Katherine Grainger Godmother to Avalon Poetry II

Avalon Waterways recently announced that World Champion and Olympic gold medallist, Dr. Katherine Grainger CBE, has become godmother to Avalon Poetry II, one of three new state-of- the-art river cruise suite ships, which was launched on 22 March.

Katherine Grainger, who won gold in the double sculls together with Anna Watkins at the 2012 Olympic Games and continues to promote the legacy of London 2012, acted as official godmother at the ship christening ceremony in Dordrecht, Holland, on 22 March. Part of a ‘twin christening’ ceremony with sister ship, Avalon Impression, the event took place as the two vessels were moored up alongside each other. The christening formed part of a special four-day inaugural river cruise for both ships sailing from Cologne to Amsterdam.

With VIP guests from the worldwide travel industry and members of the media present, the ceremony was followed by a celebratory champagne reception, dinner and live entertainment with a finale of a fireworks display.

Katherine Grainger, Olympic gold medallist in the double sculls at the London Games, acted as godmother to the Avalon Poetry II when the ship was launched in March.

Before the ceremony, Grainger commented: “I am both honoured and delighted to become godmother to the Avalon Poetry II. It is clear that Avalon Waterways share my passion in creating a winning formula on the water and I am very much looking forward to the christening”.

Alan MacLean, Avalon Waterways’ UK managing director commented: “We are delighted that Katherine is godmother to our latest suite ship Avalon Poetry II and joined us in our celebrations with travel industry partners. Being a world class athlete and having achieved so much in her sport of rowing, Katherine continues to be an athlete ambassador to show others what can be achieved by drawing inspiration from London 2012”.

“We hope that Katherine will enjoy being part of the Avalon experience and experiencing firsthand the high standards we set ourselves in achieving our own excellence on water. We strive to provide our guests with the best river cruise experience possible on board our modern fleet of ships”, MacLean said.

In a press release Avalon Waterways writes that the company will continuing to revolutionise river cruising, and that the new ships will bring the total of suite ships in the fleet to eight, all offering the same state-of-the-art sleek design, spacious suites and high level of service. Each ship features two full decks of ‘Panorama suites’ sized from 200-300 square feet with wall-to-wall panoramic windows that open to create unique ‘open air balconies’, the most spacious river cruising on European rivers – 30% larger than the industry standard. Passengers can look forward to contemporary décor with hand crafted finishes, innovative technologies and well-appointed hotel-style accommodation with the highest level of personal service.