Spirit of Britannia is the newest addition to Trinity's
fleet; she is mid way between Provident and Golden Vanity in size and, like the
other boats in the fleet, she is a traditional fishing vessel. Built in 1915 for
Alfred Rake by Worfolk Brothers she was the last and largest whelker to be built
on the east coast.
Having worked as a fishing boat for many years she went into private ownership
in the early 1970's. From 1974 to 1997 she operated as a charter vessel on the
west coast of Scotland. She was then taken to the Solent where she continued to
take people on sailing holidays. She was acquired by the Trinity Sailing Trust
in 2007 and underwent an extensive refit in 2008.
Spirit of Britannia is a gaff cutter. She is 58' long on deck, and
76' overall. She displaces about 40 tonnes in sailing trim. She has a beam of
14' and a draft of 8'.
Down below, Spirit of Britannia has been fitted out for her modern
role. She has accommodation for ten guests and three crew, a saloon area, a galley
with gas cooker, and two heads. She has a well equipped nav. station with modern
navigation equipment including Radar, GPS and DSC VHF Radio.
Official
Number
726445
Port
of Registry
Boston
Builder
Worfolk
Bros, Kings Lynn, Norfolk
Date
Launched
1915
Radio
Call Sign
MGJW2
Gross
Registered Tonnage
24.41
Net
Registered Tonnage
22.78
Length
Overall including spars
23.25
m
76'
3"
Length
of Hull
17.66
m
57'
11"
Length
of Waterline
15.90
m
52'
2"
Maximum
Beam
4.31
m
14'
2"
Maximum
Draft
2.3
m
7'
7"
Working
Sail Area
180
sq m
1940
sq ft
Maximum
Sail Area
214
m2
2,303
ft2
Displacement
38.72
tonnes
38.12
tons
Engine
- Volvo D3-130
96
kW
130
Hp
The Rig
Spirit of Britannia is rigged now just as she was when she fished
under sail early last century. She has a 'Gaff Cutter' rig. 'Gaff' indicates that
the main sail is hoisted using a 'gaff', a spar attached to their upper side.
'Cutter' indicates that there is more than one headsail, making each sail easier
to handle by a small crew. It is a very versatile and powerful rig, easy to handle
in light airs and strong winds.
Leader
Length: 105 feet Beam:19 feet
No of berths, inc. crew: 17
Provident
Length: 95 feet Beam:17 feet
No of berths, inc. crew: 16
Golden Vanity
Length: 53 feet Beam:10 feet
No of berths, inc. crew: 9
Spirit Of Britannia
Length: 60 feet Beam:13 feet
No of berths, inc. crew: 14
