‘Britannia’ rebuild begins on Kickstarter
K1 ‘Britannia’ will take 15 months to complete – photo: K1 Britannia 2012
REBUILD: One of the first projects out of Kickstarter when it went live in the UK on 31 October was the design and engineering of the J Class yacht K1 ‘Britannia’.
The famous yacht, originally owned by King George V, son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, was the most famous racing yacht in the world at the turn of the last century. The yacht is now being rebuilt by K1 Britannia http://k1britannia.org/kickstarter
The company is rebuilding this prestigious J Class yacht at her former home in Cowes on the Isle of Wight.
Over the course of the next 40 days, through the Kickstarter funding site, sailing enthusiasts, those with a passion for heritage, and philanthropic individuals and organisations who are keen to be involved with this unique project will have a short window of opportunity to make history.
Since Kickstarter’s launch on April 28, 2009, in the US over $350m has been pledged through the site by more than 2.5m people, funding above 30,000 creative projects.
With each pledge to support the Britannia project supporters will receive a reward that's been uniquely designed and crafted by the rebuild team and/or the opportunity to be part of her new life when she is completed.
Rewards range from original sketches and blueprints to rigging blocks, crew clothing, beautiful landing mats and oil paintings by world renowned marine artists.
The limited edition rewards at the higher end include experiences aboard the finished Britannia on sailing days during her first regattas in Monaco, Cannes, the UK and Caribbean, where she will race for charity, and the opportunity to dine aboard Britannia with her Captain and officers.
What makes this project so special is Britannia's charitable purpose. She will be used for maritime education, programmess for veterans, and gifted to 80 - 100 charities a year as a floating venue for fundraisers and events.
Britannia is now being stripped and prepared for her refit at Venture Quays in East Cowes. On completion in 15 months’ time she will be launched with an overall length of 52m and a 55m mast – claimed to be the tallest wooden mast in the world.
"Britannia shares her noble heritage and her history with the people of the United Kingdom," said Scott Ward, founder of K1 Britannia, the company behind the rebuild. "By putting her design and engineering on Kickstarter to be crowd funded we are giving people a chance to share in the experience of bringing this part of history back to life."
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