Rubber ducks share 10-minute kiss on Valentine’s Day
Rubber ducks share 10-minute kiss on Valentine’s Day
2024-02-15
Over at Kaohsiung’s Love River, two giant yellow ducks puckered up for a kiss on Valentine’s Day. This first-of-its-kind performance lasted just 10 minutes. But it called for a team of professionals who worked through the night, getting the ducks ready ahead of schedule for their romantic moment.
A giant rubber duck floats up Love River Bay, where a second rubber duck is waiting.
The two ducks impress the crowd with a 10-minute kiss, the world’s first romantic encounter of the kind.
Member of public
I’d thought that when I came today I’d just be able to see the big yellow duck. But today just so happened to be Valentine’s Day and so I got to see the ducks kiss. I feel really lucky.
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai and other officials bore witness to the happy moment.
Kao Min-lin
Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau director
Kaohsiung is known for its ship-building skills and waterfront events. We also wanted to be the first in the world to create this moment of having the two ducks meet beak-to-beak.
But getting the two ducks to meet was no easy feat.
Using two tugboats, Duck No. 1 was pulled onto the paved shore, a task made difficult by at least 2 extra tons in water weight. Crew worked through the night, and re-inflated the duck in the morning.
A 66-meter-high industrial crane lifted the duck by its head as air was pumped into its body. The huge rubber inflatable rose up inch by inch, taking shape slowly but surely. There were four high pressure air pumps inside the duck. With air being pumped from the outside, the duck’s internal pressure could withstand winds of Force 6 on the Beaufort scale, which is strong enough to move large branches on trees.
Lin Li-han
Inflatable objects business owner
Once it’s around 80%, 90% inflated, we shut off two of the pumps. Then to get it to form its shape, we keep slowly inflating it until it has the internal air pressure that we’d determined at the onset.
To keep the duck cute and curvy, the quality of the rubber and the correct internal air pressure are key. Also critical is the experience and judgment of the workers. Thanks to the unnamed heroes behind the scenes, the public was treated to a one-of-a-kind rendezvous on Love River Bay.
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雙鴨會! 黃色小鴨愛的親親 幕後工程與時間賽跑
2024-02-15
高雄愛河灣的黃色小鴨，昨天情人節完成世界首次的遊港任務，但其實幕後是有一群無名英雄，前一晚先將1號小鴨，從海上拖到岸邊洩氣，當天更與時間賽跑，挑戰12小時內，把1號小鴨灌飽氣，重新吊掛回海上，從洩氣，位移，灌氣到遊港，專業團隊如履薄冰，最後順利提前就位，聚集港灣的民眾共同記錄這歷史的一刻。
1號小鴨順利游回愛河灣，和高流正前方的2號小鴨，完成世界首次的雙鴨會面，短短10分鐘的kiss秀，萌樣融化現場民眾的心。
[[民眾]]
“我本來以為今天(2/14)來的時候，只能看到黃色小鴨而已，然後今天(2/14)剛好可以看到親親，就覺得蠻幸運的”
高雄市長陳其邁率領局處首長，化身雙鴨會面的幸福見證人。
[[高雄市觀光局長 高閔琳]]
“高雄大家知道我們的造船技術，以及整個水域的活動，非常的發達，我們也希望透過這次設計雙鴨相會的畫面，也成為我們的世界創舉”
但其實，要讓雙鴨會面，過程很不簡單。
拖船一前一後，先將1號小鴨從海上移到岸邊，吊離水面更不簡單，重量比原來多出至少2噸以上，工作人員連夜趕工，隔天一早到港邊，重新幫小鴨充氣。
66公尺高的重型專業吊車，先將正在充氣的鴨頭，緩緩吊起，鴨身也逐漸成形，實際進到小鴨內部，肚子裡有4部鼓風機，從外面送氣到內部，透過內壓，對抗外在的6級風壓。
[[聲源:氣模業者 林立漢]]
“然後灌到大概八分滿、九分滿的時候，我們就會把其中兩台風機關掉，然後慢慢持續把它灌到我們當初所設定好的內壓，讓它成型”
要維持小鴨可愛圓潤的體態，除了鴨皮材質、計算好的內壓數據，工作人員的經驗判斷也很重要。多虧無名英雄各自堅守崗位，才能在情人節，欣賞浪漫的遊港畫面。
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