Windermere Lake Cruises’ oldest vessel is back in action

MV Tern, the oldest vessel in Windermere Lake Cruises 16 strong fleet, is proving age is no object as she gears up for action this weekend following a winter refurbishment.

The iconic vessel, which is one of the most popular on the water, has been undergoing work to replace sections of timber belting, the original parts having been in place since 1891!

The chic and stylish design, based on that of a Canadian Canoe, features an iconic bow, making it one of the most picture-perfect vessels on Windermere.

Sailing back on the waters from Saturday 15^th – Sunday 23^rd February (excluding Friday 21^st), visitors will be able to hop aboard and enjoy cruises between Lakeside and Bowness.

Originally launched in June 1891, MV Tern is one of the oldest large-scale vessels still operating on England’s inland waterways. Over her long career she has sailed more than a million miles and carried more than 17 million passengers.

A member of the National Historic Fleet, Tern was built by boat builders Forrest and Son and could originally carry well over 600 passengers. She is one of just a handful of vessels of her size to be built during the reign of Queen Victoria and still fully operational today.

Over her lifetime she has experienced a colourful history with milestones including:

• MV Tern was launched on Windermere in 1891 – the same year Queen Victoria celebrated her 72^nd birthday.
• During World War Two she was requisitioned as a sea cadet training ship and temporarily named HMS Undine.
• In 1973 during the filming of Arthur Ransome’s Swallow and Amazons film, the crew of the Swallow narrowly missed colliding with Tern - an incident which resulted in an ad lib change in the script.
• In 1996 she was used in an episode of Agatha Christie’s Poirot.

MV Tern was originally commissioned by the Furness Railway Company back in the late 1800s.

Over the years she has hosted wedding parties, anniversaries, school trips, retirements and birthday parties, as well as being a ‘Ghost Ship’ on Halloween. There has also been several proposals on board.

MV Tern remains one of Windermere Lake Cruises most popular vessels with visitors actively choosing to sail aboard her. Commenting on her popularity John Woodburn, Operations Director for Windermere Lake Cruises said: “Our passengers are fascinated by the history of boating on Windermere and get a great deal of satisfaction from traveling aboard such and iconic and historic vessel. It’s wonderful to see that our older boats continue to drive such passion and enthusiasm.”

MV Tern will return briefly to the waters in February, before taking a short break and then returning for the full summer season from 5^th April until 2^nd November.