ROYAL YACHTS
Left: A study of the Mandarin yacht and Belvedere belonging to HRH the Duke of Cumberland at Windsor by John Haynes (1730-1753)
Below: Painting by Paul Sandby (1731-1809) showing the Chinese junk afloat on Virginia Water
huzzas by taking off his cap and subsequently remained on deck for most of the day so that he could be seen by the local people. He even bowed to the passengers on the Southampton steamboat when it passed the Royal Yacht. The visit helped to establish Cowes as a fashionable seaside resort and generate further interest in yachting. In 1830, George IV was succeeded by his younger brother the Duke of Clarence as William IV. As a long- standing member of the Royal Yacht Club, the new king maintained the Royal Family’s links to the sport of yachting. In July 1833 he approved the Club’s second change of title to become the Royal Yacht Squadron and its coat of arms. Four years later, the RYS signalled the passing of its second Royal Patron by using its battery to fire 70 two-minute guns as a final mark of respect.
VIRGINIA WATER’S ROYAL FLOTILLA For two centuries, the Royal Family enjoyed simply messing about in small boats on Virginia Water. This artificial lake was created following the appointment of King George II’s son William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland as Ranger of Windsor Great Park in 1746. As part of his plans for the remodelling of the historic royal park, the Duke commissioned the building of three man-made lakes by gangs of discharged soldiers. The boggy valley of Virginia Stream, which ran through the southern end of the park, formed the basis for the largest of the trio. With its overall length of 1½ miles, Virginia Water could accommodate modest passenger- carrying sailing boats.
The first of these craft was brought up the Thames in 1749 to Old Windsor, where she was slipped by the Bells of Ouseley Inn using teams of oxen which then pulled the wooden hulk three miles to the land-locked lake where she was transformed into the Chinese-style junk Mandarin. Her decorations included fearsome looking fire-breathing dragons painted along both sides of her hull, ornamental lanterns, wooden carvings and gilding. The Duke frequently took his guests for trips along the lake in Mandarin, including his nephew, the future King George III. These aquatic excursions were regularly enlivened by the sound of a military band playing in an accompanying barge. However, the Royal Family’s interest in Virginia Water waned for several years following the Duke’s death in 1765 and the breaching of the lake’s dam three years later by a severe storm.
52 CLASSIC BOAT MARCH 2012
THE ROYAL COLLECTION © 2011 HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II
THE ROYAL COLLECTION © 2011 HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II
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