Raoul Jack has forwarded some new pictures of Seabourn Sojourn in the Mariotti shipyard at Genoa, Italy.

The first picture is a shot from directly astern with Sojourn in the drydock. You may recall from Odyssey’s construction that this is where they complete the work that is below the waterline when the vessel is afloat. Including bottom paint and mechanical things like the bow thrusters, seen in the second picture. Then there’s a picture of Deck 6 forward, showing the signature Seabourn single whirlpool that’s a favorite with so many guests. It looks like they’re having great fall weather in Genoa, too!

More pictures later this week.

Raoul Jack sent along a few more shots of Seabourn Sojourn alongside the fitting-out dock at the shipyard in Genoa. It was obviously a rather gray day, but we can get a good look at her sleek shape, which is looking lovely already, even without her coat of paint. A lot of the work going on now is inside, so the outer form doesn’t show radical changes from day to day. But there’s a lot going on.  I especially like the shot from astern, which gives a good view of those great terraces of open deck down the aft end—a great place to have a glass of Champagne and watch the harbor lights of another great port of call fade,  as you sail away to enjoy a delightful night at sea.

Since we started this blog, it has been mainly focused on Seabourn Odyssey. There were, and still are, many great stories to tell about that amazing vessel. But we also have a myriad of topics about the three other Seabourn yachts as they branch out and explore ever more exotic destinations. Plus,  Seabourn Sojourn is under construction as we are writing this, and there are tales to tell about that as well. Plus, we can’t forget that a third new Seabourn yacht has already been started (her keel was laid at the same time as Sojourn’s).

In January, Odyssey will set off around the world,  providing a lot of interesting topics for us to discuss including special shoreside events along the way, guest celebrities and chefs and much more.  So we have decided to expand the focus of this blog to encompass all the Seabourn yachts– their staffs, their guests, their itineraries and the new yachts a-building.

This will be a process, rather than a “presto.” We have already begun…you’ll notice that the countdown clock in the upper right corner is now tallying days ‘til the Sojourn debut.

So we invite you to check back often, and watch as we expand our focus beyond Odyssey to the broader Seabourn world. As always, we welcome your comments, suggestions and questions, and we appreciate your interest.

Seabourn Sojourn

Seabourn Sojourn

Great News! Seabourn Sojourn has departed San Giorgio di Nogaro and arrived at the T. Mariotti shipyards in Genoa to begin her fitting out. As you can see from this picture, taken on her departure from S. Giorgio, the luxury yacht is already taller than Odyssey was when she left the Adriatic yard. That’s because they not only installed her engines while the hull was being assembled ( recall that Odyssey’s were installed at Genoa), but they also added the blocks of superstructure up to Deck 9 (Odyssey floated up to Genoa just finished to Deck 6.)  The second picture shows the ship being snugged up to the fitting out dock at the Genoa shipyard. About a thousand workers will be occupied getting her ready for her June, 2010 debut at Greenwich, England.

Seabourn Sojourn at Nogaro

Seabourn’s second new yacht, Seabourn Sojourn, has been growing at San Giorgio di Nogaro in a process pretty similar to the one we tracked for Seabourn Odyssey. The two halves of her hull were formed and then floated down to Rijeka in Croatia where they were joined together into one sleek piece. That is an amazing feat! (more…)

Seabourn Sojourn

As Seabourn Odyssey is being prepared for her maiden Voyage in just a few short weeks, the second sister is also “coming of age” over at San Giorgio di Nogaro. If you recall, the hull segments are built in two halves and then set on barges and taken to a place called Rijeka in Croatia where they can be joined into one sleek hull. This week, the front half of Seabourn Sojourn’s hull was finished and carefully loaded onto a semi-submersible barge for the trip to Rijeka. (more…)