Queen of the Carnival

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Queen of the Carnival, Carnival Sailing’s newest addition, was launched on January 14th. A special launch event was held to officially introduce the one-of-a-kind custom-built luxury day charter catamaran to the public, where representatives from Carnival Sailing shared with specially invited guests some of the key features of the custom-designed vessel.

“This awesome catamaran has no expense spared on the quality and comfort of your experience,” General Manager Peter Byrne expressed, adding that the boat is “perfect for weddings and corporate events”.

Queen of the Carnival is 70ft long and was designed and built by Two Oceans Marine Manufacturing in Cape Town, South Africa. From there the catamaran was shipped to Tortola. With a team of four members: Peter Byrne, Carnival Sailing General Manager, Chan Richards, Carnival Sailing Captain, Simon Handley and Armani Smith from Two Oceans Marine Manufacturing, the vessel sailed from Tortola to Saint Lucia in forty-four hours on January 12th.

When asked what led to the decision for the new addition, GM Peter Byrne stated, “Carnival Sailing has been the leading catamaran provider for many years and, over the past few years, we have been upgrading our product, giving our clients unforgettable experiences in Saint Lucia and offerings exclusive to Carnival Sailing. “We tailor our packages to suit your needs, from food and beverage packages, on-board chefs, entertainment from steel pan to international artists; and large group packages to exclusive high-end private charters, Carnival Sailing offers it all.”

The Queen of the Carnival will host all existing Carnival tours. The company says large bookings can now sail on the same boat, whereas in the past large groups were split over two boats. There will also be local boat rides at the weekend.

The luxurious Queen of the Carnival reaches 19–20 knots, just under the power of its two large 315 Yanmar horsepower engines and large Cummings generator. This vessel can arrive at Soufriere dock from Ganters Bay, Castries in forty-five minutes compared to the hour and a half usually taken by similar boats.

At the launch event Prime Minister Allen Chastanet sent out his congratulations: “To have this boat licensed in such a quick time is not that somebody chased paper, it’s the fact that Peter from the get-go included Mr. Alexander and SLASPA in the design of the boat. This is an example for both the private sector and public sector moving forward in terms of what they have to do to achieve. As Prime Minister and a person very keen on tourism, I am so excited for seeing the upgrade of this product.”