SeaLink Travel Group has added a fourth state of the art $2.6 million catamaran to its Captain Cook Cruises fleet, with the launch today in Sydney of Violet McKenzie.
Fuel efficient, eco-friendly, and equipped with the latest technologies to reduce her carbon footprint, Violet McKenzie is a new generation, 24metre Rocket catamaran that will join her sister vessels Elizabeth Cook, Mary Reibey and Annabelle Rankin on Sydney Harbour.
The vessel is named after Violet McKenzie (1890 – 1982) who was Australia’s first female electrical engineer, founder of the Women’s Emergency Signalling Corps (WESC) and lifelong promoter for technical education for women. She campaigned successfully to have some of her female trainees accepted into the all-male Navy, thereby originating the Women’s Royal Australian Naval Service (WRANS) and some 12,000 servicemen passed through her signal instruction school in Sydney.
Violet McKenzie is a multi-purpose vessel bringing flexibility to the Captain Cook Cruises fleet. Designed to balance efficiency with ruggedness, Violet McKenzie will operate in all corners of Sydney Harbour and beyond.
According to Managing Director, SeaLink Travel Group, Jeff Ellison, “Violet McKenzie will be used across all aspects of the Captain Cook Cruises business. She will provide vessel service for the Hop On Hop Off and Whale Watching cruises, host charter events and even provide ferry charter services for Harbour City Ferries (Sydney Ferries).”
Violet McKenzie provides a fast service and a high level of comfort for passengers including large viewing windows, contemporary seating and a 360-degree viewing sundeck.
The two level catamaran has a main passenger cabin with seats for 116 passengers and a further 31 seats located on the lower outside deck. Upstairs an open upper deck has seating for 51 passengers, providing ample space for passengers to stand and view the sights.
Margy Osmond – Chief Executive Tourism & Transport Forum officially launched Violet McKenzie in the traditional maritime way, breaking a champagne bottle across the bow.
Violet McKenzie was designed in Sydney by Incat Crowther and built in Tasmania by Richardson Devine Marine.
SOURCE: Captain Cook Cruises