[A] fleet of small passenger boats which have collectively clocked up more than two MILLION miles have said their last goodbye to Windermere after welcoming visitors to England’s longest lake for more than 45 years.
Affectionately known as ‘pigs’, the 21 six-seater Modern Cabin Boats were crafted by local boat-builder Alan Brockbank and his team in the early 1970s, including windscreens from the classic Vauxhall Viva motor car. They are thought to have covered around 100,000 miles each during their lifetime, as part of Windermere Lake Cruises’ fleet of self-drive vessels.
As part of an upgrade to more contemporary, all-electric vessels, the last four Modern Cabin Boats have now all been retired from Windemere and collected by their new owners including boat-builders and enthusiasts from across the UK.
Windermere’s new-look fleet of 42 self-drive ‘Mystic’ vessels are now all entirely electric, so provide smoother, quieter journeys for passengers without the need for oil or petrol-power.
Operations Manager at Windermere Lake Cruises, Russell Bowden, says, “The Modern Cabin Boats have been a familiar sight on Windermere for more than four decades, and represent a special part of the lake’s heritage for specialist local boat-building. This is the end of an era for the vessels and we are sad to see them go, but we constantly need to keep updating and replacing the fleet to move with the times and meet customers’ expectations.”
