Royal Yachts of the World


Book Description

A lavishly illustrated history of Royal and State yachts and other ships used by Kings, Queens and Heads of State from the 17th century to the present day. "Royal Yachts of the World provides the definitive picture of the most opulent vessels ever built.




Royal Yachts


Book Description

A history of Royal Yachts and ships of state, both from Britain and abroad, from the Norman Conquest to the present day.




Royal Yachts Under Sail


Book Description

From the time of the Restoration of Charles II, when he returned to England from Breda and was presented with the yacht Mary by the burgomaster of Amsterdam, Royal yachts began to be defined as such in England and built with that special purpose in mind. They were built luxuriously and used for royal visits to the fleet, for diplomacy and for racing and cruising for pleasure. Charles II took more of an interest in the sea than any other English monarch. He built a fleet of royal yachts, fine examples of ship design and decorative art, and he can be said to have been the father of yachting and of royal yachts. His successors were less keen on the sea but traveled to Europe on missions of peace and war; and royal yachts took part in regime change several times. In 1689 Queen Mary was bought over to join her husband William of Orange and complete the ‘Glorious Revolution’. In 1714 George I arrived from Hanover to establish a new dynasty. And in 1814, in a reverse process, King Louis XVIII was taken back to France to restore the monarchy after the defeat of Napoleon. This important new book is the first to describe the building and decoration of the yachts in such detail, using many newly discovered sources; and it is the first to describe their uses and exploits, often taking their royal passengers into controversy or danger. Besides the yachts themselves, it reveals much about the character of the kings, queens and princes involved – the impetuousness of the future William IV for example, or his brother George IV’s surprising love of sailing. It describes the design, accommodation, and sailing of the yachts, as well as their captains and crews. Sailing yachts came to an end when Queen Victoria discovered that steam power was more efficient as well as more comfortable, but they revived in the form of her son Edward’s cutter Britannia, and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Bloodhound and Coweslip. Their legacy can be seen in the widespread sport of yachting today, and in the lavish superyachts of billionaires. This beautifully illustrated book, full of anecdote and containing detailed descriptions of dozens of royal yachts, will fascinate naval historians, ship modelers and, indeed, anyone who sets foot aboard the deck of a modern yacht.




Queen of the World


Book Description

On today's world stage, there is one leader who stands apart from the rest. Queen Elizabeth II has seen more of the planet and its people than any other head of state and has engaged with the world like no other monarch in modern history.The iconic monarch never ventured further than the Isle of Wight until the age of 20 but since then has now visited over 130 countries across the globe in the line of duty, acting as diplomat, hostess and dignitary as the world stage as changed beyond recognition. It is a story full of drama, intrigue, exotic and sometimes dangerous destinations, heroes, rogues, pomp and glamour, but at the heart of it all a woman who's won the hearts of the world.




Ultimate Classic Yachts


Book Description

Former Classic Boat editor Nic Compton has spent over 20 years sailing and photographing classic yachts, and this is the culmination of his decades-long passion - a stunning collection showcasing the 20 most beautiful and fascinating classic boats still sailing today. They include: Bona Fide - the original fin-keeler that was 70 years ahead of her time Inward Bound - a 35ft cutter built in Argentina using salvaged timber from the General Belgrano Madoc - a 24ft clinker yawl built on a Tasmanian beach by hand Partridge - an 1885 cutter that took 18 years to restore Solway Maid - the last surviving William Fife yacht Timeless and magnificent, these yachts all have a story to tell, and they are captured with glorious full colour photography.




From the Sublime to the Ridiculous


Book Description

This intense descriptive veracity continues as the narrative moves on to shipboard service. The first phase of the memoir is a lengthy and vividly detailed account of the harsh regime at the Royal Navys training establishment in Gosport, Hampshire. The second phase, which is sustained over half the total memoir, is an account of the experiences in exotic waters from the Mediterranean, down the east coast of Africa, and eventually on to Singapore and Hong Kong. The third phase of the memoir, which is its centerpiece, spans a period of seven years as a member of the crew of the Royal Yacht Britannia. This is another big eye-opener, an insight into running one of the most unusual, famous, and in some eyes, controversial naval vessels of its day.The narrative continues and is built around a fascinating account of a single cruise in 1970, which followed the route taken by Captain Cooks voyage to Australia two hundred years previously. Finally, as a member of the task force that set out to the South Atlantic in 1982, featured are many vividly detailed battles that allowed the Falkland Islands to be returned to the United Kingdom.




Superyacht Captain


Book Description

In Superyacht Captain, a professional at the zenith of one of the world's most lavish and exclusive industries gives a rare insight into a career that makes for eyebrow-raising reading, as entertaining as it is instructive. The tale of an ordinary boy whose career takes him on a most extraordinary journey, this book begins with Brendan messing about in boats in a sleepy coastal Australian town, and ends with him becoming one of the most successful and respected superyacht captains in the industry – the consummate 'Billionaire's Captain'. Spanning two decades and circling the globe, his story draws readers into the real world of superyachts, their crew and their owners, in the most intimate of ways. Brendan weaves in the lessons he's learned as he's progressed from deck hand to captain, and these insights are valuable for anyone leading teams with demanding objectives. As captain, Brendan was expected to achieve excellence every single time, and here he reveals how he learnt to deal with the 'everyday' demands of the job as well as emergency situations. Surprisingly humble and self aware, in a world of glitter and extravagance you can see why he's trusted. All of this is told against a backdrop of seemingly impossible glamour at the most extravagant edge of the boating spectrum, with plenty of entertaining stories of the superyacht lifestyle. A brilliant read for all sailors and motorboaters, for the many superyacht fans out there, as well as anyone interested in leadership and management techniques from someone at the top of their game, working for those who define the rules of the game.




Fathoming the Ocean


Book Description

“[An] amiable, in-depth examination of the most critical era for the development of modern oceanography” (Publishers Weekly). In a history at once scientific and cultural, Helen Rozwadowski shows us how the Western imagination awoke to the ocean's possibilities?in maritime novels, in the popular hobby of marine biology, in the youthful sport of yachting, and in the laying of a trans-Atlantic telegraph cable. The ocean emerged as important new territory, and scientific interests intersected with those of merchant-industrialists and politicians. Rozwadowski documents the popular crazes that coincided with these interests?from children's sailor suits to the home aquarium and the surge in ocean travel. She describes how, beginning in the 1860s, oceanography moved from yachts onto the decks of oceangoing vessels, and landlubber naturalists found themselves navigating the routines of a working ship's physical and social structures. Fathoming the Ocean offers a rare and engaging look into our fascination with the deep sea and into the origins of oceanography?origins still visible in a science that focuses the efforts of physicists, chemists, geologists, biologists, and engineers on the common enterprise of understanding a vast, three-dimensional, alien space. “Rozwadowski greatly expands our own understanding, all while telling a story that is original, wide-ranging, and illuminating.” —Margaret Deacon, Southampton Oceanography Centre, author of Science and the Sea: The Origins of Oceanography “Required reading for anyone wanting to understand how the oceans have come to play the role that they do in Western knowledge.” —Eric L. Mills, Dalhousie University and author of Biological Oceanography: An Early History, 1870-1960 “Chronicles the birth of deep-sea oceanography, from early observations by Benjamin Franklin to the voyage of HMS Challenger in the 1870s. [Rozwadowski] weaves a rich narrative from the world of renowned as well as lesser-known oceanographers.” —Nature