The Fitzcarraldo touring theatre ship sailed into Teignmouth Docks last Wednesday along with members of the cast of Walk The Plank, the arts company which owns and operates the vessel.

The company performed its latest production Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea with matinee and evening performances held on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday for any brave landlubbers.

The Fitzcarraldo was built in Norway in 1971. She worked for 20 years as a general cargo and passenger ferry to the islands around Tronso, 200 miles north of the Artic Circle, before being sold by the state shipping company and sailing to Britain in 1991 and being transformed into a touring theatre.

Walk The Plank's production of the classic Jules Verne story went down a storm, with tickets being sold out for the first performance before the ship had even arrived in the docks.

There to welcome the cast, crew and ship were the chairman of Teignbridge Council, Cllr Mary Colclough, and Cllr David Howe, who holds the sport, leisure and countryside management portfolio, and Cllr Tom Archer, who holds the economy and tourism portfolio.

Cllr Howe said it showed that Teignbridge Council was committed to its Moor to Sea tourism initiative.

'The idea of taking a mobile theatre around on a ship is a very novel concept,' he said.

Cllr Colclough said it was a very nice duty to perform.

'This is very exiting' she said. 'It is an entirely different idea and Teignmouth is very fortunate to be able to offer people the unique opportunity to see this kind of theatre.'

Liz Hugh, the producer of the play, and founder of the company, said that she first came to Teignmouth with the Fitzcarraldo in 1992 and again in 1997.

'We started rehearsing at the end of March and spend six months living and working on board until the end of October,' she said.

'It is nice to come back again seven years on especially as we came to Teignmouth on our first tour.'

After three nights at Teignmouth, The Fitzcarraldo sailed to Topsham for the next leg of her national tour.