The owners of the Royal Yacht Britannia have revealed that they have bought a former lighthouse boat, the MV Windsor Castle, and plan to spend £1m converting it into a luxury floating boatique hotel with 25 bedrooms. The hotel, which will be permanently berthed next to Britannia, is due to be completed by Spring 2016, with the conversion taking place at Leith.
Launched in August 1963, she was the last ship built by the Blythswood Shipbuilding Company in Glasgow, and was previously the Northern Lighthouse Board’s (NLB) tender Fingal. She was Leith registered but spent most of her NLB service working out of Oban for 30 years, followed by her last six years, based in Stromness, Orkney.
The vessel was sold by the NLB in 2000 to Tamahine Shipping and has been maintained to the highest standards ever since, at her berth on the River Fal in Cornwall.
Britannia’s Chief Executive Bob Downie said, “After many years of searching for the right ship, we are delighted that we have been able to acquire this iconic vessel and look forward to opening Scotland’s first boatique hotel. As a youngster growing up in Oban, I have very fond memories of seeing the Fingal and I am delighted that the long-term future of another much loved classic vessel has been secured.”
Boatique hotel beside Britannia
