Bloodhound (yacht)

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Bloodhound

Bloodhound moored at Dolphin Marina, Poole in 2009.
History
United Kingdom
Owner	Ike Bell (1936–1939) Hans Hamilton and Patrick Egan (1939–1947) Myles Wyatt (1947–1962) Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip (1962–1969) Robert Cook (1969–2002) Richard Carr (2002–2003) Tony and Cindy McGrail (2003–2010) Royal Yacht Britannia Trust (since 2010)
Builder	Camper and Nicholsons
Yard number	438
Laid down	1936
Launched	1936
Identification	MMSI number: 235003227 Callsign: ZNWF7
General characteristics
Class and type	Ocean racing yacht
Tons burthen	34 tons
Length	19.2 m (63 ft)
Sail plan	Bermudan yawl[1]

Bloodhound is a 19.2-metre (63 ft) ocean racing yacht. She was designed by Charles E. Nicholson and built by Camper and Nicholsons 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.

In 1962 Bloodhound was purchased for the Royal Family at the request of Prince Philip. 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 at Cowes Week in August of that year.^[1]

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. 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.^[2] Over the next 3+1⁄2 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.

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  Bloodhound at Leith Docks in December 2011
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  Bloodhound at Leith Docks in October 2011
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  Bloodhound at Leith Docks in October 2011
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  Bloodhound at Leith Docks in October 2011
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  Bloodhound at Leith Docks in October 2011

• Scottish Screen Archive footage of Bloodhound