Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ 804-guest Black Watch will be taking part in a very special Cruise Ship Horn Concert in Funchal, Madeira, to see in the New Year. 

Black Watch will be visiting the ‘Garden Island’ of Madeira, as part of her 16-night ‘Canaries Christmas & Funchal Fireworks’ cruise, which left Liverpool on December 20th 2015, and will also be taking in the city’s spectacular fireworks display on New Year’s Eve, which is one of the best in the world.

Organised by the Madeira Regional Government, through the Regional Secretariat of Economy, Tourism & Culture, this Cruise Ship Horn Concert will take place in Funchal Bay at 11:00 on New Year’s Eve.

Lasting around ten minutes, it is centred on a musical score, entitled ‘2015 Cruise Ships Horn Symphony’, specially composed by Francisco Loreto for the nine cruise ships that will be berthed in Funchal on December 31st 2015, which includes Fred. Olsen’s Black Watch.

This musical extravaganza will utilise each vessel’s whistle, which has its own frequency and tuning, equivalent to musical notes.

A local composer will stand at Funchal harbour’s tower and, through radio connection to all the ships’ Bridges, will direct a crew musician on each of the nine cruise ships with the rhythm beat, in order to synchronise all the ships’ whistles with the score.

Raquel França, chief of staff of the Madeira Regional Government, said: “This kind of cruise ship concert is very unique on a global scale and takes place three years after a world debut in Madeira.

“It is meant to be a very special moment while saying farewell to the year in a singular way, both for ship passengers moored at the port and anchored in the bay, and for the thousands of tourists and residents who, almost everywhere in the city and while waiting for the St. Sylvester fireworks, will be presented with moments of magic in one of the most emblematic nights of the Region.”

From Funchal, Black Watch will continue on her return voyage to Liverpool, where she will arrive back on January 5th, 2016.