This was a feature article on Britannia in the Cruising Outpost magazine. Since then there have been significant new alterations added. Clicking on the underlined links will take you to the page dealing with the subject in detail

Britannia is a brigantine schooner, with a squaresail on the foremast. She is 5-feet overall with a rakish clipper bow and roomy 14-foot beam. She is the ideal cruising rig, capable of hauling acceptably close to the wind with four fore-and-aft sails. She is fast on a reach and has unbelievable down-wind stability using the square-sail, with none of the worry about gybing associated with Bermudian sails.

The forward cabin, (fo’c’sle), was remodeled to give a wider bed and new ceilings. There are two hanging lockers and lots of drawer space for storage. This cabins has two opening Portlights and a large hatch.

The saloon is spacious, utilizing the whole 14’ foot beam incorporating the galley on the starboard side, and the chart table “office” on the port side. The skylight can be opened for ventilation. The sole is teak and holly.

The galley has been completely renovated and extended into the passageway to the aft cabin. A washing machine and freezer have been incorporated. The work tops are Corrian and a new double sink and mixer tap is installed. The propane cooker has three burners and an oven.

The spacious aft cabin has a queen size bed with individual commercial air mattresses as used in hospitals with control for individual pressure. These are much more comfortable than foam and do not suffer from absorption. There are lots of drawers and lockers and the cabin has its own en-suite bathroom.

The pièce de résistance is the aft bathroom adjoining the cabin. Not the beautiful tempered glass vanity bowl or its gold plated faucets on the marble counter top, nor even the electric toilet. It is the full size bath with ten adjustable pressure jets and a heater. Yes! a hot-tub in a sailboat that is fabulous after a days sail or a hard day of boat work,

The original saloon table could not be reached from the starboard side seats. The new table has leaves that extend to both sides of the saloon. When in the folded position the table is in the center of the saloon and can be passed on either side.

The original chart table occupied 42% of the length of the port side saloon. It was completely removed and a new desk with drawers installed with a drop down leaf the same size as the original table. The electrical distribution board was relocated, along with an antique globe drinks holder.

A 3.5 cu ft freezer was incorporated in the galley. This uses the latest low amperage compressor and freezes down to -10 degrees Fahrenheit.

The forward bathroom had no shower. It was remodeled, with new faucets, vanity bowl, an electric toilet and shower.

All sails are roller furled, with all lines coming back to the center cockpit for safe sail handling. Lines pass through running blocks and special ‘over the top blocks,’ over the coach roof.

 All winches are operated with electric winch winding handles from the cockpit. Pin-rails keep the lines tidy.

The original washboards were converted into double doors with ornamental leaded-light insets of Florida lighthouses.

The original wheel was changed for this traditional teak wheel. The table opens up to accommodate four diners.

The shore water hose has a fail-save solenoid to close it automatically if there is any leak in the boats water pipes.

The cabin sole was stripped of all old varnish and oil, then thoroughly cleaned. Then all damaged areas were repaired and varnish applied so that the floors are now shiny, but also non-slip.

The dinghy was hoisted using tackles that were very slow and hurt our hands. An electric hoist was installed and now one person can effortlessly raise the dinghy in 30 seconds.

Britannia has two 16,000 BTU reverse cycle air conditioners which  keep the inside at 75 Fahrenheit, (24C). Cool or warm air is evenly distributed throughout the whole boat to cabins and bathrooms. They can also be enjoyed while at anchor using the 6.5Kw diesel generator.

Britannia has trailboards, both sides to enhance the bow.

A new bowsprit was fabricated out of structural aluminum and powder coated. It is estimated to be five times stronger and 30 lbs lighter than the old wooden one.

The tweenmast staysail was made longer than its boom. The clew can be disconnected from the boom to form a beautiful reaching sail.

Custom calibrated water gauge sensors accurately read the exact capacity of water in both tanks, not just the water level

The old vinyl headliner was replaced with ¼” thick PVC planking throughout the whole length of the boat. This is washable and mildew proof.

The port side cabin has a double bed, a hanging locker and lots of storage space and two Portlights for ventilation. The cabin is air conditioned from the front AC unit.

All the old water pipes were completely stripped out and a new system installed using new pipes and modern connectors. A larger water pump was also installed

The boat has a bank of eight 6-volt batteries supplying the house side. A 12-volt battery dedicated to engine start and another to the windlass and the generator start. The batteries have a remote water filling system which keeps the water levels constant.

The yard is an aluminum spar with a 380 sq-ft squaresail that rolls up inside the spar when not in use. This is a superb down-wind sail and furling and unfurling is done entirely from the cockpit.

The original chain locker was too small to allow the chain to self-stow. The chain was re-routed into one of the large spaces under the bed where it now self-stows perfectly, every time.

All the old lifeline fittings were replaced with ¼” inch Dyneema rope. This is stronger than the wire and more flexible. The Dyneema is covered with white plastic tubes which prevents chafe on the lines or on the hands.

The original tiny navigation lights were replaced with new two mile lamps fitted with LED bulbs.

Both the manual heads were replaced with full size electric, fresh water flushing toilets. These do not smell like seawater flush toilets.

These drawings show the original  and the present layouts