00:00A new passenger cruise service has begun operating from Newcastle Quayside, offering trips along
00:05the River Tyne.
00:06The canny lass has been refitted for sightseeing and can carry up to 98 passengers.
00:11So for over 20 years the Tyne always had river cruises and we're now the only major
00:16city in the UK with a river that hasn't got any cruises so we thought bringing it back
00:21would be a good thing for the local people and for tourists as well.
00:25Oh from being on the water it's great because when you go under the bridge you'd write
00:29the centre as well so all these photographs what you get from a river like you've got
00:34the Millennium Bridge and then right behind it you've got the Tyne Bridge and they're all
00:38perfectly lined up and being able to go underneath bridges as well you get each bridge as you
00:44go underneath we give you a history when it was built, who built it and what the importance
00:48of it is you know.
00:50Passengers can choose between different journeys along the river, the city cruise takes in Newcastle
00:54and Gateshead and passes beneath all of the city's seven bridges.
00:59Longer trips head into quieter stretches of the Tyne while the sea cruise follows the river
01:04towards the North Sea passing working docks, shipyards and riverside communities.
01:10There is a lot less water on low water so we do the high water cruises up towards the country
01:19cruise.
01:20There's no limitations for going down to the sea that can be done whenever but yeah on particularly
01:28high tides things like consideration of the Millennium Bridge and the Spring Bridge on really really high
01:34tides we've got to watch it we can drop our aerials down and we can sneak underneath.
01:41Yeah and with this being a cat in meringue so it's basically got two boats underneath here
01:47and it's really stable as well so it's a really good flat platform and it's very wide so it's great
01:55for passengers.
01:56So all the projects that we have on board is local, the wine is from a vineyard in Yorkshire,
02:00the beer is from Weiland Brewery, we had Ab Geffern supplying our spirits, Time Out Coffee supplying
02:05all of tea, coffee and baked goods, we have the Wata Lad supplying the water and the cocktails,
02:11the crisps are also local so we want to support the local people. We've been supported massively by
02:15the local councils helping us get up and running, NE1 have been a massive supporter of us getting this
02:20up and running, we're using their marina as a base and without all their support it wouldn't be possible.
02:25So a lot of people live in this area and never get to actually learn about their area, being on
02:33the water
02:35it has a different aspect, it's a lovely cruise, very peaceful but it gives you that kind of insight
02:41into the things around you which you didn't quite know about you know.
02:44The cruises are now operating from Newcastle City Marina on the quayside with regular sailings
02:48planned alongside seasonal and special events. The service gives passengers a choice on
02:54of journeys along the time from short city trips to longer cruises towards the coast.
