Cruise firm celebrates boat's official launch

THE husband-and-wife team behind a leading cruise company on Loch Ness have officially launched the latest vessel in their fleet.

Ronald and Debbie Mackenzie, who run the family firm Cruise Loch Ness in Fort Augustus, officially christened the Spirit of Loch Ness at a launch ceremony, and say it will help them continue to serve the rising numbers of visitors.

Mrs Mackenzie said: "The business has been growing quite steadily over the last five years. I think we’ve seen about a 20 per cent increase year on year.

"It’s important that we continue to cater for those people and our other passengers as well.

"We just hope we can continue to accommodate everybody."

The vessel, a custom-built catamaran which cost £1.5 million, will increase the company’s capacity by 30 per cent, with space for 354 passengers across the fleet.

Mr Mackenzie said: "A lot more thought has gone into the design of the vessel because we have passenger comfort in mind. It’s aluminium so it’s very light and very fuel-efficient.

"It’s low-maintenance, and being a catamaran, it’s very stable."

The launch comes in the same year that Cruise Loch Ness, which was founded by Mr Mackenzie’s father Norman, celebrates its 50th anniversary.

Mrs Mackenzie added: "Even though we’ve grown and changed so much in 50 years, the basics are still very much the same, so it’s very humbling."

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