Fort William welcomes first cruise liner

“Spirit of Adventure” sailed into Loch Linnhe last weekend (Sunday 16th May) to become the first international cruise liner to berth at CLYDEBoyd, Corpach, Fort William.

The 9,570 gross tons passenger liner slipped through the Corran Narrows at 5am and was tied up alongside Corpach harbour by 7am.

In accordance with tradition, Councillor Allan Henderson, Provost of Lochaber, presented the ship’s captain with an engraved brass plaque to commemorate the ship’s maiden call.

Provost Henderson welcomed the maiden berthing of the Spirit of Adventure, he said: “It was great to see so many people going ashore. Five to six coaches took visitors around the area and some went to church on Sunday. This is a great economic benefit to the area.

Christine MacColl and Callum Boyd of CLYDEBoyd were also on hand to present Captain McLundie with a bottle of 25 year old Ben Nevis single malt whisky to mark the occasion.

Speaking at the presentation, Captain McLundie, a native of Oban, said he was delighted with the welcome given to the ship. “I’d like to thank everyone at CLYDEBoyd for their help in making this visit a success. It’s always good to visit new ports, particularly one like Fort William in such a spectacular setting.”

Spirit of Adventure, owned by Saga Shipping, is currently on short term charter to the National Trust for Scotland and the visit to Fort William was part of a week long cruise around the west coast of Scotland for Trust members.