Isle of Man musical celebrates ship built in Ramsey 158 years ago

The story of a 19th Century ship built on the Isle of Man that circumnavigated the world 21 times has been turned into a musical.

Built in Ramsey shipyard, the Star of India was launched in 1863 and made journeys to India and New Zealand.

The musical, which was written by Heather Ruffino and Marilyn Cannell, charts the Manx origins of the vessel and its future use at sea.

Ms Ruffino said she was "flabbergasted" by the "packed" audiences at the show.

Performances were first staged at St Paul's Hall in the town earlier this month, with the final shows due to take place on Saturday.

Originally named the Euterpe, the 205ft (62m) long cargo vessel was later used to take emigrants to New Zealand, before being converted into a salmon hauler.

The vessel is now on display at the San Diego Maritime Museum in California after extensive renovations following World War Two.

Ms Ruffino said she originally wrote one song to to mark the 150th anniversary in 2013 before deciding she could "make more of this".

After several attempts to put the show on, including delays because of the coronavirus pandemic, audiences in the town have now been learning the ship's story.

"Quite a few people have had their eyes opened to the history," Ms Ruffino said.

A delegation of 15 people from the San Diego Maritime Museum travelled to the island to be in the audience for one of the first performances.

The group included the museum's president Ray Ashley, who presented a Manx flag that had been flying on the ship to the cast.

Mr Ruffino said it was "wonderful that they'd come all this way" and she had been "close to tears" at the gesture.

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