The ship has been bought by French company Etoile Marine based at St Malo.

Richard Turk, owner of the ship with his father Mike, run London-based Company Turk Launches.

He told the Gazette: "The ship has been on the open market for the past 12-18 months.

"We have had a lot of interest, some serious, some completely wacky, some timewasters.

"Three international offers were serious from a Caribbean, Mediterranean and a French company.

"She will be used for corporate entertaining and day sailing for tourists.

"She has been a familiar sight in Whitby harbour.

"The town has been very good to the Grand Turk for a long time."

The future of the Turk's four full-time staff is uncertain.

Valdo Dhoyer, FEO in charge of development at Etoile Marine, said the ship will be used for visits, corporate hospitality, European sea festivals and film shoots.

He said he came to Whitby to view it in December on a whirlwind five-hour visit.

"The ship will be delivered to France with the English crew and ours to get trained. They will then go home."

Asked if the Turk would ever come back to Whitby he said: "It all depends on the future. If we can, or have to one day, with pleasure."

The Turk – which went on the market for £2.8m – is no stranger to the limelight having starred in movies after being primarily built for filming purposes and has used Whitby as its permanent home since 2003.

The popular tourist attraction has been the setting for TV series such as Robinson Crusoe and Hornblower.

Many worried the sale could have repercussions on the town's tourism as the ship attracts visitors to Whitby and is a boost to tourism and the local economy.

Nottinghamshire-based Michael Munroe wanted to use the Grand Turk, Sir Richard Branson and his own detective work to find the £100m lost Treasure of Lima.

Former town councillor Pete Budd appealed for local people to keep the Grand Turk in Whitby in 2008.

He planned to issue shares in the ship at £1,000 each, hoping interested parties could form a shipping company and trust enabling the purchase.

And there was strong feeling Scarborough Borough Council could have bid to keep the ship.

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