“We’re taking the Queen to London”

On Monday 28th May 2012 Windermere Lake Cruises will be waving goodbye to its historic vessel ‘Queen of the Lake’ as she departs on her 300 mile journey to London to represent Cumbria in the prestigious Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant.

The iconic boat will be craned out of Windermere’s Bowness Bay in the early evening (approximately 6pm-8pm) on 28th May and will then be transported by Cockermouth based Lawsons Haulage in the early hours of the following day.

Built in 1949, measuring 15.2 metres and able to accommodate up to 84 passengers, Queen of the Lake is no stranger to royalty, having carried HRH the Prince of Wales in March 2010 when he visited Cumbria and the Lake District. Her latest adventure will take her back to East Molsey on the Thames where she was constructed in 1949 by local boatbuilding company ‘Watercraft’.

Working with the Lord Lieutenant of Cumbria, Royal Windermere Yacht Club and Windermere Motor Boat Racing Club, Windermere Lake Cruises is proud to have been able to provide a vessel to represent Cumbria at the national and international event which has received huge support from the local community.

Nigel Wilkinson, Managing Director, Windermere Lake Cruises said: “Windermere Lake Cruises is immensely proud to be part of the team preparing for such a patriotic event which will give young Cumbrians a memory of a lifetime. A tremendous amount of organisation has gone in to this event from the local community and it will excellent to see everyone’s efforts culminate in the coming week and to see Queen of the Lake representing Cumbria in such a large scale event.”

After being craned in to the Thames Queen of the Lake will be decorated in handmade yellow daffodils which have been designed and created by local schoolchildren. A Peter Rabbit mascot will also be on board.

The Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant takes place on 3rd June and will see Queen of the Lake proudly take her place alongside Her Majesty the Queen and other members of the Royal Family in what will be the largest flotilla of modern times. The Pageant will see a thousand boats gather on the river Thames, stretching for an estimated twelve and a half miles, in celebration of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

Windermere Lake Cruises carries around 1.35 million passengers each year. Queen of the Lake is one of the company’s four traditional wooden launches. Registered on the National Register of Historic Vessels, she is one of only 15 vessels taking part in the entire 1000-strong pageant that is listed on the National Historic Fleet.