Brittania & Ailsa racing off Hunter's Quay on the Clyde

Britannia, long before she was converted to her Bermudian rig, was built for Edward, Prince of Wales in 1893 and designed by G.L. Watson. Her builders were Henderson and Sons in Scotland. Ailsa's design was very close to that of Britannia's with a similar hull and bow shape. In hard weather, Britannia's thimble-headed topsails would give her the advantage of not having too much windage aloft as compared to some other yachts. Britannia lived a very full life racing for an amazing 43 years and was arguably the best-loved yacht of all time.