Scillonian III set sail on its final passenger voyage on Sunday, ending 49 years of service between the Isles of Scilly and the Cornish mainland, The Guardian reported.

The ship’s last crossing covered the 37-nautical-mile route from St Mary’s to Penzance. Tickets sold out despite the operator initially expecting only a few dozen passengers.

Since entering service in 1977, Scillonian III has made more than 10,000 sailings, carrying islanders, visitors and birdwatchers between spring and autumn. Its seasonal arrival became a familiar marker of island life.

“When it turned up in March every year, it signalled the start of the season,” Terry Ward, who travelled on the vessel’s first journey to Scilly, told The Guardian. “We weren’t marooned any more.”

The farewell brought music as well as memories. Scilly shanty group Mackerel Sky sang the ship off, while the Cape Cornwall Singers were waiting in Penzance to welcome it, according to Steven Morris’s reporting for The Guardian.

Passengers also recalled the vessel’s less comfortable qualities. Its movement in rough Atlantic waters earned it the nickname “vomit comet,” though regular travellers described an enduring affection for the ship.

Ray Jackman, an island businessman who joined both its first and last voyages, told the newspaper it had rarely broken down and had been a major part of islanders’ lives.

Its replacement, Scillonian IV, is travelling from its construction site in south-east Asia via the Cape of Good Hope. Its maiden sailing between the islands and mainland is scheduled for March.

The Isles of Scilly Steamship Group says the new vessel will carry more passengers, travel faster and use roll-and-pitch reduction systems to ease the effects of Atlantic swells.

Sources