The formal agreement, which extends for three years, will last beyond the period when it is anticipated that the Greenwich based Cutty Sark will re-open to the public in 2010.
 
In addition, the BMF will promote The Cutty Sark Trust to the industry and its 1,600 members.  The Trust is responsible for funding the groundbreaking conservation programme and ensuring the future of this famous ship.
 
It is anticipated that the Cutty Sark will have its own significant area at the London Boat Show at ExCeL and there will be regular presentations on screens to bring visitors up to date on the progress of its restoration. Crucially The Cutty Sark Trust will also be working on elements of the conservation project at the show, bringing back to life actual original parts of the vessel.  The public will get a chance to see some of the techniques behind the mix of cutting-edge science and time-honoured craftsmanship that the project involves - live at the Show.
 
Fran Turner, Cutty Sark Development Director explains: "We are delighted to be partnering with the London Boat Show at ExCeL. This international event will provide a fantastic platform for us to engage with lovers of maritime life and history from all over the world and raise much needed funds to get the Cutty Sark ship shape once again."
 
Rob Stevens, Chief Executive of the British Marine Federation and National Boat Shows, comments: "The Cutty Sark is the epitome of the great age of sail and is a maritime icon.  The fire on board was a significant blow for the millions of visitors who have seen the vessel at Greenwich and for this country's heritage as a whole.  We are delighted to work in an exclusive industry partnership with The Cutty Sark Trust to help raise the money needed to preserve the ship through the London Boat Show at ExCeL and the Federation's members."
 
The most famous ship in the world, the Cutty Sark, is the world's sole surviving extreme clipper, a type of vessel that was the highest development of the fast commercial sailing ship, with the majority of her hull fabric surviving from her original construction.  She is a gateway to the World Heritage Site at Greenwich and is a key asset to both the World Heritage Site and the Borough of Greenwich.
 
Since the move to ExCeL, the Collins Stewart London Boat Show has cemented its position as the largest annual London consumer event. Now in its 54th year, the Show will once again take place at ExCeL - the heart of London's new entertainment district - from 11-20 January 2008.

- Ends -

For more information, please contact the NBS Press Office team at Publicasity on 020 7632 2432 or boatshow@publicasity.co.uk
 
Notes to Editors:
· High resolution pictures are available upon request.
· The Southampton Boat Show and the London Boat Show are organised by National Boat Shows Ltd (NBS). NBS is a subsidiary of the British Marine Federation (BMF), the trade association for the UK boating industry.
· Publications can offer readers £3 off the normal day door price.  To give away tickets in a competition or to arrange the discount, please call the Boat Show team on 020 7632 2432.

About the Cutty Sark Trust

The Cutty Sark Trust www.cuttysark.org.uk is an independent charity which owns and runs the sole surviving tea clipper, Cutty Sark. The ship is the iconic gateway to Maritime Greenwich, designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. For over 50 years Cutty Sark has been the flagship of the area which now attracts over six million visitors each year. The Trust's mission is to ensure that Cutty Sark is preserved for this and future generations to enjoy and that she continues to be a rich cultural resource for all.
The Cutty Sark Trust's six priorities for the conservation programme are:
1. To ensure that no major conservation work will be required for the next 50 years
2. To ensure that the ship continues to be sustainable, building reserves for future maintenance
3. To broaden access to the ship
4. To maximise learning opportunities
5. To reinterpret the ship for the 21st century
6. To develop a skilled workforce

For the Cutty Sark Trust, please contact Louise Massara on: 020 8858 2698
Seema Lalloo on 020 7 431 8146 or email seemalalloo@aol.com

Cutty Sark Factsheet

Cutty Sark's name derives from the famous poem, "Tam O Shanter" by Robert Burns about a man's admiration for a scantily-clad witch called Nannie. Nannie was dressed in a short and revealing nightie, known as a 'Cutty Sark', an archaic Scottish name for this garment.

The ship was launched on 22 November 1869 from Scott and Linton's shipyard at Dumbarton, on the Clyde. She was built at a cost of £16,150 (half the expense of building the Gipsy Moth IV in 1966, which cost £35,000) for John "White Hat" (so named after his favourite headwear) Willis. John (or Jock) Willis wanted a ship that could challenge the best clippers on the China Tea run.

She weighs 963 tons and her main mast is 47 m high. Her length overall is 85.4 m (280ft). She has 11 miles of rigging are still intact and carries 34 sails, which have an area of 32,000 sq. ft. (2,976 sq. m) and gave a top speed of over 17 knots.

Scott & Linton, founded in 1868, had never built a ship of this size before and were keen to accommodate their client's every demand. However, they went bankrupt before the job was complete, citing poor cash flow and pressure from their landlords, Dennys of Dumbarton, who finished the job.

She was built for the China tea trade, but the opening of the Suez Canal and the introduction of quick and economic steam travel, meant that she carried her last cargo of tea in 1877. Her fastest voyage to London carrying tea was 107 days in 1871.

The ship's heyday was in the Australian wool trade, from 1883 to 1895. Under the command of Captain Richard Woodget she was the fastest ship on the run, her best time being 72 days from Sydney to London in 1885 via Cape Horn.

In 1895, as Cutty Sark was no longer making as much money as she once did, John Willis sold the ship to the Ferreira shipping company of Portugal. Renamed the Ferreira, she spent the next 27 years (including surviving the First World War) taking different cargoes to destinations in Africa, the Americas and Europe, visiting every major port in the world. However, she was dismasted in a storm in 1916, and had to be re-rigged as a barquentine.

In 1922 she was bought and restored by Captain and Mrs Dowman and became the first vessel since the Golden Hinde to be displayed as a museum ship. She was moored in Falmouth, Cornwall and maintained at the personal expense of the Dowmans, who also used her as a cadet training establishment.

In 1938, after Captain Dowman's death, Cutty Sark was transferred to the Thames Nautical Training College at Greenhithe and was used as an auxiliary training ship to HMS Worcester. Many young cadets were inspired by and taught sail-training on board the famous old clipper.

After being displayed in the Thames for the 1951 Festival of Britain, Cutty Sark was brought to Greenwich by the Cutty Sark Preservation Society which was formed in 1953. A special dry-dock was constructed for her, and the ship was floated in, in December 1954.

Over two and a half years were spent on the ship's restoration, and in 1957 the ship was opened to the public (in a live BBC broadcast) by HM The Queen. Since that time, Cutty Sark has been visited by over 16 million people from all over the world.