More than 50 historic vessels will descend on Windermere Jetty Museum to mark a maritime milestone.
It will be the biggest gathering of steamboats in the UK or Europe for more than three decades.
Visitors to the Museum can see this fleet of beautiful boats moored at its jetties from Thursday 5 August with the main flotilla on the lake and celebratory parade from noon on Saturday 7 August.
Visitors can see boats decked out in bunting moored along the jetties and meet their owners who will come dressed in period costume.
By mid-afternoon the boats will join the museum’s much-loved Steam Launch Osprey on a celebratory parade through Bowness Bay and around Belle Isle and then return to the museum. More than 50 boats will take part in the flotilla including historic steam launches Shamrock and Souvenir d’Anton.
Built in 1902 SL Osprey is one of the first in a series of classic Windermere steam launches and is one of the gems of the museum collection. From 1948 the boat spent many years in service as a passenger vessel for the Bowness Bay Boating Company.
In recent months SL Osprey has undergone a well-deserved check-up in the Museum’s conservation workshop and is now ready for a return to the water.
During the flotilla on Saturday 7 August boats will steam in formation around Belle Isle and return to their berths at the Museum.
Helen Steeple, from the Steamboat Association Committee said: “Steamboats are totally unique and have formed an important part of the Windermere scene for many years.
“We feel very privileged that such an impressive flotilla has come together for our 50th anniversary, as nothing like it has happened in either the UK or Europe for over thirty years.
“It gives us a great opportunity to show that steamboats are part of both the future as well as the past”
Anna Saczek, Head of Visitor Experience at Windermere Jetty Museum said: “This promises to be one of the most exciting events at the Museum yet! We cannot wait to see more than 50 steamboats on our jetties. This will be a fantastic experience for our visitors of all ages.”
The Steamboat Association of Great Britain was set up in 1971 to promote enjoyment of steamboats and to provide help and technical expertise to members. There are currently over 400 working steamboats around the world and the association has 900 members.
For more information about their week-long celebrations visit: www.steamboatassociation.co.uk
