Passengers walked onto the ice to cheer on Capt. Heidi Norling, Lindblad's first woman captain, as she christened the vessel with these words: 'I wish this ship calm winds, fair seas and great adventures. May everyone who sails with her be blessed.'
Standing on an upper deck, Norling then flung a bottle of Champagne tied to a rope over the side, where it smashed on the hull.
Following remarks from Capt, Martin Graser, passengers, staff and crew celebrated with a Champagne toast with Adélie and gentoo penguins watching close by.
Second ship naming in Antarctica, first in fast ice
It was the second ship naming in Antarctica following Hurtigruten's Roald Amundsen in November 2019. But Lindblad claimed the first naming of a ship in fast ice on the White Continent.
The 126-passenger National Geographic Resolution is Lindblad's second polar newbuild with a high PC 5 ice rating, and the company's second vessel to enter service in 2021 following sister National Geographic Endurance, also in Antarctica for the season.
Side by side in Ushuaia
'Seeing both of our new ships together in Ushuaia was very touching,' said Sven Lindblad, company founder and co-chair, who just completed National Geographic Endurance's inaugural Antarctica voyage. 'They are extraordinary ships. We had very high expectations when we were building them, and their performance has far exceeded [those]'
Named to honor the first ship to cross the Antarctic Circle in 1773 — navigated by the legendary Capt. James Cook — National Geographic Resolution is fully stabilized and features Ulstein Design's patented X-BOW for better seakeeping and reduced emissions.
The godmother is Lindblad's first woman captain, Heidi Norling
“There is over 1,000 years of combined team expertise that go into a moment like this, and what an amazing team it is,' said Dolf Berle, CEO, Lindblad Expeditions.
Following the Antarctica season, National Geographic Resolution will make its Europe debut in the spring. The ship will navigate from Portugal to France, Scotland and Norway. After a summer in the Arctic, National Geographic Resolution will return to Antarctica via Japan, the East China Sea and the remote Pacific Islands.
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