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(Click on image below to enlarge) 
On Saturday afternoon, June 21, I witnessed a remarkable event - the moving of the National Geographic Explorer from its earthbound position to a synchrolift where she was gently lowered into the sea.

Exciting would be an understatement but, just as the sea surrounded the hull, a leak was discovered in the bow thruster room and she had to be lifted up to find the problem. Although not a big one, it would take much of the night to fix.

So, on Sunday, June 22, in she went again in the morning and there were huge cheers when she cleared her blocks and was fully afloat.

There’s another month of finishing work before she heads to Rotterdam to fill up with supplies and then on the Reykjavik, Iceland, to begin her first voyage with guests on August 5.

- Sven-Olof Lindblad

P.S. We are making a film about the development of the NG Explorer which will be finished by the end of August. It will be a real ‘behind the scenes’ look at the making of a ship. 

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