460: Chapter 460 Launching Ceremony of the Explorer

The "setting sail" sped along, arriving at the Sea View Villa's small dock just as dusk began to fall.

The owners, who had received the news long ago, were already waiting at the dock with various containers.

Bai Xue and Yao Shanshan also brought electronic scales and stood at the front of the crowd. According to the shares reserved by the owners, more than three hundred catties were quickly weighed out.

The rest were still sold to Chen Tianming.

"Yang Qi, I heard your big ship is almost ready?"

Chen Tianming pulled Yang Qi aside and asked.

"Yeah, soon. In about half a month or so!"

Yang Qi took a cigarette from Chen Tianming and said.

"That's good. I'm looking forward to a bumper harvest then. Hehehe."

Chen Tianming's face immediately lit up with joy. He imagined Yang Qi delivering boatload after boatload of fish in the future.

In the final count, the catch sold for over 180,000. Yang Qi gave everyone a 1,000-yuan commission.

For the next half month or so, Yang Qi took the six of them out to sea roughly once every two days. The team's coordination grew increasingly seamless. Each trip brought in about 100,000 to 200,000 yuan.

The day finally arrived: the sixteenth day of the second lunar month, the day the "explorer" was to leave the factory.

When a fishing boat leaves the factory (i.e., the Launching of a new ship), a "Lucky Water" or "Launching" ceremony is usually held.

This ceremony is mainly conducted in the waters near the dock or shipyard, rather than on land inside the shipyard.

According to traditional customs, the Launching of a new ship is a major event in the lives of fishermen. A grand "Consecration," "Lucky Water," or "Launching" ceremony is held on an auspicious day.

The core purpose is to pray to the Sea God for safe voyages and a bountiful harvest. This process usually includes:

Hanging a red cloth on the bow: Symbolizing "Consecration" to let the ship "open its eyes."

Sacrificing a chicken: Sprinkling chicken blood on the bow to ward off evil and invite good fortune.

Burning incense and setting off firecrackers: Paying respects to the Sea God (such as Mazu or the Dragon King).

Offering the Three Sacrifices: Pork, chicken, and fish as offerings to pray for the protection of the gods.

Breaking a bottle of champagne: Praying for safety and warding off misfortune (usually performed by a woman).

These ceremonies must be completed at the moment the ship first touches the seawater, which is by the Launching ramp of the dock or shipyard.

This is because fishermen believe the Sea God only manifests at "sea" or "by the water." Once the ship enters the water, it truly becomes a "home at sea," and only then is the invitation to the gods effective.

Therefore, while the preparations for the ceremony may be done at the shipyard, the formal "inviting the Sea God" part is conducted at the water's edge of the dock.

These ceremonies are generally completed before dawn.

Thus, in the early morning, Yang Qi's family, Bai Dahai's family, Zheng Tie's family, all the crew members including Yao Shanshan, and friends like Zhang Jun all arrived at the Municipal Shipyard.

Under Bai Dahai's guidance, Yang Qi completed the "Consecration" ceremonies one by one.

Finally, Bai Xue held a bottle of champagne and smashed it against the bow, signifying the official completion of the "Lucky Water" ceremony.

At that time, the "explorer" had been sent into the dock for modification using the "Dry Dock" method:

A vessel is guided into a dock that can be sealed at both ends (a Dry Dock), then the gates are closed and the seawater inside is pumped out.

This allows the ship to rest steadily on blocks or supports at the bottom of the dock, effectively bringing it "ashore."

This method is suitable for the comprehensive maintenance and modification of large vessels.

Conversely, relaunching the ship is also simple: just open the gates to fill the dock with seawater, let the ship float naturally, and then have a tugboat tow it out of the dock.

At this moment, the friends and relatives who had already retreated from the dock saw a large, entirely white ship being slowly towed out by a tugboat.

The ship was 36.5 meters long, with a beam of 10.5 meters and a depth of 4.8 meters. Standing so close, everyone felt the presence of a true behemoth.

Three large blue characters, "explorer," were prominently painted on the bow. The three-story deckhouse looked towering and majestic.

Now meticulously dressed up, Bai Xue stood at the bow, waving excitedly to her friends and relatives on the dock.

When the tugboat had pulled the "explorer" completely out of the dock, it retracted the towline and departed.

Yang Qi started the "explorer" and backed it into the dock berth. All the friends and relatives, including General Manager Cao and Engineer Lin, boarded the ship one after another for a tour.

"Son, well done!"

"Xiao Qi, when you go out to the deep sea in the future, you must be careful!"

With tears in her eyes, his mother watched, while his father gave Yang Qi's arm a firm pat. At this moment, they were filled with pride.

Although there were two other ten-million-yuan fishing boats of theirs under construction in the shipyard, they were currently just piles of building materials and nowhere near as shocking as this large ship.

Moreover, knowing the origins of this large ship, they couldn't help but feel even more emotional.

"Yang Qi, congratulations! Your wish has come true! From now on, the sky's the limit and the sea is your playground!"

Zhang Jun walked over, put his arm around Yang Qi's shoulder, and offered his congratulations.

"Thanks, Brother Jun. Everything I have is thanks to your help!"

Yang Qi looked at Zhang Jun and spoke sincerely.

"This is all the result of your own hard work; it really hasn't been easy. I'm just the icing on the cake."

"However, your old fishing boat only had one sleeping cabin, so I felt bad about going fishing with you. I see this ship has empty bunks; you've got to take me out to sea when you have time."

Aside from Bai Xue, Zhang Jun was the only one who had truly seen Yang Qi's entire journey. At this moment, he was filled with emotion.

"As long as you can make the time, there will always be a spot for you on the explorer."

Yang Qi said with a smile. He wasn't just joking; given the ship's capacity, a single trip would last at least ten days to half a month—unless they hit a massive school of fish!

Also, there were several empty rooms on the ship now. They could take a few extra people out to sea at any time.

"Good, I'll definitely go."

Yang Qi accompanied his parents and Zhang Jun on a tour of the entire ship.

"Yang Qi!"

"Mr. Yang!"

Two people came down from the deckhouse. Yang Qi looked up and saw that it was Yu Dafu and Murakami Jiro.

"Hello, General Manager Yu. Hello, Boss Murakami. When did you two arrive? I didn't see you just now!"

Yang Qi shook hands with them as he spoke.

"We just arrived during the ceremony. Congratulations, Yang Qi!"

"Mr. Yang has acquired a new ship. From now on, it's like adding wings to a tiger, and the money will come rolling in!"

The two of them offered their congratulations with smiles.

"From your lips to God's ears. I must say, Boss Murakami, your use of Chinese idioms is quite smooth! General Manager Yu, I'll have to trouble you with the banquet at noon!"

Yang Qi said to them with a smile.

"Don't worry, Yang Qi! I've already arranged everything. The banquet will definitely start on time at noon."

Yu Dafu said quickly. To celebrate the delivery of the "explorer," Yang Qi had ordered five tables of food from Yu Dafu's place to host his friends and relatives, as well as the crews and families of both ships.