By Gene Sloan, USA TODAY
LONDON -- Short but sweet.

That, in a nutshell, sums up the christening ceremony today in England for luxury line The Yachts of Seabourn"s newest vessel, the Seabourn Sojourn.Famed British model and 1960s icon Twiggy, whose been back in the spotlight lately as a judge on TV"s America"s Next Top Model, made quick task of her work as godmother of the ship, pushing a button to send a champagne bottle careening against the vessel"s side after just a few short words.

The much-awaited moment came at the end of a late afternoon black tie reception around the main deck-top pool of the vessel, which is moored in the Thames River across from London"s Canary Wharf.While the reception went on for nearly an hour, the actual naming ceremony part of the event was over in a jiffy. In addition to Twiggy"s appearance, the ceremony included the briefest of remarks by Seabourn CEO and president Pamela Conover, who welcomed Twiggy to the stage.

Conover noted Twiggy made the perfect godmother for the Sojourn as like the ship she possessed "elegance, style, timeless beauty (and) an iconic presence.""I am absolutely delighted that we have found the perfect candidate to fulfill this (duty), especially in her home city of London," Conover said.While it wasn"t a christening filled with pomp and circumstance, the event -- under a beautiful blue sky with the skyline of London in the distance -- was nonetheless elegant. During the reception leading up to the formal bottle breaking, classical string musicians played in the background as formally-dressed waiters offered caviar and champagne.

After the reception, several hundred invited guests headed downstairs to the ship"s sparkling main dining room for an elaborate five-course meal that was to be followed by a desert course and fireworks atop the ship.Seabourn Sojourn is the second of three new sister vessels the line is rolling out over three years in a major expansion that will triple its capacity. The first new vessel, Seabourn Odyssey, arrived last summer.

The Sojourn will sail an inaugural series of 12- to 14-day voyages of Scandinavia, Russia and the Baltic this summer (fares start from $3,499 per person, based on double occupancy). The ship"s maiden voyage begins on Sunday.

Posted Jun 4 2010 5:16PM

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http://travel.usatoday.com/cruises/post/2010/06/british-icon-twiggy-christens-luxury-line-seabourns-newest-cruise-ship/95615/1