Faith in Fiordland, the classic motor sailer ketch that has been taking passengers for cruises on Lake Te Anau for four years now, celebrates its 85th birthday this weekend.

This Sunday marks the 85th anniversary of her launching in Scotland and to celebrate, the boat owners George Garden and Adam Butcher are offering free 15-minute mini-cruises on Faith along the waterfront. Everyone is invited to have a go.

Designed by Alfred Mylne of Glasgow, MS Faith was built in Scotland on the River Clyde and launched on May 24, 1935. The 66-foot vessel was registered in Falmouth, England where she spent the first 30 years of her life as a pleasure craft for Englishman Cuthpert Willan and his wife Faith, who the boat was named after.

Lord Shawcross, the British Chief Prosecutor at the Nuremberg war trials, was the second owner of Faith in the early 1960s. He sold the boat in the 1970s and a few years later she sailed from Falmouth to New Zealand via Venezuela and the Panama Canal.

The journey took nearly a year and was riddled with drama. In Panama a bent shaft disabled her engines and the rest of the journey to Aotearoa was by sail. 

In New Zealand Faith has had four further owners. She has spent her time in Whangarei, the Bay of Islands, Wellington and the Marlborough Sounds, before she sailed to her new home in Fiordland, arriving in Te Anau on December 11, 2014. However, it took two more years to obtain the necessary approvals and concessions before passengers could book a cruise. Faith in Fiordland opened for business in November 2016. Her current owners put a lot of work to keep her beautifully restored and maintained.

On Sunday, (May 24) Faith will be open to the public taking mini-cruises between 10am and 2pm free of charge. Due to physical distancing requirements under COVID-19 Alert Level 2, only 10 people will be allowed on board at a time. Bookings are not required, boarding from the old government wharf (next to the Real Journeys building) will commence at 10am on a first-come-first-served basis. As guests disembark they will be treated to a piece of Faith’s birthday cake, courtesy of the Olive Tree Café. In addition, some of the local tourism operators have offered their services as prizes to show their commitment to the Te Anau community, including Getaway Te Anau, Trips and Tramps, Fiordland Outdoors Company, Fun Jet, The Olive Tree, Radfords on the Lake and Wings & Water. The winners will be notified at the end of the day. 

This is an opportunity for people to celebrate moving to COVID-19 Alert level 2 and to experience some of the wonderful activities Te Anau has on offer.