''Bloodhound'' is a ocean racing yacht. She was designed by Charles E. Nicholson and built by

Camper and Nicholsons Camper and Nicholson was a yacht design and manufacturing company based in Gosport, England, for over two hundred years, constructing many significant vessels, such as Gipsy Moth IV and Prince Philip's yacht Bloodhound. Its customers included Th ...

in 1936. From 1962 to 1969 she was owned by the British Royal Family and in January 2010 she was purchased by The Royal Yacht ''Britannia'' Trust.

Royal ownership

In 1962 ''Bloodhound'' was purchased for the Royal Family at the request of

Prince Philip Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from E ...

. In February she was sailed from Plymouth to Gosport to be refitted by Camper and Nicholsons and the work was finished by June. Prince Philip sailed ''Bloodhound'' with

Uffa Fox Uffa Fox, CBE (15 January 1898 – 26 October 1972) was an English boat designer and sailing enthusiast, responsible for a number of innovations in boat design. Not afraid of courting controversy or causing offense, he is remembered for his ec ...

Cowes Week Cowes Week ( ) is one of the longest-running regular regattas in the world. With 40 daily sailing races, up to 1,000 boats, and 8,000 competitors ranging from Olympic and world-class professionals to weekend sailors, it is the largest saili ...

in August of that year. During royal ownership ''Bloodhound'' would accompany The Royal Yacht ''Britannia'' in the Western Isles when the royal family had their one true family holiday every year. She had a permanent crew of three, and one skipper was a descendant of

Sir Francis Drake Sir Francis Drake ( – 28 January 1596) was an English explorer, sea captain, privateer, slave trader, naval officer, and politician. Drake is best known for his circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition, from 1577 to 1580 ( ...

. It was during these times that the young royals learned to sail on ''Bloodhound''. When not in royal use, ''Bloodhound'' and her crew were chartered to yacht clubs across the country at a daily fee of £1 (later increased to £2) per participant, used to expose thousands of people to offshore sailing. In 1969 ''Bloodhound'' was sold by the royal family and ''Bloodhound'' then effectively retired from racing. Over time the boat gradually fell into considerable disrepair and very nearly became beyond salvage. However, in 2002 Richard Carr purchased ''Bloodhound'' and then later passed her into the ownership of Tony McGrail, a yacht surveyor and classic yacht restorer, in 2003.http://www.royalyachtbritannia.co.uk/media/221306/the_royal_sailing_yachts_-_richard_johnstone-bryden.pdf Over the next years she underwent a major internal and external refit to bring her back to her original condition. In January 2010 ''Bloodhound'' was purchased by The Royal Yacht ''Britannia'' Trust and is now berthed alongside ''Britannia'' in

Leith Leith (; gd, Lìte) is a port area in the north of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith. In 2021, it was ranked by ''Time Out'' as one of the top five neighbourhoods to live in the world. The earliest ...

. During July and August, the fully restored, 63 foot Royal Racing Yacht ''Bloodhound'' is available from Oban Marina for private day sailing around Scotland's West Coast for up to eight guests.

Racing accomplishments

Gallery

Image:Royal Yacht Bloodhound (6615728453).jpg, ''Bloodhound'' at Leith Docks in December 2011 Image:Racing Yacht Bloodhound (6287135642).jpg, ''Bloodhound'' at Leith Docks in October 2011 Image:Racing Yacht Bloodhound (6286617935).jpg, ''Bloodhound'' at Leith Docks in October 2011 Image:Racing Yacht Bloodhound (6286633811).jpg, ''Bloodhound'' at Leith Docks in October 2011 Image:Racing Yacht Bloodhound (6287153474).jpg, ''Bloodhound'' at Leith Docks in October 2011

Notes

External links

Scottish Screen Archive footage of ''Bloodhound''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bloodhound (yacht) 1936 ships Individual sailing vessels Ships built in Gosport Ships and vessels on the National Register of Historic Vessels Fastnet Race yachts Sailing yachts built in the United Kingdom 1930s sailing yachts 12-metre class yachts Sailing yachts of the United Kingdom Sailing yachts designed by Charles Ernest Nicholson