The Trust was set up in 2013 to rescue and restore 106 year old Gaff Rigged Cutter, Britannia. She is the sole survivor of her kind (Class One East Coast Smack), a significant Vessel registered with National Historic Ships UK, with connections to WW1. Royal boatbuilders in Norfolk constructed her using timber chosen specifically from ancient oaks in Sandringham Forest; the 400 year old timbers remain intact within her hull today. She travelled overland from Cornwall to the village of Winkleigh, mid-Devon, where we have been fortunate to have obtained a dedicated group of volunteers. With Heritage Lottery funding we completed the landbased stage of the restoration in September 2023, and Britannia was launched in Exeter heritage harbour.  Since then we have relocated our workshop and started the next phase of the restoration which will be re-rigging her and fitting out the interior.  We need to recruit more volunteers now that we are based in Exeter, both behind the scenes, and hands on learning seafaring skills. We are currently training young people in a traditional boat building apprenticeship, and working collaboratively with other voluntary organisations on the East Quay.