MV Balmoral takes first passengers from Bristol after re-fit

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The MV Balmoral
Image caption,

MV Balmoral, which can take up to 800 people, was built in 1949

A vintage pleasure cruiser is sailing from Bristol for the first time in three years after volunteers raised more than £300,000 to save the vessel.

The coastal cruise vessel MV Balmoral moved to the Bristol Channel in the late 1960s but stopped sailing in 2012.

Having passed major tests at Sharpness last year it is finally returning to passenger service on Friday.

Volunteer Paul Doubler said: "There won't be a dry eye on the boat tonight. It's really emotional."

'Still doubt'

He said there had been "very dark days" and "grave doubts" about whether the Balmoral would ever return to passenger service after the 2012 summer season.

It stopped sailing due to a number of issues including bad weather and a lack of money for repairs.

"There's still doubt. She's a very expensive mistress - she's very costly to run ... and we need lots of passengers to make her viable."

The Balmoral, which can take up to 600 people and cruises around the Somerset coast, was built in 1949 to ferry passengers between Southampton and the Isle of Wight but moved to Bristol in the 1960s.

The charity which owns the boat, Balmoral Fund Ltd, has raised more than £300,000 to help restore it and it was awarded a £344,000 Coastal Communities Grant.

Captain Steve Mallett said: "There's not too many of these older ships about and the best way to keep them going is by using them. If any old heritage craft ... sits around as a static museum they tend to fall to bits - you have to use them."

The ship carried almost 20,000 passengers in its 2012 season.

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