British yacht manufacturer Spirit Yachts welcomed Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal on 19 December for an official visit. Princess Anne enjoyed a private tour of Spirit’s waterside headquarters in Ipswich, starting with the yachts being built in the Spirit yard including the pioneering 34m superyacht, the Spirit 111’.

HRH The Princess Royal visited British boat manufacturer Spirit Yachts

CEO Sean McMillan commented: “As a keen sailor, Her Royal Highness was very taken with the boats in build in our yard and it was a pleasure to introduce her to our team of world class boatbuilders, who are all very passionate about what they do. She was incredibly knowledgeable, had a great deal of enthusiasm for our craft and was a delight to talk to.”

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The Spirit 111’ is in the process of being planked ahead being rolled over in the new year.

Sean added: “As the largest single-masted wooden yacht built since the 1930’s, the Spirit 111’ is a significant project and a feat of engineering. We were very proud to introduce Her Royal Highness to this incredible yacht and what will be Spirit’s biggest build to date.”

The Princess Royal met members of the British modern classic yacht company including managing director Nigel Stuart, naval architect Lawrence Peckham and workshop manager Adrian Gooderham.

The Princess Royal viewed the Spirit P70 motor boat, a power yacht designed for long distance cruising. The spacious yacht is in the process of having its interior fitted and will be launched in 2019.

The Princess Royal was also able to view and board a third yacht in build in the Ipswich yard, the Spirit 63DH, a sailing yacht. This project is in its final stages, ahead of launch in early 2018.

Her Royal Highness was accompanied by The Lord-Lieutenant of Suffolk, Clare Countess of Euston, during the visit at New Haven Marina.