Chester's three iconic river boats will be lifted out of the water on Monday 20th January at Sandy Lane Car Park on the River Dee, Chester.
The Lady Diana, Mark Twain and The Jackie - weighing a total of 86 tonnes - will be driven into slings and hauled out of the water by a large crane.
The biennial lift allows the team to give the fleet a fresh coat of pain and make sure everything is ship shape for the upcoming season. The boats will be stripped back, with all shafts and skin fittings removed. It gives the team a rare chance to take a look at what is normally hidden under the water.
While out of the water the Maritime and Coastguard Agency will conduct a thorough inspection of the fleet, in order to sign the boats off to continue their passenger carrying operations.
The lifting operation will be managed by ChesterBoat's sister company Commercial Boat Services, who specialise in lifting and transporting boats, and overseen by Managing Director Brian Clarke.
2019 was a busy year for ChesterBoat. Three new skippers passed their boatmasters' examination, Brian Clarke celebrated 40 years with the company, and the fleet operated sightseeing cruises over Christmas and New Year for the first time.
The boats will be returned to the water on 29 January, ready to begin daily service on 15 February. Due to the success of this winter's Christmas opening hours, the company looks forward to running throughout the year once again.
For more information please contact Jenny at ChesterBoat - jenny@chesterboat.co.uk or 01244 325394.