Lindblad Expeditions launched the National Geographic
Venture from the Nichols Brothers shipyard in Freeland, Wash.
The U.S.-flagged ship has transferred to Nichols Brothers' facility
in Langley, Wash., for final outfitting and sea trials. The ship will enter
service in November in San Francisco.
The 100-passenger ship will sail two California coastal
cruises before turning to its regular itineraries in Baja California, Alaska
and the Pacific Northwest.
The first is a six-day cruise departing San Francisco and
visiting Monterrey, Avila Beach and Catalina before arriving in Long Beach. A
13-day cruise will depart Long Beach and visit the Channel Islands, Catalina,
and then cruise to Mexico, visiting Ensenada, San Quintin, and eight other
ports in Baja California before concluding in La Paz.
The successful launch follows a botched one last year when
the National Geographic Quest slid awkwardly into the water, damaging the
rudder and a propeller and forcing the cancellation of some initial cruises.