"Stepping the Mast" is an ancient shipbuilding tradition wherein a coin or coins are added for good luck. This article describes how a penguin
coin was used in the construction of a polar expedition cruise ship. -Editor
Quark Expeditions held the keel-laying ceremony for its new expedition cruise ship Ultramarine on August 2 at Brodosplit in Croatia.
The keel-laying event, which also marks formal recognition of the 128-meter, 199-passenger vessel, included a Croatian folk music performance, as well as
the centuries-old coin ceremony, in which a specially chosen coin is welded into the ship’s hull to ensure good fortune during the build and subsequent
voyages.
“The coin we chose is a beautiful silver coin featuring two Emperor penguins,” says Malcolm Ellis, Senior VP Operations at Quark Expeditions. “We
chose this coin because it perfectly embodies Quark’s mission: to push the boundaries of polar exploration. In our three decades of operation, Quark
Expeditions has accomplished a long list of polar firsts, including being the first to take guests to Snow Hill Island to engage with Emperor penguins in their
natural habitat. Ultramarine’s mix of design ingenuity and technological innovation will allow us to continue adding to that list of firsts by taking
guests further into the polar regions than ever before.”
Ultramarine is purpose-built for polar sailing. The vessel's off-ship adventure options will include activities such as flight-seeing,
heli-hiking and heli-skiing. She will have two twin-engine helicopters and two helidecks.
So... can anyone tell us more about the coin? Where/when was it made? -Editor
To read the complete article, see:
Quark Expeditions Holds Keel-Laying Ceremony
for Ultramarine (https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/quark-expeditions-holds-keel-laying-ceremony-for-ultramarine)
Wayne Homren, Editor
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