I worked onboard Funchal as a Stage Manager about 20 years ago when it was Classic International. It's an interesting ship. Be sure to check the power cables in the walls behind the stage. When I was on board the ships radio officer decided to replace the lamps in the par cans taking them from 200w to 300w. I only found out when the drummer complained the stage smelled like rotten fish. It was the cables and plastic in the outlets to the dimmers which was getting a melty. The upgraded lamps overloaded the outlets and could have caused a fire. Electrical safety didn't seem to be a huge concern onboard. I also got the worst electric shock of my life from the deck party PA system but that was down to a faulty extension lead with no ground.
I am so pleased that the M/S Funchal is being restored to sail again. The Pacific Coast Norwegian Singers Assoc. charted the boat the Summer of 1981 and we sail from Goteborg up the Coast of Norway giving concerts along the way. There were 100 singers on board along with another 200 friends and family. I spent many a night dancing in the Lido Bar!
@AuroraRestorationProject rename the Funchal, also keep it sailing because i used to sail in that ship before please i really appreciate if you do that! 😊
Wonderful, wonderful, I feared she was going to go the way of all others! I cruised on her in the 90s, and it was a delightful experience. Particular thrilling was sail into to her homeport of Funchal!
I'm so glad that the Funchal will see a new life! Like the Aurora, it has a history and a significance that deserves to be restored, and repurposed for posterity. Right now, there is another very deserving and in many ways similar candidate for restoration up in Ontario Canada. The Norisle, the very last steam powered passenger ship on the Great Lakes, has just arrived in Port Colbourne for scrapping. Apparently, her engineering report was so good a decade ago that a group formed with the intention of making her into a small cruise ship. I have no idea how much time she has left, possibly only weeks, but if anyone is looking for a significant and interesting ship to restore, Norisle would be a lovely project.
I love ships like her! the black hull is just so beautiful! even white hull on the Aurora looks really good as well! can't wait to see you restore the dinning aera :)
That's awesome- I did a world cruise in the USS Enterprise summer 2006. Visited Lisbon and Portugal suburban mountains . Went back in 2007 "surge". Also 4 years on Saratoga Desert Shield / storm after 18month long S.L.E.P. drydock "cold iron" 1988 portsmouth
Obviously, as she's being converted to floating hotel. But fantastic to see her being saved. Lovely looking ship, 'though I'd not use gray and beige for the walls. And that tartan carpet in the piano bar! Some questionable decor choices in those 'before' pics.
The Funchal is a lovely ship with graceful lines. I LOOK FORWARD TO HER COMPLETION. The submarine is definitely not of the WW2 era. She looks more late '50s and quite a bit like the French Daphne class, or perhaps one of the British subs of the time. I know the Portuguese navy used Daphne class subs as well as France, Pakistan and South Africa 🇿🇦.
I saw a lot of similarities with the Australian Oberon class subs, but I think they only had coaming windows at the top of the sail, so probably an old British boat.
Hire a full time videographer and social media person as a startup to free up your time on the Aurora, just pay him a percentage of the revenue he generates, every month he'll increase your buying leverage just because he'll want to earn more. once he starts pumping out a video every week you'll have a million subscribers in no time. its also a great way to get expert level and unskilled volunteer labor plus material and sponsorships and merch will help a lot too.
@@AuroraRestorationProject Actually, it's not a WW2 submarine, its an old portuguese sub, S163 NRP Albacora. She's based on the french design Daphné which is recognizable at the shape of the sail and the bulges on the sides. She was commissoned in 1968 and decommissoned in 2000. Then she was cannibalized for spares in order to maintain her sistership in the waiting of the more modern german built type 214 that the Portuguese Navy now operates.
That'd certainly be a big One Up for one of them! Only one SS United States. Hell, either one would have the funding to go all out, modernisation to current codes, nice decor, use clean burn technology to keep the turbines turning. She'd be a thrill to be Aboard while She's turning 33 or 34 knots enroute to the next stop! Not that I'd afford a ticket. Still it would be a fantastic thing to see. Thanks for giving me a positive thought about those guys...
You are wrong David Miscavige.Funchal was earlier from its birth namned MV Stockholm and collided with Italien cruiser Andra Doria outsidenoth American eastcost. Andrea Doria sunk Goran
