Cal Poly Humboldt’s new research vessel docked in the bay today, accompanied by a procession of other boats, welcomed by a crowd of landlubbers, and christened by a specially made bottle of Champagne.

The R/V North Wind is Humboldt’s oceanographic research boat, capable of carrying 40 people and hitting 24 knots. It sailed all the way down from Bellingham over the last couple weeks after completing sea trials. Constructed by ship company All American Marine, the aluminum catamaran is 78 feet long and powered by two engines capable of putting out 1,100 horsepower apiece. It’s also decked out with equipment that can measure both physical and biological characteristics of the ocean floor.

Humboldt will still use its old research vessel, the Coral Sea, for a little while before selling it somewhere out of California. According to CPH’s interim president Michael Spagna, its older engines can’t pass California’s emissions standards. 

The North Wind cost $7.9 million and was purchased with funds from the polytechnic grant.