The Coastal Cruising Association based in the UK chartered the 1937-built Queen of the Sea yesteday for a cruise in the Menai Straits, Anglesey, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The vessel departed Caernarfon and passed under the famous Telford Suspension road bridge and Britannia railway bridge. In addition the cruise provided viewing opportunities of Snowdonia and beyond. After several hours the vessel returned to the county town of Gwynedd with its impressive castle.

Interestingly, the Queen of the Seas was originally built for service in a career serving on the far side of the Atlantic Ocean, as a New York ferry plying the River Hudson. The 92-passenger capacity ferry was sold to European owners in 1941 and was transported across the Atlantic onboard another vessel.

In recent years, there have been similar cruises on the Menai Staits operated by the Waverley Excursions Ltd, Bristol-based Balmoral which has transited through the narrow strait with its notorious dangerous currents.