Saga’s Spirit of Discovery Naming Ceremony
HRH Duchess of Cornwall Officially Names Saga’s New Ship, Spirit of Discovery
As revealed in my previous Saga post, HRH The Duchess of Cornwall has become Godmother to Saga’s new boutique cruise ship, Spirit of Discovery.
The much anticipated Naming Ceremony, which took place in Dover, Kent on Friday 5th July. was the first to be held at the Port of Dover for over a decade.
A Royal Garden Party
Joining over 500 invited guests, HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, dressed in an elegant navy lace-trimmed outfit with matching cream hat, was the guest of honour at the quintessentially British style garden party. It is thought to be the first ever such event to be held on a quayside.
As you would expect for a party fit for Royalty, the redeveloped quay area had been fully decked out with bunting, trees and greenery, floral arrangements, and even a lawn cultivated in Yorkshire. Afternoon tea was served to the assembled guests, complimented by sparkling wine from Balfour Hush Heath Estate, the Kent vineyards that is providing a special wine list for Spirit of Discovery.
HRH Duchess of Cornwall meets the crew of Spirit of Discovery
Royalty Onboard
Prior to the ceremony, HRH was given a tour of the Spirit of Discovery which has been designed and built in contemporary classic style and is described as a British ‘boutique’ hotel at sea.
The Duchess visited the bridge where she was introduced to Spirit of Discovery’s Master, Captain Julian Burgess and his crew and even had time to visit the ship’s theatre, the Playhouse, where she met the ship’s entertainers. HRH was shown ‘The Club by Jools’, where she met its namesake, and star performer at the event, Jools Holland OBE. Jools Holland has entered into a 5 year partnership with Saga and endorsed the restaurant and bar on Spirit of Discovery, which is inspired by the great cabaret lounges of the 50s. He will also be performing on a number of select cruises.
As part of the tour, The Duchess was able to enjoy some of the 400 plus pieces of original art commissioned by British based artists and artisans. One in particular may have caught her eye - a striking glass work created by sculptor Peter Layton, who had taken inspiration from the Royal Gardens at Highgrove.
The Duchess also unveiled a plaque to mark her visit and was presented with a painting of the liner which caused her to comment: “I should be able to remind myself to book my berth.”
HRH Duchess of Cornwall cutting Mark Tilling’s Cake
Before the main event, HRH The Duchess of Cornwall cut a specially made celebration cake, a two-metre long replica of Spirit of Discovery, designed and made by Mark Tilling, award winning chocolatier and winner of Bake Off Crème de la Crème.
The Band of Her Majesty's Royal Marines Collingwood
The Naming Ceremony
During the official naming ceremony, HRH and guests were entertained by The Band of Her Majesty's Royal Marines Collingwood and the the Welsh men’s choir The Morriston Orpheus Choir, who gave moving renditions of Men Of Harlech and You’ll Never Walk Alone. The band played a rousing medley of songs including the ubiquitous ‘I Am Sailing’ as the Duchess left the quayside.
As is customary, the ship was blessed by a member of the clergy, in this case The Right Reverend Trevor Willmott, Bishop of Dover, together with the Venerable Archdeacon Arthur Hawes.
This was followed by HRH The Duchess of Cornwall formally naming Spirit of Discovery in the traditional manner of breaking a jeroboam across the hull, in this case containing the specially-blended Hush Heath English sparkling wine, before an eco-confetti cannon fired across the proceedings.
During her speech, HRH The Duchess of Cornwall referred to her patronage of Saga’s adopted charity Silver Line, set up by Dame Esther Rantzen, and she commented: “I was delighted to learn your first national charity is Silver Line, a 24-hour telephone service for older people who are feeling lonely or isolated. The support of Saga will ensure its vital work will continue.” Read more about the charity in my related blog post here.
HRH demonstrated her sense of humour when acknowledging that Saga’s target demographic was the over-fifties, joking “It’s an age group which looks increasingly youthful these days!”
Following the formalities, invited guests boarded the ship to prepare for the evening as the celebrations continued on board with a black tie event.
Saga Cruises
Saga Cruises is the only remaining British registered, independent, cruise company, whose headquarters are in Folkestone and was voted Best Small Cruise Company winner at the British Travel Awards 2019. Saga’s Spirit of Discovery is their first commissioned ship, and is the only ship built and delivered exclusively for the British market this year. She has been registered in the UK and will proudly display London as her port of registry on her stern. See my related post: ‘Saga Cruises - Proud to Fly the Flag’ Her sister ship, Spirit of Adventure, will also fly the Red Ensign when she launches in 2020. Significantly, Spirit of Discovery is the first ship to be docked, and named, at Dover Western Docks following its £250m redevelopment. .
The inaugural cruise of Spirit of Discovery, named ‘A British First’, will depart from Dover on 10th July and sail around the British Isles.
To find out more about Saga Cruises, Spirit of Discovery or to book Visit saga.co.uk
