Media Release from Milford Sound Red Boats
October 15 2008

The ‘Lady’ Returns To The Sounds

The ‘Lady of the Sounds’ catamaran has returned to her Milford Sound home following an $800,000 refit that will launch her into the 2008/2009 summer season in fine style.

The two-and-a-half month overhaul included re-building the foredeck to offer more room for passengers and installing a large indoor BBQ and new servery.

On the upper deck the wheelhouse has had a complete refit, with new navigational aids installed, and the wheelhouse doors have been enlarged to create more space for passengers to visit and talk to the skipper.

The upper deck has had an afterdeck added, and floor-to-ceiling windows to create a far lighter upper cabin.

The catamaran’s refit was designed specifically to cater for visitors on Milford Sound Red Boats’ ‘Discover More’ trips, the longest cruises currently offered in Milford Sound.

The vessel is also used for the breakfast cruise, for which a new servery area has been added.

The 25.4m catamaran is one of four Milford Sound Red Boats vessels operating in the sound, the most modern fleet in Milford.

“The work on the Lady completes the full refurbishment of the fleet in time for the start of the summer season in October,” said General Manager Milford Sound John Robson.

“We launched the Discover More Cruise last year and customer feedback has been phenomenal,” he said.

“The Lady is surveyed for up to 200 passengers but we’re capping numbers at 95 to give passengers more room to move around and a more personal experience.

“The three-hour cruise is the longest on offer in Milford and includes a great Kiwi-style barbeque and a visit to Milford Deep, New Zealand’s only floating underwater observatory and the only structure in this World Heritage Area.”

Recently Milford Sound was named the top world travel destination by TripAdvisor, the largest travel community in the world with more than 25 million monthly visitors to its websites.

“It’s the ultimate thumbs up from those travelers which we’re delighted about as a long-term operator in this stunning region with the widest available range of experiences and facilities on offer,” said Mr Robson.

Ownership of Milford Sound Red Boats officially passed from THL to the Dunedin-based Skeggs Group on September 1.

Managing Director David Skeggs said the company was excited about investing again in the tourism sector.

“New Zealand continues to be well placed to meet the challenge of drawing in travelers now and into the future, and the industry has some very good growth potential, which is why we see the need for continued investment.”

Picture caption: The newly refitted Lady of the Sounds returned to Milford Sound this week. The Lady of the Sounds is pictured foreground with the Pride of Milford at rear.

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