QUEEN OF THE SEAS
The Queen shed a public tear in December I997 as her beloved HMY Britannia was decommissioned. After a career spanning 44 years, the yacht had travelled more than a million miles, but it was political pressure around the price of her upkeep that, ultimately, caused her to be withdrawn from service. This was not to be the end of the Windsors’ yachting forays, however, as Leander G stepped capably into the breach.
Owned by the late Sir Donald Gosling for more than 20 years, the 75 -metre yacht was a hub of gracious entertainment, part of yachting culture, something that Gosling felt had been slowly disappearing from the superyacht scene. “In my early days of ownership, yachting was certainly more friendly,” Gosling told BOAT International back in 2013. “It would be normal to go alongside any vessel and send the owner a note with an invitation to come on board and have a drink. As a result of yachts getting larger, I feel the camaraderie has disappeared amongst owners.”
Like the Windsors themselves, has German heritage: she was built at the Peene-Werft facility in Wolgast on the Baltic coast, with the late Claus Kusch in charge of her build and exterior design. She was commissioned as the third yacht in the Katalina series for the colourful Brigadier Timothy Landon and was the first private yacht to be built in the East German facility. Construction
