British Light Cruisers (Shipcraft Series)

British Light Cruisers (Shipcraft Series)

Royal Yachts Under Sail - SLIGHTLY DAMAGED

Royal Yachts Under Sail - SLIGHTLY DAMAGED

Royal Yachts Under Sail

Brian Lavery

From the time of the Restoration of Charles II, when he returned to England from Breda and was presented with the yacht Mary by the burgomaster of Amsterdam, Royal yachts began to be defined as such in England and built with that special purpose in mind. They were built luxuriously and used for royal visits to the fleet, for diplomacy and for racing and cruising for pleasure. Charles II took more of an interest in the sea than any other English monarch. He built a fleet of royal yachts, fine examples of ship design and decorative art, and he can be said to have been the father of yachting and of royal yachts. Besides the yachts themselves, it reveals much about the character of the kings, queens and princes involved - the impetuousness of the future William IV for example, or his brother George IV's surprising love of sailing. This beautifully illustrated book, full of anecdote and containing detailed descriptions of dozens of royal yachts, will fascinate naval historians, ship modellers and, indeed, anyone who sets foot aboard the deck of a modern yacht.
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From the time of the Restoration of Charles II, when he returned to England from Breda and was presented with the yacht Mary by the burgomaster of Amsterdam, Royal yachts began to be defined as such in England and built with that special purpose in mind. They were built luxuriously and used for royal visits to the fleet, for diplomacy and for racing and cruising for pleasure. Charles II took more of an interest in the sea than any other English monarch. He built a fleet of royal yachts, fine examples of ship design and decorative art, and he can be said to have been the father of yachting and of royal yachts. His successors were less keen on the sea but travelled to Europe on missions of peace and war; and royal yachts took part in regime change several times. In 1689 Queen Mary was bought over to join her husband William of Orange and complete the Glorious Revolution'. In 1714 George I arrived from Hanover to establish a new dynasty. And in 1814, in a reverse process, King Louis XVIII was taken back to France to restore the monarchy after the defeat of Napoleon. This important new book is the first to describe the building and decoration of the yachts in such detail, using many newly discovered sources; and it is the first to describe their uses and exploits, often taking their royal passengers into controversy or danger. Besides the yachts themselves, it reveals much about the character of the kings, queens and princes involved - the impetuousness of the future William IV for example, or his brother George IV's surprising love of sailing. It describes the design, accommodation, and sailing of the yachts, as well as their captains and crews. Sailing yachts came to an end when Queen Victoria discovered that steam power was more efficient as well as more comfortable, but they revived in the form of her son Edward's cutter Britannia, and the Duke of Edinburgh's Bloodhound and Coweslip. Their legacy can be seen in the widespread sport of yachting today, and in the lavish superyachts of billionaires. This beautifully illustrated book, full of anecdote and containing detailed descriptions of dozens of royal yachts, will fascinate naval historians, ship modellers and, indeed, anyone who sets foot aboard the deck of a modern yacht.

ISBN: 9781399092913
Format: Hardback
Author(s): Brian Lavery
First Publishment Date: 16 November 2022
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Author(s) Brian Lavery
Customer Reviews
  1. This book is a delight
    The phrase “Royal Yacht” immediately conjures up a ship of opulent splendour taking a monarch to exotic places in support of foreign policy and colonial flag waving. Brian Lavery traces the history of Royal Yachts, from the heavily decorated ships of the 17th century to Prince Philip’s Bluebottle. Royal yachts evolved from the need for medieval kings to visit their realms by sea in a vessel a little more comfortable than a trading ship or warship. The early Royal yachts were heavily influenced by Prince Charles, in exile in the Netherlands. A keen sailor, he saw the Dutch using barge yachts - “kind of little frigates” – to travel. On coming to the throne, Charles was gifted a Dutch yacht – the Mary - but soon had one built in 1661 at Deptford (the Katherine) with slightly deeper draught better suited to the Channel. A succession of yachts were built by Charles, irreverently described as the King’s pleasure boats; one early trip was recorded as the first yacht race, a tradition that was to continue. However, the yachts were not just play toys, and by the reign of William the yachts became more functional although they still had a dual role as Royal transport. George II had the Royal Caroline built, described as the “classic yacht of the age”. She was refitted by George III as the Royal Charlotte to transport his new Queen. The cost of the lavish refit was perhaps one of the first recordings of disquiet at the cost of royal yachts. The Prince Regent enjoyed sailing in the Solent and when King, he used the Royal George to visit Ireland and Scotland. Queen Victoria made one trip to Scotland in the Royal George but she was soon converted to the benefits of steam and a paddle steamer, the Victoria and Albert, brought the end of the sailing Royal yachts. The Britannia, “a small hospital ship to be used as a Royal Yacht in peacetime” launched in 1953 has also now gone. However, the Royal family links with sailing continued, led by Edward VII and George V with the magnificent J Class Britannia, sadly scuttled in 1936. Whilst Prince Philip actively raced at Cowes, I agree with the author that sadly the age of the royal yacht is over. The book is also a magnificent way to progress through English history and shows how inextricably the monarchy was linked to the sea. It takes a comprehensive look at all aspects of royal yachts, including designs, decorative work, and sailing qualities of the yachts. Beautifully published with some stunning illustrations, many of them paintings from the Royal Collection - this book is a delight.

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