The adventurous life of historic boat Britannia – currently under cover in Gweek, Cornwall – is being celebrated next month, with the launch of an ambitious fundraising campaign to restore the 100-year old boat to her former glory for future generations to enjoy.

On September 5, trustees, friends and supporters will celebrate Britannia’s centenary at a gathering in Gweek which also aims to raise awareness of the campaign to restore her. ‘

'Class 1 Smack’ Britannia was built in 1915 by the Worfolk brothers, well-known and respected King’s Lynn-based boatbuilders and was the last boat of her type to be built.

She was built with oak from the Sandringham Estate, since the Worfolk brothers were boatbuilders to the Royal Family and were therefore allowed to source their wood there.

She was named Britannia because her owner – Alfred Rake (brother-in-law to Walter Worfolk) – had crewed on the King’s Britannia, one of the famous J class racing yachts, and the fishermen that did so were given prize money and the privilege of naming their fishing boats after the famous yachts they had crewed.

The owners of the yachts often used fishermen from the East of England as crew because they were the best sailors. She cost £290 in 1915 exclusive of sails and rigging. Britannia had an adventurous life, working as a fishing boat, encountering a friendly German U-boat in World War I, rescuing the crew of a Russian ship in distress and getting caught in ice in the River Ouse in 1918.

After a long career as a whelker, she was bought in 1973 by Sam and Vicki Samuels, who brought her back from near oblivion to be a happy family home around the east and south coast of England and then a chartering vessel for over 10 years on the west coast of Scotland.

They sold her reluctantly in 1996, but in 2013 their son Gareth found her in very poor condition in Brixham Harbour, Devon and after some months of deliberation they decided they owed her another life, and bought her again.

Vicki Samuels, said: “For years Britannia played a significant part in our family’s lives and she will always be in our hearts. But she is much more than that. She is a truly historic vessel and part of British maritime heritage and we want to ensure that she is restored and preserved so that many more people and generations to come can enjoy sailing and learning more about our maritime culture and skills.”

The Samuels have donated their much-loved boat to the recently-formed Britannia Sailing Trust, a registered charity which aims to completely restore the boat back to commercial use standards.

The charity – supported by a group of keen sailors, historians and craftsmen – is now embarking on a fundraising challenge to raise £250,000 in the next two years to restore and maintain Britannia so that she can sail at sea once more and so that she can provide education and training opportunities for people of all ages and abilities in sailing, as well as traditional boatbuilding skills, rigging, engineering and related maintenance skills.

For more details about the history of Britannia, the restoration project and how to get involved or donate please visit www.britanniasailingtrust.org, email vickisamuels@yahoo.co.uk or call 01837 682895. She is also listed on the National Register of Historic Vessels run by National Historic Ships UK and features on their ‘The First World War: Britain's Surviving Vessels’ project: www.ww1britainssurvivingvessels.org.uk/vessels/britannia

Based on information supplied by Vicki Samuels.