hull, and Aluminium superstructure.

ZEFIRA is in the top 10% by LOA in the world. She is one of 83 sailing yachts in the 45-50m size range, and, compared to similarly sized sailing yachts, her cruising speed is 0.9 kn above the average, and her top speed 4.69 kn above the average.

ZEFIRA is currently sailing under the Malta flag, the 3rd most popular flag state for superyachts with a total of 1057 yachts registered. She has recently entered the NCA refit yard, in Italy. For more information regarding ZEFIRA's movements, find out more about BOAT Pro AIS .

Specifications

• Name: ZEFIRA
• Yacht Type: Sail Yacht
• Builder: Fitzroy Yachts
• Naval Architect: Dubois Naval Architects
• Exterior Designer: Dubois Naval Architects
• Interior Designer: Rémi Tessier

Yacht featured in

Yachts like this, from our partners, sponsored listings.

Yacht, IMO 1011094

• VesselFinder
• miscellaneo

La nave ZEFIRA (IMO 1011094, MMSI 248663000) è una nave Yacht costruita nel 2010 che naviga attualmente sotto bandiera della Malta.

Posizione della carta & Weather

Ultima toccata, dati principali.

Posizione attuale e storico delle toccate sono ricevuti dall'AIS. I dettagli sulle specifiche tecniche, sul tonnellaggio e sulla gestione sono derivati dal database di VesselFinder. I dati sono solo per scopi informativi e VesselFinder non è responsabile per l'accuratezza e l'affidabilità dei dati di ZEFIRA.

• Yachts for sale
• Yachts for charter

• Yacht Harbour
• Yacht Zefiro

About Zefiro

Contact agent.

New listings

Salah time in Shchëlkovo, Moscow Oblast (Russia)

Get accurate prayer time for Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, and Isha prayers in Shchëlkovo, Moscow Oblast (Russia) for today, tomorrow and next 30 days.

Local time: 00:32 , Mar 6, 2024 .

Enable Notifications

Notifications for are enabled. Disable notifications

When are the prayer times today in Shchëlkovo?

Salah (or Salat), the second pillar of Islam, consists of five daily prayers. These prayers are Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, and Isha. It is important to know the Islamic prayers times in Shchëlkovo because they must be done according to the exact position of the sun in the sky. As a result, these times will vary from day to day.

Today, islamic prayers in Shchëlkovo happen at the following times (according to Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Russia calculation method):

• Fajr (dawn prayer): 05:17
• Dhuhr (noon prayer): 12:39
• Asr (afternoon prayer): 15:28
• Maghrib (dusk prayer): 18:14
• Isha (sunset prayer): 19:55

Salah is sometimes referred to as Namaz and the times of Namaz in Shchëlkovo are listed below. For times of prayer for tomorrow and next days please refer to the timetable below.

Azan prayers timing

The Azan is a signal inviting worshipers to attend the prayer. It is given five times per day prior to each prayer. The call is delivered by the Muezzin.

Listed below are the Shchëlkovo Salah times for the next 30 days. Please check these times daily for the most up-to-date time.

The times listed below have been determined by the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Russia calculation method.

How are prayer times calculated for Shchëlkovo?

The prayer times of each of the five prayers are determined by the specific position of the sun in the sky. The Shchëlkovo Salah times typically change daily, the prayer times will be different on each day. Usually, the time only varies by a minute per day but some days will have the same time for multiple days consecutively. Because of the changing times, it is important to check the prayer schedule each day.

Why is it important to know exact prayer times in Shchëlkovo?

Since prayer times are dictated by the position of the sun, the precise times must be adhered to. A prayer must never be performed earlier than the set time. Each prayer is directed to be performed at a certain, specific, exact time.

Qibla finder

Qibla direction from Shchëlkovo is 177° degrees from True North clockwise.

Popular questions

What time is fajr prayer in shchëlkovo today.

The Fajr prayer, which is sometimes referred to as the dawn prayer, is the first prayer of the day. The prayer begins as the sky begins to turn light.

This prayer allows for remembering God before the day starts. It is one of the five mandatory prayers and begins at the moment of dawn.

Fajr in Shchëlkovo starts at 05:17.

When is Dhuhr prayer in Shchëlkovo today?

The Dhuhr (also known as Zuhr, Duhr or Thuhr) prayer times in Shchëlkovo are at noon. After the work day has begun, there is a break in the day to remember God and to give thanks.

The Dhuhr prayer beings as the sun begins to drop after reaching its highest point for the day.

Dhuhr in Shchëlkovo is at 12:39 today.

What time is Asr prayer?

The Asr prayer is also known as the afternoon prayer. It is considered the fifth prayer of the day and consists of four rakats.

Asr is at 15:28 in Shchëlkovo today.

What time is Maghrib prayer in Shchëlkovo today?

The time to pray Maghrib in Shchëlkovo is just after the sun goes down. This is the sunset prayer that allows Muslims to think of God as the day is over and occurs right after sunset. The day has been completed and the Maghrib prayer helps worshipers recall God.

This prayer is performed at dusk at 18:14.

What time is Isha today in Shchëlkovo?

The Isha time prayer in Shchëlkovo is the sunset prayer. It occurs when there is no more light but only total darkness. It is a time to reflect on all of the good things that God has bestowed.

Today, Isha starts at 19:55.

Cities near Shchëlkovo

• Bolshevo Moscow Oblast
• Korolev Moscow Oblast
• Balashikha Moscow Oblast
• Tayninka Moscow Oblast
• Gol’yanovo Moscow
• Mytishchi Moscow Oblast
• Zheleznodorozhnyy Moscow Oblast
• Bibirevo Moscow
• Severnyy Moscow
• Vykhino-Zhulebino Moscow
• Lyubertsy Moscow Oblast
• Moscow Moscow
• Lyublino Moscow
• Elektrostal’ Moscow Oblast
• Khimki Moscow Oblast
• Mar’ino Moscow
• Khoroshëvo-Mnevniki Moscow Oblast
• Strogino Moscow
• Yasenevo Moscow
• Zelenograd Moscow

Prayer times in other cities of Russia

• Saint Petersburg St.-Petersburg
• Novosibirsk Novosibirsk Oblast
• Yekaterinburg Sverdlovsk
• Nizhniy Novgorod Nizhny Novgorod Oblast
• Samara Samara Oblast
• Kazan Tatarstan Republic
• Rostov-na-Donu Rostov
• Chelyabinsk Chelyabinsk
• Ufa Bashkortostan Republic
• Volgograd Volgograd Oblast
• Krasnoyarsk Krasnoyarskiy
• Saratov Saratovskaya Oblast
• Voronezh Voronezj
• Tolyatti Samara Oblast
• Krasnodar Krasnodarskiy
• Ulyanovsk Ulyanovsk
• Izhevsk Udmurtiya Republic

View all cities

• New York City
• Los Angeles

Shchëlkovo in Moscow Oblast Destination Guide Russia

• You are here:

Shchëlkovo in Moscow Oblast, Russia

Safety Score: 4,4 of 5.0 based on data from 9 authorites. Meaning please reconsider your need to travel to Russia.

Travel warnings are updated daily. Source: Travel Warning Russia . Last Update: 2024-03-05 08:22:39

Discover Shchëlkovo

Shchëlkovo in Moscow Oblast is a city in Russia about 39 mi (or 62 km) north-west of Moscow, the country's capital city.

Local time in Shchëlkovo is now 12:32 AM (Wednesday). The local timezone is named Europe / Moscow with an UTC offset of 3 hours. We know of 5 airports in the vicinity of Shchëlkovo, of which two are larger airports. The closest airport in Russia is Sheremetyevo International Airport in a distance of 21 mi (or 34 km), South-East. Besides the airports, there are other travel options available (check left side).

There are several Unesco world heritage sites nearby. The closest heritage site in Russia is Architectural Ensemble of the Trinity Sergius Lavra in Sergiev Posad in a distance of 37 mi (or 60 km), East.

When in this area, you might want to pay a visit to some of the following locations: Vostochnoe Degunino, Moscow, Cheremushki, Krasnaya Pahra and Orekhovo-Borisovo Yuzhnoye. To further explore this place, just scroll down and browse the available info.

Local weather forecast

Todays local weather conditions & forecast: -1°c / 30 °f.

Wednesday, 6th of March 2024

-7°C (20 °F) -15°C (5 °F) Scattered clouds, light breeze.

Thursday, 7th of March 2024

-3°C (27 °F) -10°C (15 °F) Overcast clouds, light breeze.

Friday, 8th of March 2024

-1°C (30 °F) -2°C (28 °F) Light snow, gentle breeze, overcast clouds.

Videos from this area

These are videos related to the place based on their proximity to this place.

First drive in Scania 4x4 P93 M SBAT

Published: February 28, 2010 Length: 15:44 min Rating: 4 of 5 Author: scaniaru

Scania 4x4 SBAT deep snow Best truck Russia.

Nationwide popular locations

These are the most popular locations in Russia on Tripmondo.

Smaller cities in the vicinity

These are smaller but yet relevant locations related to this place.

THE 10 CLOSEST Hotels to Moscow Yacht Port, Dolgoprudny

Hotels near moscow yacht port, property types, distance from, traveler rating, hotel class.

• Best Value Properties ranked using exclusive Tripadvisor data, including traveler ratings, confirmed availability from our partners, prices, booking popularity and location, as well as personal user preferences and recently viewed hotels.
• Traveler Ranked Highest rated hotels on Tripadvisor, based on traveler reviews.
• Distance from Moscow Yacht Port See properties located closest to the place of interest first with confirmed availability for your dates from our partners.

1. Atlanta Sheremetyevo Hotel

2. SkyPoint Hotel

3. Hotel Novotel Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport

4. sk royal hotel, 5. edge vinogradovo, 6. holiday express moscow sheremetyevo airport, 7. park inn by radisson, sheremetyevo airport moscow, 8. aviator hotel, 9. satelinn moscow khovrino, 10. boutique-hotel mona, 11. edge seligerskaya - moscow, 12. north star hotel, 13. olympiets park hotel, 14. hotel gold shark, 15. gostinitsa mon plezir, 16. otel' aleksandriya-sheremet'yevo, 17. chalet country club, 18. hotel planernoye, 19. greenwood hotel, 20. novy bereg hotel yacht club, 21. otel vezendorf, 22. park hotel veles, 23. u istoka homestay, 24. voshod apartments, 25. gopark hotel, 26. grand apart putilkovo, 27. altai hotel, 28. guest house chalet tyulenya, 29. ohotnik hotel, 30. vostok hotel, hotels near moscow yacht port information.

Please use a modern browser to view this website. Some elements might not work as expected when using Internet Explorer.

• Landing Page
• Luxury Yacht Vacation Types
• Corporate Yacht Charter
• Tailor Made Vacations
• Luxury Exploration Vacations
• View All 3573
• Motor Yachts
• Sailing Yachts
• Classic Yachts
• Catamaran Yachts
• Filter By Destination
• More Filters
• Latest Reviews
• Charter Special Offers
• Destination Guides
• Inspiration & Features
• Mediterranean Charter Yachts
• France Charter Yachts
• Italy Charter Yachts
• Croatia Charter Yachts
• Greece Charter Yachts
• Turkey Charter Yachts
• Bahamas Charter Yachts
• Caribbean Charter Yachts
• Australia Charter Yachts
• Thailand Charter Yachts
• Dubai Charter Yachts
• Destination News
• New To Fleet
• Charter Fleet Updates
• Special Offers
• Industry News
• Yacht Shows
• Corporate Charter
• Finding a Yacht Broker
• Charter Preferences
• Questions & Answers
• Add my yacht

ZEFIRA Interior & Exterior Photos

49.69m  /  163' | fitzroy | 2010.

• Amenities & Toys

NOTE to U.S. Customs & Border Protection

SIMILAR LUXURY YACHTS FOR CHARTER

Here are a selection of superyachts which are similar to Zefira yacht which are believed to be available for charter. To view all similar luxury charter yachts click on the button below.

Alila Purnama

46m | Custom

from $87,500 p/week

50m | Perini Navi

from $190,000 p/week ♦︎

51m | Yıldızlar Yachting

from $136,000 p/week ♦︎

47m | Hodgdon Yachts

from $97,000 p/week ♦︎

Bahriyeli C

55m | Custom

from $21,000 p/week ♦︎

Baracuda Valletta

from $201,000 p/week ♦︎

45m | Perini Navi

from $150,000 p/week

Carpe Diem V

47m | Carpe Diem

from $34,000 p/week ♦︎

49m | Royal Huisman

from $76,000 p/week ♦︎

55m | Marin LuxurYachts

from $108,000 p/week ♦︎

47m | Mengi-Yay

Heritage Of London

from $119,000 p/week ♦︎

As Featured In

The YachtCharterFleet Difference

YachtCharterFleet makes it easy to find the yacht charter vacation that is right for you. We combine thousands of yacht listings with local destination information, sample itineraries and experiences to deliver the world's most comprehensive yacht charter website.

San Francisco

• Like us on Facebook
• Follow us on Twitter
• Follow us on Instagram
• Find us on LinkedIn
• Add My Yacht
• Affiliates & Partners

Popular Destinations & Events

• St Tropez Yacht Charter
• Monaco Yacht Charter
• St Barts Yacht Charter
• Greece Yacht Charter
• Mykonos Yacht Charter
• Caribbean Yacht Charter

Featured Charter Yachts

• Maltese Falcon Yacht Charter
• Wheels Yacht Charter
• Victorious Yacht Charter
• Andrea Yacht Charter
• Titania Yacht Charter
• Ahpo Yacht Charter

Receive our latest offers, trends and stories direct to your inbox.

Please enter a valid e-mail.

Thanks for subscribing.

Search for Yachts, Destinations, Events, News... everything related to Luxury Yachts for Charter.

Yachts in your shortlist

Lloyds Register 100 A1 SSC Yacht Mono G6 classification. Sleeps 10 overnight. The multi-award winning 49.69m/163' sail yacht 'Zefira' was built by Fitzroy in New Zealand at their New Plymouth shipyard. Her interior is styled by design house Remi Tessier and she was completed in 2010. This luxury vessel's exterior design is the work of Dubois.

Zefira. Experienced european owners brought together a top team of Dubois, Fitzroy and Tessier to produce their dream yacht: sleek, sophisticated and impressive under sail. Exterior. This 49.7m fast cruising sloop is the largest sloop Dubois Naval Architects has designed without a flybridge. She is of aluminium construction with a bulb keel and ...

With four aft cabins for eight guests and accommodation for up to nine crew, Zefira is the quintessential sailing yacht with a low profile, plumb bow, flush deck, generous sail plan and the latest thinking in keel design. The biggest ever Dubois sloop built without a flybridge,_ Zefira_ has a chic, minimalist interior by Rémi Tessier.

VALLETTA: Owner : BOURBON OFFSHORE - MARSEILLE, FRANCE: Manager : BOURBON OFFSHORE - MARSEILLE, FRANCE: Description: ZEFIRA is a Yacht built in 2010 by FITZROY YACHTS - NEW PLYMOUTH, NEW ZEALAND. Currently sailing under the flag of Malta. Formerly also known as ZEFIRA, 9HA2459. It's gross tonnage is 363 tons.

"Zefira, a magnificent, lean aluminium and carbon 50 metre yacht. A project in which, together with our designers, we put our heart" Experienced european owners brought together a top team of Dubois, Fitzroy and Tessier to produce their dream yacht: sleek, sophisticated and impressive under sail. Zefira is the biggest Dubois sloop ever built without a flying bridge,

Zefira S/Y is one of those few yachts that became an attraction for yacht enthusiasts and professionals well before she hit the water. This yacht was designed and built with the experience and passion for sailing boats her owners demonstrated from the start as well as a naval engineering and a project design team from Ed Dubois studio for the ...

Zefira is a custom sailing yacht launched in 2010 by Fitzroy Yachts. Design. Zefira measures 49.69 metres in length, with a max draft of 4.90 metres and a beam of 10.00 metres. Zefira has an aluminium hull with an aluminium superstructure. Her exterior design is by Dubois. Sailing yachts have long combined nature with man-made beauty.

Zefira is the largest vessel crafted by Fitzroy Yachts to date. The Dubois designed vessel was built to exceptional quality levels which continue the yards reputation for building award winning superyachts. Powered by a Caterpillar C32 1450 bhp main engine and a Hundested variable pitch propeller, the propulsion system provides long range motor ...

Zefira is a 49.7 m / 163′1″ luxury sailing yacht. She was built by Fitzroy Yachts in 2010. With a beam of 9.95 m and a draft of 4.9 m, she has an aluminium hull and aluminium superstructure. She is powered by Caterpillar engines of 1450 hp each giving her a maximum speed of 19 knots and a cruising speed of 12 knots. Zefira's maximum range is estimated at 4000 nautical miles. The sailing ...

Sailing yacht Zefira is the 7th Dubois designed sailing yacht to be built by Fitzroy Yachts. The modern interior, of sail yacht Zefira was designed by Remi Tessier and features a combination of bleached timbers and white leather providing clean lines and bright comfortable living areas. S/Y Zefira's large saloon on the main deck opens to a ...

We combine thousands of yacht listings with local destination information, sample itineraries and experiences to deliver the world's most comprehensive yacht charter website. Interactive, detailed layout / general arrangement of ZEFIRA, the 50m Fitzroy Yachts super yacht with naval architecture by Dubois with an interior by Remi Tessier.

"Zefira", imbarcazione di 50 metri vincitrice dei prestigiosi riconoscimenti internazionali "Show boats Design Award 2011" e di "World Superyacht Awards 2011" come miglior yacht a vela del mondo per il 2011, è rimasta attraccata presso la banchina Bengasi del molo Cortese di Vibo Marina per poche ore, impegnata in attività di ...

Westport • $10,250,000 • 34.14 m • 8 guests. ZEFIRA is a 49.68m superyacht built by Fitzroy Yachts in New Zealand and delivered in 2010. Explore her photos and specifications here.

La nave ZEFIRA (IMO: 1011094, MMSI: 248663000) è una nave Yacht costruita nel 2010 che naviga attualmente sotto bandiera della Malta. Carta Navi FOTO Porti Notizie. SERVIZI. Paid. SERVIZI ONLINE DATI AIS IN TEMPO REALE Dati AIS storici. Free. ... Proprietario registrato: Manager: Avvertenza.

Zefira is a sailing yacht with an overall length of m. The yacht's builder is Fitzroy Yachts from New Zealand, who launched Zefira in 2010. The superyacht has a beam of m, a draught of m and a volume of . GT.. Zefira features exterior design by Dubois Naval Architects Ltd. and interior design by Rémi Tessier. Up to 10 guests can be accommodated on board the superyacht, Zefira, and she also ...

Zefiro is a 30.2 m / 99′1″ luxury sailing yacht. She was built by Southern Wind in 2009. With a beam of 6.7 m , she has a composite hull and composite superstructure. She is powered by Cummins engines giving her a maximum speed of 12 knots and a cruising speed of 10 knots. The sailing yacht can accommodate 8 guests in cabins and an exterior design by Farr Yacht Design.

Calculation method: Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Russia. Fajr 16°, Isha 15°. Latitude 54.734791, Longitude 55.9578555.

Shchëlkovo in Moscow Oblast is a city in Russia about 39 mi (or 62 km) north-west of Moscow, the country's capital city. Local time in Shchëlkovo is now 08:39 AM (Sunday). The local timezone is named Europe / Moscow with an UTC offset of 3 hours. We know of 5 airports in the vicinity of Shchëlkovo, of which two are larger airports.

The best { {searchresults_count}} campings in Shchëlkovo, Russia (2024)

Hotels near Moscow Yacht Port, Dolgoprudny on Tripadvisor: Find 9,693 traveler reviews, 2,314 candid photos, and prices for 1,220 hotels near Moscow Yacht Port in Dolgoprudny, Russia.

Interior & exterior photos of ZEFIRA, the 50m Fitzroy Yachts super yacht, designed by Dubois with an interior by Remi Tessier ... The yacht particulars displayed in the results above are displayed in good faith and whilst believed to be correct are not guaranteed, please check with your yacht charter broker. ... Baracuda Valletta. 50m | Perini Navi