Fingal

Purchased by The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust in 2014, former Lighthouse Board tender, Fingal has been transformed into a 22-cabin luxury floating hotel. Permanently berthed a 10-minute walk from Britannia, Fingal has all the glamour and style of a superyacht, but with an old-world elegance. Situated on the top deck, the award-winning Lighthouse Restaurant offers Afternoon Tea, dinner and cocktails, plus outside deck space with views over Leith’s vibrant waterfront.

Fingal was launched in August 1963 and was the last ship to be built by the Blythswood Shipbuilding Company in Glasgow. Registered in Leith, Fingal was in the service of the Northern Lighthouse Board, spending 30 years working out of Oban with the final 6 years based in Stromness, Orkney. 

Royal Racing Yacht Bloodhound

In 2010, the Trust purchased classic 63-foot Royal racing yacht, Bloodhound, one of Britain’s most historically significant ocean sailing yachts. Built in 1936 by the prestigious Camper & Nicholson yard in Gosport, Bloodhound was owned by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip from 1962 to 1969, and it was on Bloodhound that the then Prince Charles and Princess Anne learned to sail.

The nature of conservation work on historic vessels means at different points Bloodhound is either on display beside Britannia or undergoing vital work.

Coweslip

Coweslip, a 20-foot Flying Fifteen keelboat, designed by the legendary Uffa Fox, is currently on display at Britannia for visitors to enjoy. It was presented to Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip as a wedding present in 1949. Prince Philip frequently sailed on Coweslip with Uffa and, together, they had great success sailing competitively, including winning the Britannia Cup in 1952. Coweslip has been kindly on loan to the Trust since 2017.

Bluebottle

Built by Camper and Nicholson in 1947, dragon class Bluebottle (GBR 192) was presented to Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip as a wedding present by the Island Sailing Club, Isle of Wight. In 1956 Bluebottle was loaned to the British sailing team competing at the Melbourne Olympics, with Lt Cdr Graham Mann at the helm, winning a Bronze Medal, the only British Dragon to have done so.

Bluebottle’s arrival in Edinburgh was the final part of a longstanding ambition by The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust to reunite the three historic vessels (Bloodhound, Bluebottle and Coweslip). 

Following a painstaking restoration by David Heritage Racing Yachts, Bluebottle is enjoying a very successful return to competitive racing. Crewed by world-class sailors Graham and Julia Bailey, the 70-year-old wooden-hulled yacht is widely considered to be the most iconic of all Dragons and regularly beats its modern-day fibreglass counterparts in international races.

For updates and to follow her racing programme, follow our Facebook page: @TheRoyalRacingYachts 

Royal Nore

A vessel that was at the centre of Royal events on the Thames for over 40 years, the Royal Nore was used by Queen Elizabeth II for official visits on the Thames including: the official opening of the new London Bridge in March 1973; the Thames Barrier, in May 1984; the Millennium Dome; and the Millennium Footbridge in 2002.

Originally named ‘Nore’, the vessel was subsequently renamed Royal Nore in 1977 in recognition of service by Royal Command.

The Royal Nore was gifted by the Port of London Authority (PLA) to The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust in July 2017 and is not currently on display.