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The project is restoring Britannia, the last working ship of its kind, to seaworthy condition. With a newly repaired hull, the ship has been able to leave the landlocked village of Winkleigh where restoration began and has been relaunched in Exeter harbour.
Britannia Sailing Trust is making sure that the skills, knowledge and natural materials needed to keep ships like Britannia afloat remain valued and protected.
Vicki Samuels, Treasurer of Britannia Sailing Trust, said: “Young people are the future of traditional sailing ships. They are the next generation of boatbuilders, shipwrights, skippers and sailors.”
The boatbuilder’s woodland
One challenge facing the trust is finding high-quality timber for ship repairs, because forests are often cut down before reaching maturity.
To address this Britannia Sailing Trust is partnering with Exmoor National Trust to plant the Britannia Woodland. The 15-acre community woodland will provide public access to nature and a sustainable source of timber for future boatbuilders and craftspeople.
Among these new trees is an oak sapling which was found growing beneath Britannia’s hull. Vicki Samuels described the tree’s unlikely beginnings and future place in the woodland as “a testament to regeneration and the power of nature.”
