Dr Kathy Sullivan is the ‘living embodiment’ of Scenic Eclipse II’s spirit of exploration and innovation
Scenic Cruises has named NASA scientist Dr Kathy Sullivan as godmother of new yacht Scenic Eclipse II, ahead of its launch in April 2023.
“It’s a high honour to be a ship’s godmother,” said Dr Sullivan. “I’m especially delighted to be godmother to a vessel as well-designed for exploration and discovery as Scenic Eclipse II.”
The yacht will combine exploration with experience and carries helicopters and submarines for expeditions. At 550ft long and with a capacity of 228 passengers, it is small enough to reach ports and coves that are inaccessible to larger ships.
“We are immensely proud to have Dr Kathy Sullivan as godmother to Scenic Eclipse II,” said Anna Wolfsteiner, chief sales and marketing officer at Scenic Group. “She truly is the living embodiment of what our yachts stands for – innovation, pushing the boundaries, making discoveries and revelling in a sense of adventure.
“Throughout her career, Dr Sullivan has grasped life’s opportunities and committed to advancing our knowledge of the world around us.”
Dr Sullivan, one of NASA’s first female astronauts, was the first American woman to complete a spacewalk and was the first woman to explore Challenger Deep in the Marinara Trench, the deepest part of Earth’s oceans.
Scenic Eclipse II will join the Discovery Yacht fleet in April 2023 – which also includes sister ship Scenic Eclipse, launched in 2019 – after which it will conduct a series of sailings around some of the smaller ports and destinations in the Mediterranean.
Dr Sullivan will christen the ship at a ceremony in Malaga, Spain, in June 2023.
