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Displaying items by tag: Dry Docking Done

#ferries - The ferry Ben-My-Chree operated by the Isle of Man Steam Packet has been confirmed by the company of its return to Manx waters yesterday.

Manx Radio reports the ferry's arrival (in Douglas) follows what the operator called  "successful regulatory overhaul" at Cammell Laird in Birkenhead.

In a post on social media, staff said they are "pleased to welcome her back" and "look forward to her returning to scheduled services" tomorrow (Thursday). 

To see details on sailings in full, click here. 

Published in Ferry

About Commander Bill King, Solo Circumnavigator

William Donald Aelian King was the last surviving submarine commander in the Second World War - in charge of the British Navy's T-class Telemachus that sank a Japanese sub in the Strait of Malacca, between Malaysia and Sumatra, in 1944.

Decorated many times for his service by the end of the war, King became a trailblazing solo sailor.

At the age of 58, he was the oldest participant in The Sunday Times Golden Globe Race sailing Galway Blazer II, a junk-rigged schooner he designed himself.

After a number of abortive attempts, including an incident with "a large sea creature", he finally completed his solo circumnavigation of the globe in 1973.

Beyond his aquatic escapades, King settled with his wife Anita (who died in 1984, aged 70) at Oranmore Castle outside Galway after the war, where he later developed a pioneering organic farm and garden to help tackle his wife's asthma.

The round-the-world sailor and Galway native Bill King died on Friday, 21 September, 2012, aged 102.