tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67848181362234595092024-03-13T00:52:45.675-04:00QE2 - Pride of the ClydeThe World's Most Famous Ship Lives OnAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16505720008360910233noreply@blogger.comBlogger103125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784818136223459509.post-53987571715925523732013-01-10T17:56:00.000-05:002013-01-10T18:09:53.196-05:00Bring QE2 Home<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Image courtesy of Marc-Antoine Bombail </span><a href="http://www.mab-creations.ch/Maboceanbooks/"><span style="font-size: x-small;">http://www.mab-creations.ch/Maboceanbooks/</span></a></div>
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QE2 has been in the news again. Mostly bad news, but with a glimmer of hopeful news. This <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2252580/End-era-QE2-Iconic-cruise-liner-sold-scrap-Chinese-20m.html">News</a> of potential scrapping and or sale to Far East buyers hit the newspapers just before Christmas. Adding legitimacy to this concern are confirmed reports that her current able crew that had been taking care of the ship at considerable expense had been dispensed for a much smaller Chinese crew unfamiliar with the operations of the ship. A trip to the scrappers could be in her future, but a group of investors in the UK have approached the ships current owners with a viable plan to return the ship to the UK, London specifically. Word of her imminent demise eventually reached <a href="http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/fans-of-clyde-built-qe2-fear-liner-may-be-sold-to-chinese-for-scrap.19763623?utm_source=headlines&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email%2Balert">Scottish newspapers</a> as well. <a href="http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/10129185.Anger_over_possibility_of_QE2_being_scrapped/">Southampton papers</a>, with obvious QE2 ties picked up the story as well. I posted a link to the article at the Cunard forum in Cruise Critic with the hope of generating some interest, which they shortly picked up on the news and ran an article on their <a href="http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/news/news.cfm?ID=5140">news page</a>. </div>
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It appears that the main hurdle may be Cunard itself, who reportedly had a 10 year scrapping clause inserted in the sale agreement, a wise decision considering the bad press that was generated when this scrapping rumor was floated out just before Christmas. Loyal fans, myself included posted comments to the Cunard Facebook page regarding the scrapping rumors. I politely asked Cunard to comment on the status of the ship. With all the backlash mounting on their website, Cunard wisely released this:</div>
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<em>We have noted the messages of understandable concern with regards to the recent article in the Daily Mail with reference to QE2. We remain in close contact with Dubai and can reassure you that to the very best of our knowledge this story is pure speculation - one of a number of stories and rumours as we have seen over recent months. Our best advice would be to ignore the story.</em></div>
<em>Best regards,<br />Cunard Line. </em><br />
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Current news on the fate of the ship can be found <a href="http://here./">here.</a> Rob Lightbody can take pride in that the website he owns and moderates has consistently reported on actual facts regarding the status of the ship. Rob reported on the V-Ships crew departure and his rightful concern that this move could be the beginning of the end. </div>
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Rest assured the plan presented by QE2 London is real and is viable. While I have previously blogged on the viability of returning the ship to the Clyde and Clydebank specifically, permanently berthing QE2 in London makes the most sense for the long term viability of the ship to operate as a hotel, restaurant, museum, or all of the above. Finally, the UK's Daily Mail, who brought us the original rumor, now has done some more <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2258926/Could-QE2-setting-sail-Thames-Plan-save-iconic-cruise-liner-Chinese-scrap-yard-turning-floating-luxury-hotel.html?ito=feeds-newsxml">reporting </a>and has reported on QE2 London's plan to bring her home to the UK, but once again, full of inaccuracies and poor reporting. Keith Hamilton, a reporter from the Daily Echo, whom I believe is a fan of QE2 filed this<a href="http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/10146617.London_calling_for_luxury_QE2_/"> report</a> on the QE2 London plan. <a href="http://maritimematters.com/2013/01/qe2-in-london-2013/">Maritime Matters detailed report</a> on the London plan included renderings of the ship in its proposed location.<br />
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Sure, the naysayers are about, trying their best to poke holes in this plan, but experts quoted in the various news reports state that the ship CAN be brought up the Thames and a suitable site is available, ripe for further economic development. QE2 fans, contact Cunard and urge them to lend their support to this endevour. With official Cunard backing, rest assured, this will go along way to healing the wounds when they announced the sale of QE2 to Dubai. QE2 is a maritime icon, a national treasure, and the world's most famous ship. It was a shame she was let go to Dubai. Now is the chance to get her back!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16505720008360910233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784818136223459509.post-79163726581282139672012-09-20T01:19:00.001-04:002012-09-20T01:19:23.452-04:00On the Slipway, 45 Years Ago<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">View from the Titan Crane of the location of the slipway of the former John Brown Shipyard.</span></div>
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Forty-five years ago, <i>QE2 </i>was launched into the River Clyde on the very slipway used to construct and<br />
launch the previous Cunard Queens. It is also about four years ago, when I embarked on a trip of a lifetime, made possible by my employer, Centerbrook Architects, who awarded me a travel grant with the stipulation that I take the trip and report back on a piece of architecture that peaked my interest. As I am preparing to make my presentation (finally) to the office, I am reminded of my trip to Clydebank, the birthplace of <i>QE2</i>, on this very trip. So what is the real connection here between <i>QE2 </i>and the subject of my travel grant? It wasn't until afterwards that I actually discovered several apparent links between the new Parliament Building that I selected as the subject of my travel grant and my favorite ship, <i>QE2</i>.<br />
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Cleverly, I had found a way to combine my ocean liner passion with my travel grant. I would visit Scotland to see the new Parliament Building and use <i>QE2</i> as my primary mode of transportation to visit Scotland, getting a flavor of the homeland as we visited various ports during our circumnavigation of the UK. I had been fortunate to find a cabin on the sold out final lap of honor around the UK before her retirement to Dubai and this would be my final trip onboard . Initial plans were to visit the controversal Enric Miralles designed Parliament Building during our port of call at Queensferry. Not wanting to risk missing seeing the building in case the port call was canceled, I decided to fly into Edinburgh ahead of time, rent a car, drive to my grandfather's hometown of Peterhead for an overnight, and then stop and see the building the following day, assuring myself the abiliity to experience the building inside and outside. This would prove to be a wise decision since the weather was beautiful on the inital visit and absolutely dreary on the day <i>QE2 </i>anchored in Queensferry.<br />
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Scotland's new Parliament Building is not without it's share of controversy. First, it was not designed by a Scot, but Catalonian architect Enric Miralles. That alone would anger some Scots, but Enric teamed up with a very respectable local firm of RMJM Edinburgh who would provide the detailing while Miralles provided the vision. I approached the building without prejudice, but was skeptical whether the team truly captured the spirit of Scotland in this new building. My preconceived notion, whether right or wrong, was that the building should have looked more like the "other" Parliament building in London. This building was the complete opposite, with a style difficult to categorize, but loosely defined as modern. <br />
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Then there were the cost overuns, a sore subject to many a thrifty Scot, many whom could not justify the 430 million pound cost, of which my tour guide was quick to put into perspective. More money was spent on a certain soccer, er football stadium in England, the new Wembly Stadium. That structure was only to play sports and have concerts in and not to symbolize the spirit of an entire liberated Scotland. <br />
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I would end up visiting the building on a sunny afternoon, and then the following morning, when the building was open for guided tours. Without tipping off anyone in my tour group, nor the tour guide, of my profession, we made our way through the building and I listened to all the comments. People were initially skeptical and unaware of all of the subtle references and tie-ins to the history of Scotland and it's people. I walked away with a much deeper understanding of the building, with my preconceived notions of what the building should be completely shattered. Months later, after staring at the above image of the entrance, it dawned on me that the entry structure was in fact, stylized representations of the various cranes I saw at every port and along the Clyde. Shipbuilding on the Clyde is an essential chapter in the history of Scotland and here was a subtle nod to it right at the entrance. The tour guide did not mention this. Clearly RMJM and Miralles detailing here was an intentional, but there is an even more blatant Clydebank connection that is tied into another controversial feature of the building, the window "curtains."<br />
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Staring at you at the foot of Cannongate and the intersection of Horse Wynd and Abbeyhill, the new Parliament is constructed of various smaller scaled structural masses, designed to fit into the the site and not overpower it. Miralles envisioned the Parliament as growing out of the site and connected to the land as Scotland is a land and not just part of the UK. Here we see a ship on the slipway, sculpted in concrete, with larger building volumes looming above. Here we also see one of the buildings most talked about features, the window screens, rendered in thin granite. <br />
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Miralles trajecally died before he could see his vision completed. His wife and partner in his architectural practice, Benedetta Tagliabue, completed his vision. When pressed for an explanation for the curtains, often referred to derogatorily as "anvils" and literal window dressing, she offered little explanation, revealing that the design is simply that of a window curtain pulled back. Her late
husband however, enjoying the use of ambiguous forms with multiple meanings, had
previously said he would love the profile to evoke an icon of Scottish culture,
the painting of Reverend Walker skating on ice, of which he purportedly had a copy of the Henry Raeburn painting on his desk. I'm not buying that for a minute.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-u2N16Hkt82k/UFqU-LXSFOI/AAAAAAAABIc/hntdP4A6Vuk/s1600/496px-The_Skating_Minister.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-u2N16Hkt82k/UFqU-LXSFOI/AAAAAAAABIc/hntdP4A6Vuk/s200/496px-The_Skating_Minister.jpg" width="165" /></a></div>
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The curtains are cranes! They represent the cranes as depicted in these near identical photos of <i>Queen Mary</i> and <i>Queen Elizabeth 2</i> on the slipway, under construction at the John Brown shipyard. Mystery solved and a clever reference to shipbuilding on the Clyde. In fact, the profile does remind me of the Titan Crane, which we visited during our <i>QE2</i> port call of Greenock, Scotland. With another picture perfect day, we visited the site of the former John Brown Shipyard and witnessed all that remains of this once great yard and birthplace of the original Cunard Queens.<br />
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Here below is the direct comparison of the Queens and the Parliament Building, which was NOT mentioned by the tour guide, but from my own ship based imagination. I think I am on to something.<br />
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Moving on to the interiors, there are interesting column detailing throughout that bears a striking resemblance to the iconic <i>QE2</i> funnel. I realize this is a stretch, but is it really?<br />
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RMJM clearly has a fondness for <i>QE2</i> since they recently completed an apartment project in Glasgow, on the River Clyde, with massing strikingly similar to <i>QE2's</i> original funnel design. In fact, the building has been dubbed the '<i>QE3</i>' building. Food for thought. <br />
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Hopefully over time, others might see these references and tour guides will tie in <i>QE2</i>, Scotland's finest example of shipbuilding to the new Parliament Building.
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16505720008360910233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784818136223459509.post-44158794373900779452012-05-01T23:17:00.000-04:002012-05-07T12:53:45.079-04:00Make it Count<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Bravo Carnival!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With some trepidation, I went into this cruise, but with an open mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Look for a future post on the ship itself and our cruise experience with Carnival. Their “Fun Ship” the <em>Miracle </em>worked her magic on us while we cruised onboard for a week in April. We had a fabulous time, completely unwinding, leaving the stresses of work behind.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">While we were all aware our cruise would coincide with the 100<sup>th</sup> anniversary of the sinking of T<em>itanic</em> prior to taking this cruise, a fact I reminded the family once we had booked the cruise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once onboard and into full cruise mode, though, that fact became more of a distant memory as the cruise wore on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, we forgot about April 15<sup>th</sup> completely, though for me, who was more thorough immersed in all the <em>Titanic </em>anniversary hype, it did take some time to get out of this mode.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet instantly, I would get brought right back to <em>Titanic</em> on our return a week later as we sailed up the Hudson. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">For one who has been thoroughly immersed in <em>Titanic</em> mania for more years than I care to mention, there were constant little reminders staring me in the face right at the beginning of the cruise; ones I chose to keep to myself to avoid boring my family who are well versed in my ship obsession and others I’d reveal as I saw fit. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">“New York, New York” by Frank Sinatra was bouncing around in my cranium during the sailaway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t playing on the ship's tannoy, as would be the case on <em>QE2</em>, but only in my head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s this whole mystique of sailing out of Manhattan that truly is something to be experienced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This would be the first time we’d actually done this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We sailed into Manhattan on <em>QE2</em> back in January of 2008 and now we would be doing a round trip out of the Manhattan cruise ship piers. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mental note; <em>Miracle</em> was tied up to Pier 88, same pier that the Normandie burned, rolled over and died in during WW2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Granted it was the opposite side, I think, but it is still the same historic pier.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is the only way to sail in and out of New York City, as countless other liners have done in the past, including the <em>Carpathia</em>, and all of the great Cunarder’s and other famous liners such as the <em>S.S. United States</em>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> For instance, o</span>ur <em>QM2 </em>trip last year from Brooklyn was completely anti-climatic and just not the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why, why, why did I wait too long to experience a classic Transatlantic Crossing on <em>QE2</em>, which in our case, included the glorious Manhattan arrival.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Geesh!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am sounding like a Cunard marketing brochure.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, any trip to these piers brings back the memories of <em>QE2’s</em> final call and subsequent departure in tandem with <em>Queen Mary 2</em>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bittersweet memories for sure. Look, there's the <em>Miracle</em> next to my beloved ship back in 2008. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The mandatory lifeboat drill was our first priority after getting to our cabin and exploring the ship for some time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, we did have enough lifeboats! There would be no need for Rose to count them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>SOLAS regulations, a direct result of Titanic have taken care of that for us. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I swear I caught a glimpse of Thomas Andrews watching over us on deck during the drill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, we also had a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">very </i>detailed drill thank you to the latest disaster, <em>Costa Concordia</em> and that showboating Italian captain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Very impressed!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They took a head count.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was here I learned we also have an Italian captain, instantly posting this fact to Facebook.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I missed the bit about not using phones or cameras during the drill….oops, my bad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Friends responded “nice knowing you.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Everyone took this drill seriously, really.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although the girl with the green hair in front of me seemed a bit distracted and disinterested, she too was texting away like mad, probably trying to get her last bit in before we got out of cell phone range.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One takeaway here I’ve never heard mentioned before was the request to always wear shoes throughout the ship to avoid stepping on glass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Was this in response to Concordia or just practical? Doesn’t much matter as it makes total sense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Standing on the boat deck (beautiful real teak decks mind you), listening to a crew member talking while another one stood on a chair demonstrating how to don the life vest, my mind wandered to the scene in Cameron’s <em>Titanic</em> on the boat deck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You know the scene where you hear the steam venting from the boilers and seeing all the chaos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the officers then asks the women and children to step forward and the noise diminishes for both dramatic and practical effect in the movie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>True <em>Titanic</em> fanatics appreciate this clever device, knowing that the sound of the steam venting of the boilers, needing to be vented since the ship was stopped, was truly deafening and added to the chaos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here we were all lined up just like the movie. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only distracting noise was from the longshoremen on the pier below with their forklifts loading up the ship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No need for warning shots to be fired by ships officers, though, and the tuxedo clad quartet was nowhere to be found.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’d have really stuck out too since I think I saw only one tux the entire cruise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks have to go out to another Facebook friend who warned I would be mistaken for the wait staff if I brought my tux on this cruise. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sadly, I would not be doing my James Bond impersonation in the Casino this time, but I digress.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">My mind further wandered here as they show off all the safety features of the vest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yeah, I know how the vest goes on, the whistle (Rose reference again…’Come back!”) and how the strobe thingie works.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">My eyes catch a detail off in the distance of the structure of the pier; look at those exposed rivets of the original frame. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rivets= <em>Titanic</em> = old! This is one old pier with a lot of history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I bet most of the passengers on this cruise have no idea how old these piers are and their history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seeing the rivets, reminds me of Fenway Park and my Massachusetts roots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I offer one of my useless facts to my kids; “Did you know that Fenway Park opened the same day <em>Titanic</em> sailed from Southampton in 1912?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rolled eyes were the response from mildly amused offspring and spouse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“You know you are full of useless information, dad!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tough crowd I say.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">As we sail down the Hudson, I make out the remnants of Pier 54, the pier that Cunard’s <em>Carpathia</em> docked at, delivering the survivors she rescued from <em>Titanic</em>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dutifully noted in my brain, but at this point we were all standing on the forward observation deck over the bridge and looking down the Hudson at<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the Freedom Tower….oops, 1 World Trade Center, easily the highest structure now on the Manhattan skyline.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was an eerie sense of quiet as we neared Battery Park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lots of New Yorkers on board, mostly solemnly admiring the view.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lots of picture taking; sounds of beeps from the point and shoot cameras and shutter sounds from the DSLR cameras like my Nikon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I filled a 4GB graphics card alone here, but came prepared with my backup card in pocket.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Battery Park and the Winter Garden appeared as an ever present reminder of 9/11, like an open wound.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seeing the tower proudly rising offers consolation, but every time I pass by this site, memories of that day flood back to the surface.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>1 World Trade Center is looking proud and defiant now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wish there were two of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I guess one is like giving them the middle finger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Our first reminder of <em>Titanic</em> occurred on our way to dinner on the first formal night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That dreaded backdrop of grand staircase and clock appeared again amongst the sea of ships staff photographers angling for our business.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought it was tacky on <em>QE2</em>, was aghast to see it still in use on <em>QM2</em>, yet not really too surprised to see it once again on the <em>Miracle</em>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite this, we got our picture taken with this backdrop and we even purchased it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Picture prices are reasonable and it was a good picture!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shocking!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You don’t even have to buy the leather-bound holder if you don’t want to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Cunarders know what I mean there. </span>Overheard in the gallery area, were complaints about how expensive the pictures were.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Really. </span>All I said was “they’re half price compared to some other lines.“ <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No one is twisting your arm to buy them either.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">“Meet me at the clock!” then became an overused comic relief statement uttered too many times throughout the cruise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Obviously, seeing the 3D version of <em>Titanic</em> right before our sailing was having some detrimental impact.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Kelly even did a Rose impression one early morning, goofing around, asking for Jack, while we were standing above the bridge, trying to talk with the 20 knot breeze in our face. How come they could do that so easily in the movie? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Actually, there was an area of the ship that had a split stair, that Kelly thought reminded her of the <em>Titanic</em> staircase, but a modern one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While not prominently featured, it included a water fountain, and also a plaque from the builder, Kvaerner Masa-Yards, now part of the mega shipbuilding conglomerate STX Finland Cruise Oy, builders of the current largest cruise ships in the world for Royal Caribbean; <em>Oasis</em> and <em>Allure of the Seas</em>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Ultimately, w</span>e never decided to meet here and “make it count."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">“Make it count!” I’d toast at dinner with my kids, in reference to Jack’s toast in the movie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Corny, yes, but we were really having a good time!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is NOT Cunard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At this point, I was calling this cruise the “anti-Cunard” cruise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was actually plenty of life on board here and the ship was still rockin’ after 11PM!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did not get my feet run over by a octogenarian in a scooter either on this cruise!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No offence to Cunard loyalists, but different ships for different folks here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Carnival caters better to families, plain and simple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How many four person cabins will you find on <em>Queen Victoria</em> for instance? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did not have to fight our way through a sea of scooters, wheelchairs, and walkers to get to our table in the main dining room either, a plus.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I did not make off with the men after dinner to the library to have a cigar and a brandy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I never did find the equivalent to <em>Queen Mary 2’s</em> Churchill’s on board although the Frankie and Johnnie’s nightclub had that stale cigar/cigarette smell to it, along with some menacing looking ceiling fixtures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead, the kids went off to their kids clubs and we either made our way to see evening’s show or the comedian in the “Punchliners” comedy club.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is that a veiled reference to ocean liners in the name?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>George Lopez is the creative consultant for this program and it appears to be very popular.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Absolutely no mention of Titanic was made by any of the comedians in any of their acts, although the adult shows dived right into much more entertaining steamy topics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dentures would have been hitting the floor if these guys were performing on a Cunarder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That Catskills style comic, though, was somewhat of a bore compared to the Brooklyn born and raised comic who really hit it off with passengers, who all appeared to be from the tri-state area. Yeah, we like our friggin’ comics when they get down n’ dirty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lisa Lampanelli would have fit right in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No topic was off limits, but he never touched on any <em>Titanic </em>humor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think he just ran out of time after dealing with “Princess” in the front row, who was apparently having an orgasm every time he looked at her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You had to be there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s just say she was more than a handful and leave it at that.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">While we at sea for the actual Titanic anniversary, nearing our first port of call, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Carnival thankfully did not run the Cameron movie on board, have a <em>Titanic</em> themed diner, or even mention the tsignificance of the day in the daily program.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For that I am grateful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A very small mention might have been nice, but the ‘Funtimes” ain’t the Daily Programme on a Cunarder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Funtimes" is focuses heavy on the shipboard activities and is completely lacking the typical items I’ve become accustomed to such as detailed information on the ships position, course, and other navigation facts of the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Different ships, different “guests”, and different priorities I guess. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Heck, we never got any towel animals on any Cunard cruise!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> So, that night while we slept in our perfectly posh obstructed view cabin (by 1912 standards – we even had our own bathroom!), others were observing more somber remembrances of the occasion off in the North Atlantic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We slept soundly; knowing our lifeboat would have been easy to jump right into if the need arose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Yeah, there it is right outside our french doors in the above picture. All kidding aside, this was a great cabin - an outer cabin for the price of an inside unit, with the ability to get some fresh air and take in the sounds of the seas rushing by. </span> </span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--bCVmiKEIwY/T6CPDSaxJZI/AAAAAAAABEU/c4tupPNVUzA/s1600/dsc_0674.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="424" mea="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--bCVmiKEIwY/T6CPDSaxJZI/AAAAAAAABEU/c4tupPNVUzA/s640/dsc_0674.JPG" width="640" /></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It wasn’t until seeing the archway of Pier 54, heading back to Pier 88 on April 20<sup>th</sup>, was I reminded of the significance of that day in history and <em>Titanic</em> began bearing down on us again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><em>Carpathia </em>would dock at this pier 100 years ago to the day with the <em>Titanic</em> survivors.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Sadly, there was no Bill Miller or Ted Skull narrating our</span> arrival up the Hudson. I could have filled in......</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">As we approached Pier 88, I could make out another ship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was the Fred Olsen Line’s <em>Balmoral</em>, fresh from her historic transatlantic crossing and rendezvous with the Azamara <em>Journey</em> at the approximate site of the sinking of <em>Titanic</em>. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Passing through customs, the agent made a comment, throwing me off guard a bit, saying I should be getting back on the <em>Balmoral</em>, which was heading back to Southampton.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He noticed my <em>QE2</em> shirt, worn proudly that day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I sighed, “Only if she were still sailing.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unsolicited, the customs agent then mentions he misses her dearly and all the people he met when she used to dock in Manhattan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wow! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once again, bringing it full circle all back to <em>QE2</em>.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16505720008360910233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784818136223459509.post-4957863220841513842012-03-19T01:39:00.000-04:002012-03-19T01:49:17.277-04:00Something Titanic Related Coming to NYC?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Message above was kindly forwarded to me from a coworker, who is from the Belfast area. I wonder what this celebration of Belfast's maritime history and glimpse of the city's future will be? Would it possibly be related to Titanic or Harland and Wolff? The <a href="http://www.titanic-quarter.com/index.php">Titanic Quarter</a> redevelopment was in full swing when QE2 visited Belfast for its one and only time in October of 2008. <br />
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Interesting, on the Titanic Quarter's website timeline section, they specifically flag the 2008 visit from New York's "Lord" Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the 2012 opening of their signature Titanic project, no doubt in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the sinking. <br />
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We saw glimpses of the new construction and the remnants of the Harland & Wolff yard, including the graving dock and associated pump house, and the drafting room building, all visible from QE2's berth in the harbor. <br />
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The massive yellow Harland & Wolff cranes dominated the skyline, along with their equally massive building, which has been leased out in recent times to movie studios.<br />
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We did a non-Cunard sanctioned shore excursion, a harbor cruise highlighting the history of the harbor. According to our guide, the boats captain, these cranes were used in the construction of the three <em>Olympic Class</em> ships. They deserve a better location and some measures of preservation.<br />
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We caught a glimpse of the historic building, the "drawing room", of the shipyard, where <em>Titanic</em> and countless other ships were designed. (grey building on the right) with additional yellow Harland & Wolff shipyard cranes in the distance.<br />
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Newer waterfront construction was evident along the harborfront. Not sure what this non-descript building is, but much more dynamic building plans are in the works for the entire site, aptly named the "Titanic Quarter."<br />
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This was our view of the yard as we approached. Here we see the <em>Sampson and Goliath</em> famous twin gantry cranes in the distance. It is not widely known, but Harland & Wolff were initially considered for the construction of Cunard's replacement of <em>QE2</em>, <em>Queen Mary 2</em>. These cranes, with an 840 ton lifting capacity would have been used in her construction. Ultimately, they were not competitive with other yards and lost out to Chantiers de l'Atlantique in Saint Nazaire, France, making <em>Queen Mary 2</em> the first Queen not built in the UK. One has to wonder if the British government could have stepped in and offered some sort of assistance, similar to what they did with the previous Queens, to make the deal to build the next Cunarder in the UK more financially attractive. The contract surely would have reinvigorated the entire area and I suspect the ship would be even more endeared in the UK, perhaps reinvigorating some sense of national pride. Sadly this was not to be. <br />
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Fortunately, the shipyard has been experiencing a resurgence, with renewed focus on renewable energy technology of wind and wave power as well as their offshore oil platform renewal and rehabilitation programs. For ship enthusiasts, though, this pales in comparison to a much smaller project, but with far more significance. Harland & Wolff have undertaken the restoration of the <em>SS Nomadic</em>, the last surviving White Star ship, who's significance is directly related to <em>Titanic</em>. <br />
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This little ship served as a tender to the <em>Olympic</em> and <em>Titanic</em> when the ship anchored in the port of Cherbourg, France. During our trip to Belfast in 2008, we saw the ship out of the water awaiting restoration in a fenced in area not far from where she was originally constructed in 1911. She had been rescued from the River Seine in Paris, where she had sat semi-neglected after her career as a floating restaurant ended with the closing of the restaurant. Read more about <em>SS Nomadic's</em> restoration <a href="http://www.nomadicpreservationsociety.co.uk/news.asp?h=1&p=43">here</a>.<br />
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From the Titanic Quarter website: <em>In an area steeped in history, Titanic Belfast (opening spring 2012) forms a central part of the development of Titanic Quarter. The state-of-the-art building, designed by leading international architects and designers, will include a ‘Titanic Experience' exhibition, an ‘immersive theatre' diving underwater to explore the wreck, a Titanic-themed banqueting suite and a community arts facility for local exhibitions, performances and conferences. </em><em><br /></em><br />
<em>The project will also include the restoration of the Titanic and Olympic slipways, the Thompson Dock and Harland & Wolff's former Headquarters building. </em><br />
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Here is a rendering of the "signature" building scheduled to open in 2012, the Titanic Belfast. As part of the development, the Harland & Wolf headquarters building (the drawing room) will be restored and integrated into the redevelopment of the site. Now the question is what will be unveiled during the event on May 2nd in New York City? Stay tuned.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IiedMrESJzg/T2a-g8abxzI/AAAAAAAABCw/MYyllzSJxUA/s1600/landmark02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IiedMrESJzg/T2a-g8abxzI/AAAAAAAABCw/MYyllzSJxUA/s640/landmark02.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bsJznTdJrXw/T2a-RFfKZeI/AAAAAAAABCo/WYlnZODVI1w/s1600/landmark01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bsJznTdJrXw/T2a-RFfKZeI/AAAAAAAABCo/WYlnZODVI1w/s640/landmark01.jpg" width="640" /></a><em>All development images courtesy of www.titanic-quarter.com</em></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16505720008360910233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784818136223459509.post-31935569869686456762012-03-09T23:50:00.000-05:002012-03-10T00:10:19.331-05:00Love Boat Final Episode<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The former <em>Pacific Princess</em>, made famous as the cruise ship featured in the TV series "Love Boat" has been reported sold to a Turkish company specializing in shipbreaking. The ship has been tied up in Genoa, Italy since 2009, when it was seized by the Italian Coast Guard for non-payment of a shipyard bill. Previous attempts to sell the ship were unsuccessful and now it looks like she's been sold for scrap; a sad end to the ship that without a doubt, was instrumental in the rapid expansion of the cruise industry in the 80's. More information on the ship's history can be found <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_(ship)">here</a>. She was built in 1971, almost as old as <em>QE2</em> and she served Princess well for most of her time in service.<br />
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While I cannot credit the TV show for sparking my interests in ship, I watched "Love Boat" as a teenager religiously. There was something about seeing the ship in the opening credits, with the bow shots of the <em>Pacific Princess</em> slicing through the water, and then from above, with the ship at speed with smoke from her funnel that always intrigued me. Sure, now that I see some of the clips, the show was a bit cheesy, but I recall they would cast a wide variety of the current stars as passengers so it was always fun to watch, and for that matter, also dream of taking a cruise one day. For instance, the clip above shows that one of the "Brady Bunch" girls was "onboard" for that cruise....err episode. And then there was the Marcia episode.....I'm sure I watched that one. Yeah, I watched the "Brady Bunch" alot, and it had nothing to do with the dad, Mike Brady, being an Architect. Marcia, Marcia, Marcia.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wqxpFycE4_s/T1rQRBqP7pI/AAAAAAAABBA/8TvhWFjerQM/s1600/CBS_LOVEBOAT_007_IMAGE_CIAN.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wqxpFycE4_s/T1rQRBqP7pI/AAAAAAAABBA/8TvhWFjerQM/s400/CBS_LOVEBOAT_007_IMAGE_CIAN.jpg" width="400" yda="true" /></a><br />
Check out this <a href="http://tv.msn.com/tv/series-episodes/love-boat/">website</a> that lists each and every episode and the guest cast. <br />
Admittedly, I also had a thing for Julie, your ever cheerful cruise director. She had that Dorothy Hamill (USA Olympic gold medal figure skater from my childhood) hair style going on for a while that was all the rage. Funny thing, I've never had a cruise director on any of our cruises even remotely resembling her. They've all been men. Well, Max, on the Costa Magica was along with his wife, who was also on the cruise staff played the Julie part well, so that is as close as it gets for me. Cunard's had a fine staff of cruise directors in our experience. I believe we've had Ray Rouse both on QE2 and most recently on QM2, but the "Julie" type remains elusive.<br />
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Now the show ran for a long time, ten years, maybe too long. My interest in the show was clearly waning, though, by the time they tried to spice things up by introducing captain's daughter to the plot line. They also had trouble with the real Julie and had to replace her. The show was never the same.<br />
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Back to the captain, Captain Merrill Stubing, played by Gavin MacLeod of "Mary Tyler Moore" TV sitcom fame. I have to admit, it was pretty cool to see our last name, by no means a popular name, on the TV screen. Hey, maybe I would be a ship's captain one day....It was only recently that I learned that he isn't really a true MacLeod of Scottish heritage at all, but American Indian! Indians go bald? Oh the humanity! He thought it would make a cool stage name.<br />
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Now my interest in ships, Clydebuilt ships actually, goes back farther in time, to that Irwin Allen blockbuster "Poseidon Adventure." I'll never forget seeing the opening credits and recognizing her instantly as the <em>Queen Mary,</em> probably since I had spent many hours at the kitchen table recently painting and gluing up the Revell model of her. That insane childhood obsession with <em>Queen Mary</em> is another blogworthy topic that continues to this day. Recently, we played the "Poseidon Adventure " DVD, on New Year's Eve actually, to coincide with a friend's overnight stay onboard her in Long Beach that very night. Happy to report....she did not sink that night.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16505720008360910233noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784818136223459509.post-46578626672855973022012-02-19T22:02:00.003-05:002012-02-19T22:07:26.989-05:00The Shape of Things to Come, Part 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<em>I continue with my analysis and admiration of rear ends......of ships.</em></div>
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<em>Costa Magica,</em> as seen from the stern while we docked in Nassau, Bahamas in April 2007, shows off her prop pockets. Honestly, this feature completely escaped me on our first cruise on her. I had noticed what I thought was a weird wavy waterline the previous year when we had been onboard for a Caribbean cruise. From the tender ride heading into port, I thought they had perhaps adjusted the waterline since the majority of the time while steaming, there would be water off the props, perhaps in that pattern. I got a chance to see the stern up close in Nassau and my initial impression was very wrong. These were propeller "pockets" for her conventional shaft propulsion. As compared to a later stretched version of this same hull design in the <em>Costa Concordia</em>, the Italians gave the newer ships a small "spoiler" or stern flap.<br />
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Source of this photo is unknown, taken from my files collected off the internet, so I cannot credit anyone. Fincantieri, the builders of both <em>Magica</em> and <em>Concordia</em>, have updated the stern design with this appendage. What is not visible is whether this appendage was literally added on or whether more plating modifications were done to fair in the transition. Perhaps the pockets were eliminated. Photos of <em>Concordia</em> on her side now do not offer any further information as this part of the hull is fully submerged. In time, when more of her damage is documented, I hope to add additional information to this post.<br />
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<em>Costa Magica</em> stern is shown above with the highly angular surface planes typical of this often used Carnival hull design. I have to admit, the more I viewed the ship, the more I came to more than tolerate the appearance. From someone accustomed to the more graceful sterns of <em>Queen Elizabeth 2</em> and her predecessors, this was a big step.<br />
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Looking at this profile now again, seveal years later, the design does strike me as very Italian, in the Alfa Romeo Milano or 154 style. One could even say that it is done in the latest Cadillac style of folded planes used in their popular car designs. Some like it, others hate the look.<br />
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For <em>Costa Concordia, </em>it looks like the designers just tacked on a small spoiler to gain a little speed and efficency, like automotive designers do. Maybe Captain Schettino liked to view it as such, since we all keep hearing that he drove the ship like she was a Ferrari!<br />
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Luck would have it that the retro <em>Disney Wonder</em> was berthed adjacent to the Magica and offered a sharp contrast in stern designs. What a beautiful ship she was, and that opinion has nothing to do with my bias for dark hull colored ships!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Disney Wonder in Nassau, Bahamas, April 2007</span></div>
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I absolutely love the lines of the Disney ships, including the new <em>Disney Dream</em> that has recently joined the fleet. Here we see a modern interpretation of classic Art Deco/Streamline Moderne design, flawlessly executed in typical Disney style. Now this ship, and her near identical twin, the <em>Disney Magic</em>, were built by Fincantieri, so the yard does know how to do curved plating opposed to all the flat plane surfaces on the Costa ships. Interesting, the new <em>Disney Dream</em> was not built by Fincantieri, but by the the German yard of Meyer Werft, the builders of the Celebrity Solstice class ships; the ships with the exaggerated duckbill stern appendages previously referenced in Part 2 of this subject post. Both the new Disney ships and the Solstice class ships are high on my wish list to cruise on. In the meantime, I'll continue with my arse end admiring....of ships.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16505720008360910233noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784818136223459509.post-23725132063836465932012-02-07T00:01:00.000-05:002012-02-07T07:42:35.032-05:00The Blue Peter Connection<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<em>Stephen Payne recently spoke to students at the Webb Institute, a noted Naval Architecture school I had once considered attending, about the design of the Queen Mary 2. Below is a link to the video published by the school on YouTube. It is a facinating recollection of the design process and Stephen's passion for ocean liners from an early age. </em></div>
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<em>Blue Peter</em> is a name with little meaning to those on this side of the Atlantic or at least to me anyway. What is it? Sounds like it could be a bird. Maybe it’s some sort of exotic drink? I’ll take a <em>Blue Peter</em>….Or perhaps it’s some sort of medical condition afflicting only men. None of the above. It’s actually a children’s TV show from the UK and quite a famous one at that. It has the distinction of being longest running children's TV show in the world, having debuted way back in 1958! Despite this, I had absolutely no clue what it was, even as Captain Ian McNaught mentioned it to my son Ryan during an impromptu conversation we had with him on the pier head in Newcastle back in October of 2008. <br />
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In probably my most memorable conversation we had with <em>QE2's</em> final Master, Captain McNaught rather skillfully wove into the conversation he was having with my son on the fate of <em>QE2</em>, a story about <em>QM2's </em>designer, Stephen Payne and Blue Peter as mentioned in the above video. Without mincing words, my son had told Captain McNaught that he was a bit mad at Cunard while at the same time very sad to see the ship being retired, especially since she was the last great liner of the UK. He had only got to sail on her once and like his father, could not get his head around the fact that this piece of maritime history and cultural icon was being lost to the UK. History was indeed repeating itself again as all this was sounding eerily similar to the retirement of <em>Queen Mary</em> back in the 1960’s.<br />
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Ryan, unwittingly in the process of letting the captain know how he truly felt, gave me a sense of pride in that he was finally regurgitating all the things I had previously been telling him. But, I was also cringing as he was letting it all hang out, so to speak, and I did not know where this was all going. Was he going to spout off some of my thoughts about the crazy plans we were hearing at the time about removing the funnel or the fact that I really had no desire to go see her in Dubai, of all places? Please stay clear of how I felt about a piece of UK maritime heritage lost to an Arab country. This conversation could have gotten a bit ugly and embarrassing.<br />
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Our trip around the UK was <em>QE2’s</em> final farewell lap and everywhere we went, her significance to the people and culture of the UK was readily apparent. People came out in droves to see the ship in every port. We had already been to Greenock, then on to Clydebank, and we had just sadly seen all that was left of her once proud her birthplace at the Titan Crane. Ryan had heard it all from me before and for the past week, had been bombarded with all these facts and the grim reality that the end was near was setting in. He even saw his dad getting a bit choked up at the “funeral service” at Liverpool Cathedral. Now, it was apparent that all of this had been absorbed. I don’t even need to call it brainwashing since he saw it all for himself. Ryan really did get the significance of the ship now. Especially now that the cruise was about to end, he was letting the Captain know his true feelings as only a nine year old could. Captain McNaught, though, handled this situation masterfully, and would turn things around and leave him with words of inspiration.<br />
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As any good company man would do, McNaught convincingly offered up the Cunard marketing spin that <em>QE2’s</em> time had come and she was going to be off to a much needed retirement. You know, that “do not fret, she was going off to a nice warm climate for her retirement, to be well cared for by her new owners” mantra that was also given out when they retired the previous Queens. He went on to point out that there’s her replacement, the <em>Queen Mary 2</em>, the world’s only remaining liner, for us to continue enjoying along with the newer ships, including the newly announced <em>Queen Elizabeth</em>. “So while it is sad, enjoy her while you can as there will never be another like her.” Those last words are particularly true. While <em>Queen Mary 2</em> is a true liner, she was NOT proudly built in the UK on the Clyde. <br />
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In retrospect, I’m guessing that McNaught probably has said this response so many times before that it had become second nature and that he might even actually have convinced himself it was true. Now, I was listening intently since Ryan knew all about these two other ships from me and the company I had kept onboard. I think he also knew what ship McNaught would be captaining next, but Ryan asked him anyway, perhaps hoping to hear that he would eventually command <em>Queen Mary 2</em>, a fitting assignment both of us thought to command the current Cunard Flagship. We were also biased since our next cruise with Cunard was most likely going to be on <em>Queen Mary 2</em>. With a somewhat subdued voice, we were informed he would be sharing command of the <em>Queen Victoria</em> as his next assignment, but he went on to tell us a bit about his take on newest Cunarder in typical McNaught fashion.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dlaS9-GSius/TzCoXijvY2I/AAAAAAAAA_A/ueSskC-RWG0/s1600/picture+379.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" sda="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dlaS9-GSius/TzCoXijvY2I/AAAAAAAAA_A/ueSskC-RWG0/s320/picture+379.jpg" width="213" /></a>Comparisons, McNaught style followed. In his discussion, pointing out just how special <em>QE2</em> was, he dropped this gem. He was moving on, from the oldest to the newest of the Cunard fleet, going from the fastest to the slowest and then the <em>piece de resistance</em>, from the most beautiful to……and then he stopped. You fill in the blank. Clearly, his love for the ship was shining through. These last few cruises and all the retirement events were getting the best of him and it was obvious that this was going to be a difficult transition to his new assignment. <em>(Since he’s not with Cunard or even at sea anymore, I don’t think I’ll be getting him in any trouble now mentioning this.) </em></div>
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After expressing to Ryan how lucky he had been to have experienced the ship, he went to commend him on his interest in ships and to inquire what career he was interested in possibly pursuing, pointing out that he obviously was interested in the sea and ships. Ryan mentioned he wanted to design another liner, as beautiful as<em> QE2</em>. I think it was then that he mentioned that his son was following in his footsteps and inquired what I did. I mentioned that I was an Architect, but had also studied Naval Architecture and that was one reason why the ship was so dear to my heart as well. Now, I knew who Stephen Payne was, but Ryan was not quite up to speed on <em>Queen Mary 2</em> facts (yet). McNaught then mentions to Ryan that a young boy had written in to a TV show and told them that he was going to design the next great liner to succeed <em>QE2</em>, which at the time, everyone said was going to be the LAST liner built. The boy was Stephen Payne and he followed his dream as he went on, remarkably, to design <em>Queen Mary 2</em>, to replace <em>QE2</em>, inferring to Ryan that he should pursue his dreams and never put any limitations on them. <br />
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After seeing Stephen Payne’s detailed explanation of the <em>Blue Peter</em> letter coming full circle, so nicely explained in the video, I am only further in awe of this remarkable achievement in fulfillment of his dream. This remarkable tale also further reinforces just how special <em>QM2</em> is; taking me back to another special moment I had onboard <em>QM2</em> last January. It was a sea day and I was standing in the photo gallery looking at a video playing on one of the monitors showing the ship’s christening by QEII. <br />
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I was half paying attention to the video, while my main focus was the impressive wave action going on right outside the windows. Moving along at a leisurely 22-23 knots through seas, with the ships bow pushing aside massive quantities of ocean, with the ever so slight ship movement was truly impressive. There was the familiar creaking, yet subdued from what we had come accustomed to on <em>QE2</em>, and the rush of water as the windows displayed the blue green sea. With camera in hand, I was shooting out of the windows between the racks of photos for sail, despite the sign saying photography was prohibited. I was shooting the sea, not the overpriced photos, and others were doing the same. I was hoping to catch a big wave and the washer machine effect, but the seas were just not cooperating. I could have stayed parked in this window seat for the remainder of the day. It was then when it truly hit home that I was onboard a ship worthy of the title of Flagship and replacement for <em>QE2.</em> <br />
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It's been over three years now since my last <em>QE2</em> cruise and over a year has past since our first <em>Queen Mary 2</em> cruise, yet watching the Stephen Payne video brought back such vivid memories instantly. Thank you Stephen Payne for fulfilling your dream and creating a worthy successor to <em>QE2</em>. I hope to be around to see her replacement in thirty two odd years, or even more dreamily, when another true sistership built someday. Will Ryan go further in pursuit of a career in Naval Architecture? That remains to be seen. If only I can get him away from his Xbox 360 and other distractions a 13 year old faces. <br />
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<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16505720008360910233noreply@blogger.com1South Shields,on the Tyne, UK54.990221720048929 -1.4309692382812554.844392220048931 -1.74682623828125 55.136051220048927 -1.11511223828125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784818136223459509.post-61308522001148887572012-01-27T23:04:00.000-05:002012-03-18T22:39:02.188-04:00Tourist Navigation - QE2 Style<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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"Tourist Navigation," a phrase used to explain what the Captain of the ill fated <em>Costa Concordia</em> was attempting to do the night of the tragedy was a phrase I had never heard before until I heard the translation of the initial interview with Captain Francesco Schettino after he had fled the scene. People are quick to point fingers at Costa, since they apparently authorized a similar stunt back in August of 2011, concluding then that Costa must share blame in the incident or even worse, that Costa directed him to perform this stunt. In the end, it really doesn't matter. After all, it was their Captain on their ship. Costa is paying the price for this, period. I do find it bordering on insanity, though, that some actually believe Costa would have approved that exact course and that speed that this captain took. Ultimately, it is the Captain's responsibility to plot a safe course and it appears that there was a severe lapse in judgement that led to this accident. Plain and simple human error. Not failures of equipment, or stupid orders from management, but in failure of judgement by the Captain. <br />
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It was dark. Passengers were either at the show or eating dinner. No one knew of the "tourist navigation" except a select few crew and those people onshore who were alerted of the event. No one should buy the Captain's flimsy attempt to justify this maneuver after the fact. This was one foolish stunt done by a captain who will pay for the consequences for the remainder of his life. I frankly don't care if Costa knew the captain was going to deviate from course and do this. It really is irrelevant. It was his course and speed that was reckless and irresponsible. He's in command of the ship, whether on bridge or not, and not from Costa management back on land.<br />
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Contemplate this; turn ten seconds late and the ship would have ended up on the rocks. Turn ten seconds sooner and <em>Concordia</em> arguably would have escaped this move unscathed and we wouldn't be writing and dwelling on this tragedy. Approaching the island at 15 knots in a ship of that size should never have been contemplated. This course and speed left no room for error and was done for absolutely no reason other than to show off. The ship could easily have stayed a safe distance offshore and still performed this "bow." <br />
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The picture above illustrates "tourist navigation" done the right way by Captain Ian McNaught on QE2.<br />
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While on board QE2's final lap of honor around the UK back in 2008, a trip which in retrospect, essentially was totally "tourist navigation," Captain McNaught announced the night of October 2nd that the ship would be making an early morning close pass of the port of Douglas on the Isle of Man. This would be a special treat for those on board and onshore; QE2 had never made a port call to the Isle of Man. This would be her first and only, even if it was only a "flyby." <br />
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QE2 and Cunard have one strong Isle of Man connection. The Isle of Man is famous for their commemorative stamp issues, many of which feature Cunard ships. There would be a commemorative issue for this occurrence, of which I purchased one on board, signed by the Captain himself. Clearly, while this event wasn't officially listed on the voyage itinerary, it was a completely pre-planned event.<br />
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I managed to make it up on deck for the arrival in the early morning. Daybreak was imminent and while the ship had slowed, the wind was bone chilling.<br />
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With the decks freshly washed down, the ship still lit up, and the sun on the horizon, the lighting could not have been better.<br />
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As we approached Douglas Harbor, the ship slowed to a crawl, but not the wind, which was blowing offshore. This is as close as we were going to get. In this photo, the wide angle lens makes it appear a bit farther, but still, we were a <u>very</u> safe distance offshore.<br />
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Off to our starboard, several smaller vessels arrived to take a closer look at us (lights off on the horizon).<br />
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The rugged shoreline of the Isle of Man reminded me of the coastline of Scotland. Someday, I must return to the home of <em>Thomas the Tank Engine</em>!<br />
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Actually, I really wasn't the only crazy one up here. Those passengers who got up and made it up to forward observation deck were all on the other side. Damn it was cold!<br />
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You could actually make out cars lined up along the service road lining the cliffs. I highly doubt Captain McNaught had alerted the island via Facebook we were arriving!<br />
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At absolutely no point did anyone view this as a dangerous, showboating maneuver. That thought has never entered my mind on any cruise. Captain McNaught had developed a bit of a reputation over the years for not putting QE2 in harms way, playing it safe to not head into port if the weather conditions were precarious, thus earning the nickname "no ports McNaught" from many. QE2 is old school, without the maneuverability of the current crop of cruise ships, and thus required tugs in all ports. Good captains know the limitations and handling characteristics of their ship and McNaught respected this. Plus, no captain in his right mind would want to put <em>the Most Famous Ship in the World</em> back in the headlines as was done previously with the Martha's Vinyard grounding incident of the 90's.<br />
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In retrospect, McNaught actually lived up to his nickname on this trip as well! Our first port of call was to be Cherbourg, France on this trip, but this was changed due to high winds. QE2 would never call on that port again. As McNaught would say, his ultimate responsibility is the safety of the ship and passengers. No arguments with me there. Not a shred of doubt ever entered my mind that this was not his highest priority. With the <em>Concordia</em> disaster, that unwavering faith is still very much present in my mind in regards to Cunard and their captains, but has been shaken somewhat with Costa, a line we have cruised on three times in the past. Is their a culture amongst the management and crew of Costa that would allow this to happen? Questions in this line of thinking will need to be addressed in the various investigations and trials that no doubt will follow.</div>
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With our speed still at a crawl, Douglas Harbor was now at our stern. Definitely not making 15 knots here! I'd guess more in the neighborhood of 6-8 knots.<br />
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The ship then began to speed up and make a turn to starboard.<br />
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As seen here, as the ship is turning, the stern naturally swung wide, similar to what <em>Concordia </em>would have done with a last minute course correction, which ultimately resulted in the large gash and remaining boulder in her hull as her hull swung around and hit the reef.<br />
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Early morning sun on the horizon, a photographers delight for early morning light.<br />
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QE2's iconic open bridge wings in the dramatic early morning sun. I could have stayed here longer, but the wind and temperature forced me back indoors.<br />
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This was one of the few times I was able to be on the forward observation deck to enjoy the morning sun over the bow. It was still cold, but worth it all.<br />
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With the Isle of Man to our stern, we were then off to Liverpool for QE2's final call which would include a memorable concert in the Liverpool Cathedral, and then glorious fireworks display at sailaway.<br />
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Now that is how "tourist navigation" is done! Captain McNaught, and all Cunard Captains past and present, thank you all for a safe passage and the peace of mind we were aboard the safest ships in the world commanded by expert captains.<br />
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16505720008360910233noreply@blogger.com0Isle of Man, UK54.130259578795432 -4.33959960937553.535116078795433 -5.603027109375 54.725403078795431 -3.0761721093750003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784818136223459509.post-15145274756641208632012-01-16T02:34:00.003-05:002012-01-17T22:10:43.664-05:00Costa Concordia - Threading the Needle<em>Full disclosure here: I am a fan of cruising on Costa Cruise Lines. We had three outstanding cruises over the years on board the Costa Victoria and Costa Magica. I have followed the series of events as they unfolded with the Costa Concordia with dispair and utter disbelief at what appeared to have transpired. My prayers go out to all affected by this tragedy. Credit must be given to the crew of the ship for safely evacuating as many as they did is such a short time and also for the inhabitants of Isola del Giglio who helped comfort the dazed 4200 passengers and crew that made it ashore.</em><br />
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<em>While there has been alot of anger and peculation on how the evacuation was handled, I am sure that the procedure will be intensively studied to learn from this tragedy in the coming weeks. The following are a series of images I posted on my Facebook account since the tragic accident occurred.</em><br />
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Marine AIS tracking, missing some data, but showing the overall course of the ship.</div>
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As reported <a href="http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=281510905240184&set=a.281508905240384.67107.100001438301884&type=1&theater">here</a>, with AIS data, it appears the ship attempted to navigate this treacherous passage! There were conflicting reports from other AIS sites, including the one I use all the time Marine AIS (first screen capture above), but their data had a huge gap from the time the ship was making over 15 knots to the time it was essentially stopped off the shore where it settled. I was a bit sceptical of the first site since it was in Turkish and required translation, but somehow they had access to missing data. Or was it all fabricated.....conspiracy theorists rejoice! Maybe in was a massive electronics blackout/power failure due to those pesky capacitors that some were adamant was the cause, in as much so as I was so adamant that this had to be operator error. So I attempted to test out the the hypothesis that the ship did attempt to make this passage. Using the Marine AIS site satellite view, with uses Google Earth, I crudely roughed in the size of the ship. Unfortunately the screen capture software I used did not allow me to draw the ship on an angle, but you get the picture above of just how close and utterly stupid a move like this would be.<br />
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As further pictures became available, the enormity of the damage became apparent. This posting, clipping a news wire photograph, was my attempt to decipher how that boulder became lodged in the side of the ship. It was clear that the ship caught on the top of an outcropping, probably causing the sideways movement as mentioned by the captain himself in his unbelievable interview after the incident.<br />
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Numerous discussions were taking place via Facebook and Cruisecritic regarding why the list to starboard and not to port, given the the enormity of the gash that was now clearly visible. I postulated along with others that the ship might have been unstable and due to the free surface effect of the water in the ship, when the captain appeared to turn the ship into port, the starboard list was triggered that ultimately lead to the roll over. I then began to wonder if there was damage, possibly even more severe than what we can see on the port side, buried beneath the water on the starboard side of the ship. Surely, it would have been quite possible that the ship bumped the rocks on both sides while attempting passage. With the ship 112 feet wide and the passage maybe 200 feet, it left little room for error, hence the title of this post.<br />
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Next, <a href="http://multimedia.lastampa.it/multimedia/in-italia/lstp/110602/">underwater photos</a> of the damage began to surface on the Internet. While it was hard to decipher what you are looking at, the railings can be seen and the damage looked much more significant than if the ship just rolled over and hit the shore/rocks at her final resting place, in my eyes anyway. This had to be unseen damage on the starboard side since the port side was out there in full view and obviously, the rails would not be underwater.<br />
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Later in the day, an <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jL77IvBl_7Q">interview with the captain</a> found its way on to YouTube, with the captain unbelievably answering questions by himself, without a lawyer present. He looks completely in shock and very nervous. Here is another video with analysis of his body movements. This was done before the person making the analysis knew that the captain had been arrested, which is very interesting.<br />
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Throughout the day, the initial death claims thankfully kept dropping as Costa began to account for the ships passengers and crew that understandably had gone off in many directions once they made landfall, making generating an accurate missing passenger list difficult. The island was overwhelmed with approximately 4200 people quite unexpectedly in the dark of the night. Logistics for Costa to get their passengers back to the mainland and safely home must have been a nightmare. How do you plan for such an event? I have to give the crew credit for safely evacuating that many people in such a short order, probably two hours, off the doomed ship. <br />
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Sadly, there are reports that the Captain Franceso Schettino was derelict in his duties, perhaps leaving the ship early and not sending out a Mayday call. Costa, shockingly, released the <a href="http://www.costacruise.com/B2C/USA/Info/concordia_statement.htm">statement </a>above, confirming that the ship was too close to shore and that Costa safety protocols had not been followed. Clearly, Costa was throwing their captain under the bus...er..ship, with this statement. For the cruise line to come out so quickly and so forcefully against the captain, I speculated that they must have compelling evidence against him, or they are risking further defamation of character lawsuits. <br />
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So what's the Cunard connection here for me? Besides my previous affection for Costa, these events have dragged Queen Mary into the discussion. Comparisons have also been made of QE2's famous grounding off Martha's Vineyard. Reporters, eagerly capitalized on Queen Mary's recent capacitor failure incident and to try to link it to this accident as written <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2086831/Costa-Concordia-cruise-ship-pictures-Trapped-survivor-Manrico-Giampedroni-airlifted-safety.html">here </a>for example. Actually, the incident is over a year old, but only recently a fleet wide safety alert was issued alerting ship owners and operators of the issue. <br />
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Seeing the ship all lit up as it was close to shore, coupled with various reports of passengers explaining that the power only went out after the loud bangs and violent ship movement led me to conclude that there was no mechanical failure. Looking at the AIS telemetry, it was pretty damning that with either AIS track, the ship made a deliberate track towards the island and there was plenty of time to correct their course if it had been an inadvertent mistake in navigation. As the ship came dangerously close to shore, surely the officer on watch would have to have been aware of the ships position, possible lights from the island directly in front of them and perhaps, one would hope, there were numerous alarms going off. Perhaps this added to confusion on the bridge. All this will come out in the days ahead. <br />
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Late this evening, a poster on Cruisecritic posted yet another series of AIS tracking screen shots<a href="http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=31983063&postcount=1630"> here</a>, one of which is shown above, showing exactly what the Turkish site had initially posted. Pretty damn convincing evidence if this is actual data, but not if if only a simulator. Costa Concordia approached the passage at 8 knots!? Absolutely no margin for error and totally reckless and irresponsible on the captain's part to even attempt this. Let's see if this is for real or not!<br />
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I am eagerly awaiting further pictures of where the ship attempted to squeeze through to definitively answer this question. Surely the rock outcroppings will show damage, displacement, and the ship's paint. Divers eventually found the rock outcropping that QE2 scrapped her way over, covered with red antifouling paint, matched to her hull. That rock now bears the name "Queen's Bottom." What will this area be renamed as, the Schettino Passage?<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16505720008360910233noreply@blogger.com0Isola del Giglio, 58012 Isola del Giglio Province of Grosseto, Italy42.3536308 10.90160442.3066933 10.822640000000002 42.400568299999996 10.980568tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784818136223459509.post-31071459240705142012012-01-12T23:20:00.000-05:002012-01-12T23:23:03.542-05:00Interactive Winter Crossing - January 10, 2008<em>(note: check back over time as I add more information to these posts, such as additional video, menus, etc.)</em><br />
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7:30AM and I'm on deck, virtually alone and it's still somewhat dark. Queen Victoria is back off to our starboard side today. <br />
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Seas have calmed down and QE2 appears to be going ever so slow; less than 20 knots according to the stats on the cabin TV. Just look at the minimal wake. It's also light enough out to make out the brown exhaust streak in the sky from her MAN diesels. Queen Victoria's exhaust is less apparent, perhaps due to newer equipment fitted to comply with the ever tightening emissions regulations. <br />
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At this point, with no one around, I was able to examine the aluminum superstructure and document the numerous patches at stress points, correcting cracking of the aluminum due to all her years on the Atlantic. I view them as battle scars. At forty years old, this is quite acceptable, but in reality, the ship started experiencing these stress cracks shortly after she was put into service. The second patch below had a patch on top of a previous patch. Wow! I've read that there are crew members specifically assigned to repair this while at sea. The amount of paint on the plating is also apparent around the patch, where the paint was removed to bare aluminum for the rewelding and in the instance below, additional fasteners.<br />
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Pool was drained and netted. Hot tubs filled, but no takers yet......</div>
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The real reason I got up early was to see if they would do anything special while we neared the location of the sinking of <em>Titanic</em>. I could be wrong, but I think I caught the tail end of the wreath ceremony. Something special was clearly going on.</div>
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Thomas was there among other crew and was that some sort of wreath on the table? Is the window open to toss the wreath overboard?</div>
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With the decks empty, I got a chance to photograph the "bubble" in the teak deck that we had kept walking over each time we took a stroll on deck. The teak planks in these areas had become separated from the steel plates and the deck bulged in this area, creating a mild tripping hazard that I was a bit surprised that Cunard had not addressed or had roped off. <em>(note: this would be corrected after the completion of the World Cruise during QE2's "wet dock" at Southampton in April)</em></div>
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With the skies brightening, it was time to head back in and get ready for a full breakfast in the Caronia Restaurant, looking forward to orange marmalade on toast, served in those very cool silver toast racks. If they had sold them on board, I would have definitely bought one. <em>(hint, hint Cunard, make this so!)</em><br />
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Thankfully, today turned out to be a beautifully sunny, but cold day in the North Atlantic, perfect for exterior photographs of QE2 and Queen Victoria. Moments like this, Queen Victoria is looking sharp, although still alot like a floating block of apartment flats with all those balconies.<br />
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All the photographers were out on deck with the perfect lighting conditions. After talking to this guy about his camera, I definitely had big zoom lens camera envy! I think I did pretty good with what I brought for the Sony Minicam has a decent lens, as long as there was decent light. </div>
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Walking on deck, I was reminded of Queen Mary, having seen the scenes shot onboard for the movie <em>Poseidon Adventure</em>, which by the way, was instrumental in starting my facination with ocean liners in my early years.</div>
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Passengers were posing all day with the new Queen in the background.</div>
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A quick pop down to 3 Deck and our cabin, number 3129. Here's the view forward, showing the original wood panelling. Our cabin was considered a first class cabin back in the days when QE2 was a two class ship.<br />
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On my way back up to deck, I decided to stop by the various restaurants to photograph them empty. Mauritania Restaurant, where we dined in 2000 is pictured here. <em>(Iinterestingly, I would dine here again in September in one of the tables on the left).</em><br />
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Another view in the A Stairway at the top landing, with the <em>Britannia</em> figurehead on the right and illustrating the metal balustrade extensions.<br />
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Back on Boat Deck in time for a spectacular sunset to end the day.<br />
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Back inside again, I spotted carpet repairs going on. QE2 would be retired in November, yet Cunard was going to have her go out looking good, at least from the passengers perspective. This would be in sharp contrast to the sad events of the retirement of QE2's namesake, which was only repainted on the side of the ship the Queen would see before the original Lizzie left Southampton for the final time in the early 70's.</div>
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Looking all the way down to 5 Deck from the top of A Stair.</div>
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From 5 Deck, looking upward. This stairway, used daily in lieu of the lifts, helped the waistline from expanding while on board!</div>
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Dinner in Caronia was topped off with an embarrassing gaggle of singing wait staff and a very tasty cake in a belated celebration of my birthday, ending another spectacular day on board QE2. This was what I expected a crossing on QE2 to be exactly. The ship was truly living up to all the hype. Transatlantic Crossings are a unique experience and Cunard has kept the the tradition alive all these years with QE2. "The only way to cross!"</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16505720008360910233noreply@blogger.com0North Atlantic47.279229002570816 -34.8046875-0.21548699742918132 -115.6640625 90 46.0546875tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784818136223459509.post-44000330456340232762012-01-11T22:24:00.000-05:002012-01-11T22:40:10.516-05:00Interactive Winter Crossing - January 9, 2008<em>(note: check back over time as I add more information to these posts, such as additional video, menus, etc.)</em><br />
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Third full sea day and we're back to dreary weather again and Queen Victoria is off to port again. Early in the AM, the switch had been made, with her dropping off speed and then slipping behind us, and then catching back up. I wonder if we slowed down so she could catch up with all of her engines running!<br />
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Once again, my favorite area was off limits due to the high winds. I spotted activity on the open bridge wing, one of QE2's now somewhat unique features among the current fleet of cruise ships, which predominantly have enclosed bridges, full width of the ship.<br />
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Turns out is was Captain McNaught, wearing glasses with what looked like one very lucky passenger. I would make my attempt once again, writing the Captain to request a bridge tour, on this trip, only to be turned down yet again "due to security reasons." At least I got a letter signed from the captain expressing his regrets.<br />
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Seas and wind pretty much curtailed all outdoor activities for the day. At this point, I'm starting to appreciate the view a bit better, thinking to myself that at least the stern decks are tiered more like a traditional ocean liner, at least in appearance. These areas are all large private balconied cabins and not public spaces such as on QE2. Either way, I'm trying to like Queen Victoria from afar.<br />
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Here's a view of the port side Boat Deck, taken from the protected area near the stairs to the forward observation deck. A few brave passengers were about, but walking on deck today, into the wind, was more challenging and the older passengers stayed indoors.<br />
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As you can see, it was windy and the spray off QE2 hull was in the air and wreaking havoc on my camera lens.<br />
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Back inside, at the top of the A stairway, is a model that was once on display in the original configuration of the Britannia Restaurant. I am not sure what the name or significance of this ship is. It is not the Cunard's original <em>Britannia </em>as she was a sidewheeler. The wall coverings and artwork in this stair are essentially as they were since the ship was built. Carpets have been changed and the balustrade modified over time to comply with newer safety standards. The A stair is a bit of a mystery to those unfamiliar with the history of the ship. A few floors are bypassed at the upper levels, a function of the two class layout that the ship had when originally constructed. I would use this stair every day to go from our 3 Deck level directly to the Boat Deck; a very nice workout to work off all the "Full English" breakfasts, pub lunches (with Guinness), and the wonderful dinners in Caronia Restaurant.<br />
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This carving was oddly positioned in the A Stair upper lobby, in front of what is now the Mauretania Restaurant. This carving of <em>Britannia</em> was commissioned by Lloyds of London and presented to Cunard and one stood on display in the original configuration of the Britannia Restaurant. Original plastic laminate wall coverings, whose pattern was specifically designed for the ship, along with some of the original modern art on display are visible to the right. The red balustrade is original, but the metal handrail installed above to increase the height, are a later addition.<br />
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Additional information on the history and refurbishment of this iconic carving can be found <a href="http://www.qe2.org.uk/news_archive.html">here</a>, on Commodore Warwick's son's QE2 website.<br />
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Queen Victoria turned on all her exterior lights early on in the afternoon as the skies darkened. She was looking rather smart cutting through the seas now. I kept saying "she's the future so embrace her." Still, the funnel, a clear QE2 knock-off, appears oddly placed towards the rear, instead of more amidships as QE2's, probably purely a function of locating the engines farther aft closer to her Asipod propulsion units.<br />
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Here, I believe I am standing just outside the revolving door entrance to one of the main gift ships, protected a bit from the elements as it began to rain again. It appeared that the seas had kicked up a bit too in response to the higher winds.<br />
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Those standing beside me, chatting about Cunard's future and clicking away at the same time were treated to a few spectacular moments. I wished I had a better camera at this time to capture this in the low light conditions.<br />
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We were have such a grand time on board doing nothing (well not really since the days were filled with Cunard Enrichment lectures, bridge lessons, and elegant dining) and thoroughly enjoying it<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16505720008360910233noreply@blogger.com0North Atlantic45.336701909968106 -30.164062499999982-29.770120090031888 168.11718750000003 90 131.55468750000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784818136223459509.post-54152331263131988692012-01-10T21:14:00.005-05:002012-01-10T21:56:26.680-05:00Interactive Winter Crossing - January 8, 2008<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><em>(note: check back over time as I add more information to these posts, such as additional video, menus, etc.)</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6jmT_MJ0a_k/Twzf6q1GZqI/AAAAAAAAAyQ/KZa1GWwAw5Q/s1600/DSC02591.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" kba="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6jmT_MJ0a_k/Twzf6q1GZqI/AAAAAAAAAyQ/KZa1GWwAw5Q/s640/DSC02591.JPG" width="640" /></a>Second full day at sea and we awoke to rain and wind, with seas still whipped up a bit, but by this time, we had our "sea legs."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cqjnyG4esOo/TwzhGkZ37cI/AAAAAAAAAyY/hJtkBvhs2jg/s1600/DSC02596a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" kba="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cqjnyG4esOo/TwzhGkZ37cI/AAAAAAAAAyY/hJtkBvhs2jg/s640/DSC02596a.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Queen Victoria was now off to the starboard, and actually quite close at times. Thankfully, there were bits of blue sky poking through, signalling the weather might be improving.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DQron7ueIwk/Twzh8ybCjZI/AAAAAAAAAyg/2V1oYgJUaH4/s1600/DSC02609.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" kba="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DQron7ueIwk/Twzh8ybCjZI/AAAAAAAAAyg/2V1oYgJUaH4/s640/DSC02609.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div align="left">The view from one of our cabin windows. That bit of Federal Grey paint on the glass would irritate me the entire crossing! At this point, the sun was finally out and it was actually warm. We must be in the Gulf Stream now.</div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Tv6w9SNMke0/TwziyG8EQQI/AAAAAAAAAyo/04NCeW35S4s/s1600/DSC02616.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" kba="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Tv6w9SNMke0/TwziyG8EQQI/AAAAAAAAAyo/04NCeW35S4s/s400/DSC02616.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div align="left">My favorite part of the ship remained closed, due to the high winds. People were lining up on this side of the ship today to watch how the new Cunarder handled in the North Atlantic. In the midst of all the talk about this and the overall sadness most were feeling that this was truly an historic crossing, passengers mentioned how special it was to cross and have something to look at; Queen Victoria off either side of the ship. Not having done another crossing to compare this one too, I guess this does make some sense.</div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left">I heard one person mention that it was reassuring to have another ship at our side if QE2 broke down in the middle of the Atlantic. I rather thought the opposite; that passengers on Queen Victoria should be sleep easier that a time tested true liner was at her side. I had to bite my tongue, but chatted further with them and later found out they were on board for the first time and really did not know too much about the ship or even of Cunard in general. I told them the Cunard Heritage Tour cannot be missed and after that, they would truly "get it" about QE2.</div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q2mePxzkIIs/TwzmPZovQRI/AAAAAAAAAyw/6qFcLmjhhKQ/s1600/DSC02624.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: right; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" kba="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q2mePxzkIIs/TwzmPZovQRI/AAAAAAAAAyw/6qFcLmjhhKQ/s640/DSC02624.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div align="left" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div align="left" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div align="left" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div align="left" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div align="left" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div align="left" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9Cfj0zzzKZ0/TwzoVGqTrzI/AAAAAAAAAzA/JwAAGolGdHE/s1600/DSC02630.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" kba="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9Cfj0zzzKZ0/TwzoVGqTrzI/AAAAAAAAAzA/JwAAGolGdHE/s640/DSC02630.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I had read about the Funnel Bar renovations that had been done since the last time we sailed in 2000 and decided to venture up to check it out. I encountered a sea of passengers reclined in their steamer chairs, with QE2 embroidered blankets, sipping on their hot bouillon, a Cunard crossing tradition! Those blankets are cherished now and unfortunately not a one got lost in my luggage.</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FnxzomZCzNQ/Twzpl2jc-0I/AAAAAAAAAzI/xHJoRPCXfwM/s1600/DSC02635.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" kba="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FnxzomZCzNQ/Twzpl2jc-0I/AAAAAAAAAzI/xHJoRPCXfwM/s640/DSC02635.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Today, we made it to the Golden Lion for a Fish n' Chip pub lunch, with a Guinness and yummy mushy peas. I had come quite fond of this dish, having experienced it in London prior to sailing and the QE2 kitchen did not disappoint. We had quite a long wait to experience this dish since it appeared our waiter was very overworked! We also had to wait for a table and were rewarded with a nice table with a view of Queen Victoria. While we sat in the non-smoking section, with the smokers only a table away, that was an utter joke. Who cares...we were on board QE2 and having a pub lunch with a view!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4DyNNJ7RzVU/TwzrH0EBaFI/AAAAAAAAAzQ/GrE-dOcquHc/s1600/DSC02638.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" kba="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4DyNNJ7RzVU/TwzrH0EBaFI/AAAAAAAAAzQ/GrE-dOcquHc/s640/DSC02638.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>With Queen Victoria all lit up off to starboard, we heading off to dinner, giving the new tux I had bought for this trip some use. We dined in the Caronia Restaurant, due to our cabin selection. I had booked a Caronia grade cabin "guarantee" and we were rewarded with a two grade upgrade, to a C1 grade room. With this venue set up as a single seating dining experience, the dining experience was never rushed or did we feel like the wait staff were hurrying us along for another seating. This was very nice and with our wonderful table mates and superb wait staff, the dining experience was magical. This was what I had dreamed QE2 was all about! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j28YwY0TUSk/Twzs5hW6XTI/AAAAAAAAAzY/tDhfs2eMjYM/s1600/DSC02640.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" kba="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j28YwY0TUSk/Twzs5hW6XTI/AAAAAAAAAzY/tDhfs2eMjYM/s640/DSC02640.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3l2l_cu01ww/TwztHv2lhzI/AAAAAAAAAzg/QummZ0HZ7-s/s1600/DSC02642.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" kba="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3l2l_cu01ww/TwztHv2lhzI/AAAAAAAAAzg/QummZ0HZ7-s/s640/DSC02642.JPG" width="640" /></a>After dinner, we managed to get a group shot of our entire table, standing in front of the large ship's model at the entrance to the Caronia Restaurant. Bill and Cassie, on our left, were actually from Connecticut too, while Roger and Wendy, to our right, were from the UK, just outside of London. Lifetime friendships were made here and for that, we have QE2 to thank. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I was extremely envious of Roger and Wendy as they were on board for the entire World Cruise, sadly QE2's final one. Over the next few months, I would receive periodic updates from Roger and experienced the World Cruise through him and the QE2 bridge cam. We would all later meet in New York City in April for a reunion of sorts, as QE2 stopped for her final port call on her trip back to Southampton.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16505720008360910233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784818136223459509.post-25066289127448512452012-01-07T20:02:00.005-05:002012-01-08T10:06:19.641-05:00Interactive Winter Crossing - January 7, 2008During the evening, both ships sailed into increasingly higher seas and our cabin literally came alive. The sounds of the ship flexing and the joinery gently flexing were what one would have expected on a wooden sailing ship. QE2 was specifically designed for the North Atlantic Crossing, accomplished at her service speed of 28.5 knots, in all forms of weather conditions. With all her cabins having experienced the grueling North Atlantic stresses imposed over 40 years, she's earned the right to be a bit creaky! I have to admit, the cacophony in the cabin took some getting used to before I fell asleep. Maybe it was just me listening and enthralled with all her sounds, as if she was actually living and breathing. If you listen carefully, you can hear the cabin sounds in the opening of today's<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ug7XSfl-_HI&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL"> video</a>.<br />
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Looking out our cabin porthole as I awoke, Queen Victoria was nowhere in sight. In fact, she had moved off to port side of QE2 in the early morning and would stay alongside us for most of the day (trying to keep up with all of her engines running, while QE2 was running on half of her available power.<br />
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These pictures do not convey the true sea conditions. The swells were decent sized (25' perhaps?) and both ships put on quite a show for each other. I ventured into the Computer Center located up forward to establish my internet access account for WiFi connectivity. With all the pitching, being in a small room, and staring at a screen for too long, it all started to get to me (I can't read in a car), and I had to get some air on Boat Deck. Within a few minutes all was much better. Family and friends think I was crazy to wish for rough seas, but this was exactly what I wanted to experience; QE2 in her element, doing what she was designed to do. The only thing missing was her speed. She was "loafing" along at 21-22 knots so that Queen Victoria could keep up.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aEu5i6UF2h0/TwjnwLuQpoI/AAAAAAAAAyA/zSnJ2w3n9jE/s1600/DSC02515.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" rea="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aEu5i6UF2h0/TwjnwLuQpoI/AAAAAAAAAyA/zSnJ2w3n9jE/s640/DSC02515.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Queen Victoria showed off her bulbous bow on numerous occasions throughout the day! From the above picture it, I am not so sure I would want to be in one of those forward balcony cabins, precariously close to the bow during one of her limited crossings. Now, Queen Victoria was designed as a cruise ship and NOT an ocean liner, but she will do limited crossings. We were witnessing her first and she was definitely getting a workout.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jn8U0zotL1U/TwjoMU5x-jI/AAAAAAAAAyI/VHweqmoHCYs/s1600/DSC02543.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" rea="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jn8U0zotL1U/TwjoMU5x-jI/AAAAAAAAAyI/VHweqmoHCYs/s640/DSC02543.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>I had timed it perfectly, being on deck for the noontime whistle test, hearing from afar the similar test taking place on board Queen Victoria. Later in the afternoon, I would attend the Cunard Heritage Tour, hosted by Cunard's ever entertaining Thomas Quinones. I filmed a portion of the tour, in which Thomas guides passengers through the ship, stopping at all the various historical artifacts throughout. Some might say he's a bit over the top in his enthusiasm, but I found it all quite entertaining. His love of the ship was abundantly clear. Here's the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuJtC6SSQak&list=UUatsJE1A9lIMG7IlMXNNU0w&index=2&feature=plcp">video</a> of a portion of the tour that I captured.<br />
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To cap off the evening, we attended the Captain's Cocktail Party, not wanting to miss the opportunity to meet Captain McNaught for another photograph opportunity from the ship's photographer. This party was for the passengers dining in the Mauritania Restaurant. Once all that attended had made their way through the receiving line for the requisite photo and handshake with the Captain, we were treated to crew introductions, followed by comments from the Captain himself. Here's the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuJtC6SSQak&feature=related">video</a> of Captain McNaught's pithy and witty comments, which perfectly illustrate why he is so beloved by QE2's fans.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16505720008360910233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784818136223459509.post-13795762292372166942012-01-06T07:55:00.002-05:002012-01-07T19:15:02.190-05:00Interactive Winter Crossing - January 6, 2008In the spirt of Cunard's current Interactive Transatlantic Crossing, here is the first installment of the retro version. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z1WT9R47c0o/TwjcpfqxOEI/AAAAAAAAAw0/i_YeOEFDaX0/s1600/DSC02446.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" rea="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z1WT9R47c0o/TwjcpfqxOEI/AAAAAAAAAw0/i_YeOEFDaX0/s400/DSC02446.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>Four years ago today, I boarded QE2 for her final Winter Crossing, a very special crossing not only for this reason, but because we would be doing this in tandem with the new Queen Victoria, which would be making this crossing for the first time.<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cave-MF2yHs">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cave-MF2yHs</a><br />
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The check-in computer system broke down and we waited, with much anticipation, to board for over an hour in the terminal. Due to the delay, by the time we finally had our picture taken and were allowed to board, the photographer along with the life ring had all been packed up. Very dissappointed since that picture would have implied we were going on the entire World Cruise. In fact, we even missed the mandatory lifeboat drill. Nevertheless, we were finally onboard for QE2's final Winter Crossing and the first leg of her final World Cruise. <br />
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16505720008360910233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784818136223459509.post-10432050368207639472011-10-24T00:38:00.009-04:002011-10-24T08:16:51.946-04:00Goodbye QM2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7yIfTXsULEQ/TqTY_Zu1TAI/AAAAAAAAAvI/SRmSYuTHxRA/s1600/57.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="436" rda="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7yIfTXsULEQ/TqTY_Zu1TAI/AAAAAAAAAvI/SRmSYuTHxRA/s640/57.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Here's a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCj0b09HDEE">video </a>compilation of the the QM2 bridgecam, showing her sailing off into the sunset, along with my enthusiasm for Cunard at this moment. This whole reflagging mess that has been created by Carnival/Cunard has me re-evaluating where to spend my cruise dollars next. With this one move, I am now seeing the future of Cunard in a different light. I am deeply saddened to say that I have no desire to sail on Cunard now. The reality of what they're really about is now staring me straight in the face.<br />
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In the past, I've been willing to accept higher prices for a bit of that so called "Cunard 171 years of tradition", knowing all along that there was a bit of trickery going on behind the scenes, but I justified it all as necessary to remain profitable. Now, with the move to reflag the entire Cunard fleet to Bermuda to skirt paying higher wages to crew disguised around the trumped up issue of needing need to have weddings on Cunarders to remain profitable, suddenly, the line has lost its polish. All the marketing prose I have lapped up for years is ringing a bit hollow.<br />
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What most irritates me is how disingenuous the excuse has been on the part of Cunard and taking loyal cruisers, which I count myself as previously one, for granted. This line exists solely on its history and now they've sold out on that. What other cruise line do people take because of the lines history or the port displayed on the stern or even the flag flown? Only one; Cunard. I highly doubt a single soul is booking an NCL cruise for their Norwegian heritage or even Holland America for their Dutch ties. Cunard touts their history with various versions of QE2's Heritage Trail on their ships. A Heritage Trail on a NCL ship is a laughable thought. Would they highlight their disposal of their own flagship, the Norway?<br />
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Cunard beards have screwed with the very thing that attracts people to the line, the British Maritime History. Shame on them. <a href="http://www.cruisemaven.com/2011/10/19/cunard-reflags-their-fleet-to-bermuda/">This</a> obviously company written press release is absolute rubbish. Just as I was getting over Mr. Shank's comments uttered at QE2's farewell in Southampton that QE2 was holding the brand back, he come's out with this marrage excuse to further water down the brand. Then, as an insult to injury, Cunard posts this utterly ridiculous response to the growing discontent among Cunard fans on the their Facebook page. It's been all quiet since this one response on their part. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pD6DutnkkTY/TqTvGvTbCEI/AAAAAAAAAvo/gz9w_LsWT9A/s1600/2011-10-24_0050.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="450" rda="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pD6DutnkkTY/TqTvGvTbCEI/AAAAAAAAAvo/gz9w_LsWT9A/s640/2011-10-24_0050.png" width="640" /></a></div>The loyal fans have not been quiet though, as long list of negative comments demonstrates. Reading that this very process is not new, having previously been done on another Carnival owed line, P & O in the not to distant past wrapped around the same wedding excuse, I cynically feel this is all calculated. If the Carnival beards could not foresee the backlash, then they have no clue what they've got with CUNARD.<br />
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I am insulted. Only eight ships with the Southampton name? What about Liverpool? The real question is how many Cunard passenger ships were NOT flagged in the UK? In all fairness to Mr Shanks, I have no idea what ultimately was his role as President of the line is in this. Did he personally write this lame attempt at damage control? One has to wonder whether it goes farther up the command. With all his recent comments about QE2 and the history of Cunard, I was really thinking he finally "got it" regarding why so many fans still long for QE2 and the rich history of the line. Mr. Shanks, show us your real passion for this line and how you fought to the bitter end to preserve its heritage. I suspect most of us Cunarders would be more willing to accept this change if we were told the truth and shown how far the company went to keep Southampton on the sterns of the fleet.<br />
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Going back to 1998, Micky Arison, President of Carnival Corporation, bought the line and inherited a rich maritime history along with the most famous ship in the world, QE2. He built his dream of an ocean liner, yet compromised it with the additional decks, a stubby funnel, and unreliable pod propulsion. Not that I like it, I get all that actually. It had to be financially feasible to put that amount of money into a ship and those tough decisions had to be made. Later Micky goes on to sell QE2 for a cool 100 million and washes his hands of her, deftly avoiding the whole messy disposal question. It is obvious that Cunard was not going to repeat NCL's mistakes with the Norway. <br />
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Now I've consistently touted the fact that if it wasn't for Carnival, QE2 would have never had the lavish care right up to her retirement, nor would there have even been a replacement built. Carnival saved Cunard, but now it seemed like the brand has become homogenized as it has been brought under the umbrella of the "World's Leading Cruise Lines."<br />
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Ultimately, the goal of the line is to turn a profit, and as as a shareholder myself, I am in complete agreement there. Sadly, there appears to be a perceptibly slow, drip, drip like, erosion of the Cunard brand. I have seen it and I am by far not a frequent passenger (Gold World Club status for fellow Cunarders), yet I still notice. With this move to reflag the fleet, the Flagship of the fleet, QM2 will no longer be the pride of the British Merchant Marine, nor will the new plastic Lizzy be able to continue to use the radio call sign "GBTT", with it's long history with the great Clyde-built Queens. Wasn't there much fanfare over the transfer of this call sign from QE2 to QE(3) by Cunard only a short time ago? Cunard has messed with it's history and tradition. That is a recipe for disaster for that was the one thing that set the line apart from all the rest. What is next? Rock climbing walls and water slides? Hairy chest contests at the pool? So much for tradition. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UP1EXOKc7y4/TqTnez9k4MI/AAAAAAAAAvQ/pnEbeQea1rg/s1600/dsc_0026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" rda="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UP1EXOKc7y4/TqTnez9k4MI/AAAAAAAAAvQ/pnEbeQea1rg/s640/dsc_0026.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>In a way, this decision has been liberating, freeing me up to look at other ways to spend our limited vacation dollars. Perhaps a trip to see the original Mary and the fine Scottish craftsmanship in authentic Art Deco style is what I need. At least Liverpool is still displayed on her stern.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16505720008360910233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784818136223459509.post-88995429132911907052011-10-16T10:11:00.002-04:002011-10-16T10:33:03.659-04:00Three Years Ago<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9O2Xg14sBng/TprRn5KStuI/AAAAAAAAAu4/Aq8o_lyOyQg/s1600/Picture+218.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" oda="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9O2Xg14sBng/TprRn5KStuI/AAAAAAAAAu4/Aq8o_lyOyQg/s640/Picture+218.jpg" width="425" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">October 16, 2008, Queen Elizabeth 2, left New York under command of Captain Ian McNaught, for her final transatlantic crossing of her career. This would be a tandem crossing with Cunard Line's Queen Mary 2, the purpose built flagship of Cunard and replacement for QE2. I watched her departure from a chartered NY Watertaxi on the Hudson River. Captain McNaught, QE2's final Master and biggest fan, with her paying out pennant flying (the long thin one at the top) from the foremast, gave us a wave from the iconic open bridge wing as she passed us on her way down the Hudson for the rendevous with Queen Mary 2. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwM5NsjxrLg">Here</a> is a video compilation of the event. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HLqsBai5CE8/Tprlvl16jdI/AAAAAAAAAvA/8jW_SLtxWXQ/s1600/picture_384.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" oda="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HLqsBai5CE8/Tprlvl16jdI/AAAAAAAAAvA/8jW_SLtxWXQ/s640/picture_384.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As we made one final pass around the ship, we all noted that it appeared that almost every porthole and cabin window were lit up for this final departure. Were the cabin stewards all instructed to turn on all cabin lights and pull back curtains? We'll never know, but nevertheless, it made for a spectacular site for QE2 fans, marking the end to an era. The boat ride back to the dock was a quiet one, with those onboard seemly all quietly reflecting on the event that just transpired.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16505720008360910233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784818136223459509.post-38643248469488432302011-10-07T01:57:00.000-04:002011-10-07T01:57:12.164-04:00So Far From Home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RFlgQd9fOXU/To6Ln-3qdgI/AAAAAAAAAus/ODBVNOYxl-o/s1600/Untitled7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="452" kca="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RFlgQd9fOXU/To6Ln-3qdgI/AAAAAAAAAus/ODBVNOYxl-o/s640/Untitled7.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Three years ago today, I was onboard QE2, anchored off the Forth Rail Bridge in Queensferry, Scotland. This day would be the last day she would fly the St. Andrews Flag of Scotland. As with dinner each night, we were presented with another special menu, commemorating the day, as shown above. Obsessed QE2 fans will easily spot when this photo was originally taken by the so called "speed stripe" visible on her hull below the Cunard logo and running aft. By the time I saw her in 2000, this stripe had been removed. I did not notice this since my true obsession had not yet fully blossomed until I had experienced the ship for the first time.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0TiILKpItDc/To6S7nQpknI/AAAAAAAAAuw/bST9ZfjZyr8/s1600/2011-10-07_0147.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="348" kca="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0TiILKpItDc/To6S7nQpknI/AAAAAAAAAuw/bST9ZfjZyr8/s640/2011-10-07_0147.png" width="640" /></a></div>Reflecting on the past three years, it has been a bit of a roller coaster ride; witnessing the sad farewell in NYC, staying up all night watching her run aground on the AIS website on her final approach to Southampton, catching all the coverage of her final departure from Southampton, barely stomaching the arrival in Dubai, scouring the internet for any news of the conversion plans, finding <a href="http://www.qe2story.com/">http://www.qe2story.com/</a> and connecting with fans suffering with the same sense of loss and fustration over the lack of news, utter joy in seeing her in drydock for a cleaning and mainenance work for a planned sailing to Capetown for the World Cup, devastation when the Capetown deal is scuttled for whatever reason, worrying over her condition after seeing rumors posted on various boards, relief and utter sadness watching Rob Lightbody's <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/TheQE2Story">videos </a>of his exclusive visit to the ship, and most currently, more worries after seeing the reports that the plan to put her in the planned Dubai development have been scuttled. <br />
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I think these words written on the back of one of the commemorative dinner menus still ring true today, three years later........<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ACeqf7oHWKI/To6T5vWTthI/AAAAAAAAAu0/9dfdB9ZGxnU/s1600/Untitled13a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" kca="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ACeqf7oHWKI/To6T5vWTthI/AAAAAAAAAu0/9dfdB9ZGxnU/s640/Untitled13a.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16505720008360910233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784818136223459509.post-20786856462725465272011-08-09T02:20:00.001-04:002011-08-09T02:33:21.297-04:00Liner Bows<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q4jgPFzmpGk/TkC6OVz8_FI/AAAAAAAAAuY/GjG5mdLFOyA/s1600/Slide1.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" naa="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q4jgPFzmpGk/TkC6OVz8_FI/AAAAAAAAAuY/GjG5mdLFOyA/s640/Slide1.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>People ask me "Why the fascination in QE2 and her replacement QM2?" My response is always because both are true ocean liners and there is nothing quite like traveling at speed through less than idea seas. It is both exhilarating and reassuring that you are on board a ship that can handle the toughest weather that can be thrown at her. Those comments inevitably launch into a discussion of ocean liners and their differences from the typical cruise ship of today and that often used phrase "form follows function." It really does apply here. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q8_TOKIz3Y4/TkDMmMM2YpI/AAAAAAAAAuk/5RxXbT80U4c/s1600/Cunard-Queen-Mary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" naa="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q8_TOKIz3Y4/TkDMmMM2YpI/AAAAAAAAAuk/5RxXbT80U4c/s640/Cunard-Queen-Mary.jpg" width="478" /></a></div>Ocean liners are ships traditionally purposely designed to ferry passengers on a specific route or a "line" on a schedule. The traditional "line" crossing of the Atlantic required a ship with speed to make the crossing under five days, at the highpoint of this type of travel to and from Europe, and to make this crossing safely,on time, and with consistency, despite the weather and sea conditions. Before the arrival of the Boeing 707, this was the main way to get to Europe and the ships could be regarded as very large and elegant ferries, depending on your class of cabin. Nowadays, cruise ships are used mostly as "the" destination and not as a pure form of transportation to get to a destination.<br />
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Oddly enough, though, QE2 was designed to function as both North Atlantic ferry and cruise ship. In fact, when the ship was introduced, there was a conscious effort put forth in the advertising that the ship itself was the destination. This turned out to be the case throughout her service life. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1wVNdjAQjB4/TkDRDxHVTEI/AAAAAAAAAuo/b0Hc7pyRRE0/s1600/2011-08-09_0215.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" naa="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1wVNdjAQjB4/TkDRDxHVTEI/AAAAAAAAAuo/b0Hc7pyRRE0/s640/2011-08-09_0215.png" width="464" /></a></div>To this date, Cunard effectively uses this strategy with their current ships, the true ocean liner <em>Queen Mary 2 </em>and the cruise ships <em>Queen Victoria</em> and <em>Queen Elizabeth</em>. Both of these ships are designed for the cruising mode, at reduced speeds, which is reflected in more fuller bow sections, which give more interior space, with the resulting less efficient hull form.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-24CvKtxiUMI/TkDFr_mEFLI/AAAAAAAAAuc/kZpEN6SBnug/s1600/Slide2.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" naa="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-24CvKtxiUMI/TkDFr_mEFLI/AAAAAAAAAuc/kZpEN6SBnug/s640/Slide2.PNG" width="480" /></a></div>Now, the North Atlantic can be notoriously rough certain times of the year, usually from late Autumn to early Spring. Ships built for this application require strengthened hulls to take the constant strains imposed upon them all the while at the high speeds necessary to keep to their published schedules. These design constraints dictated slender bow sections to efficiently slice through the seas, bow profiles to deflect the seas in all conditions, and big powerplants to drive these ships at speeds averaging over 28 knots. Even with this speed, there had to be extra reserve speed available to make up time when bad weather was encountered. As illustrated in the photo above, QE2's bow configuration was designed for speed and seaworthiness. In fact, this hull design was one of the first passenger ships modeled with the earliest computer aided design back in the early 1960's. This hull form was so successful that when the time came to design her replacement, <em>Queen Mary 2</em>, her bow sections were basically lifted right from QE2. According to her Naval Architect, Stephen Payne, even with all the most sophisticated modeling software available today, they ended up with a scaled up version of QE2's bow, but with a more efficient bulbous bow design. In the end, why mess with success!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--Dgh_dNmPzg/TkDGjj_Uo9I/AAAAAAAAAug/C4DKTVV5-R4/s1600/DSC_0635.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" naa="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--Dgh_dNmPzg/TkDGjj_Uo9I/AAAAAAAAAug/C4DKTVV5-R4/s640/DSC_0635.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>This head on bow shot of the <em>Carnival Miracle</em> shows the difference in bow designs and is the basic hull design that the <em>Cunard Queen Victoria/Elizabeth</em> sisterships has evolved from. Not that there is anything wrong with this ship in my eyes, mind you, but as form follows function, this ship is designed for cruising speeds maximum of about 22 knots, and must slow considerable when encountering rough seas. <br />
<br />
I am eagerly anticipating another winter crossing on a liner, <em>Queen Mary 2</em>, in January, and hope to see first hand how she handles the North Atlantic like QE2 and her predecessors.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16505720008360910233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784818136223459509.post-55334120525144738662011-08-04T23:35:00.002-04:002011-08-05T00:00:32.584-04:00Queen Mary 2 in Manhattan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-84yQiy-Lkps/TjtKg1JfVmI/AAAAAAAAAtk/e0hLuMpDdAI/s1600/280921_2213466774751_1189999649_2680081_775974_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-84yQiy-Lkps/TjtKg1JfVmI/AAAAAAAAAtk/e0hLuMpDdAI/s640/280921_2213466774751_1189999649_2680081_775974_o.jpg" t$="true" width="640" /></a></div>July 1st was a special day in New York City for ocean liner enthusiasts and fans of Cunard Line's <em>Queen Mary 2.</em> Nowadays, the ship docks at the new cruise ship pier in Brooklyn, but this day, another Carnival owned ship, the <em>Caribbean Princess</em>, which uses the Brooklyn pier exclusively, was also scheduled to be in port. <em>Queen Mary 2</em> would be "forced"to dock once again at the Manhattan Cruise Ship terminal, the piers she was originally specifically designed for and the same piers used by her predecessors, <em>Queen Mary</em>, <em>Queen Elizabeth</em>, and most recently <em>Queen Elizabeth 2</em>. For traditionalists, and many former QE2 passengers accustomed to the traditional Manhattan pier, this pier change was a very special treat.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ke1xlLTV4GU/TjtNRbgZ8yI/AAAAAAAAAto/dMdDKdRAopA/s1600/265695_2213466574746_1189999649_2680080_7227012_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ke1xlLTV4GU/TjtNRbgZ8yI/AAAAAAAAAto/dMdDKdRAopA/s640/265695_2213466574746_1189999649_2680080_7227012_o.jpg" t$="true" width="640" /></a></div>Having made this trek up the Hudson on QE2 back in January of 2008, I can attest this is definitely the best way to arrive in New York City, treated to the beacon of the Statue of Liberty in the early morning on the portside and the entire Manhattan skyline on the starboard side. This time I would be standing on the renovated Pier 86 in shorts and a polo shirt rather than standing beneath the bridge of QE2, all bundled up and trying to keep my finger on the camera shutter from frostbite. The weather was picture perfect. As QM2 appeared in the distance, the morning sun appeared and lit up the ship rather theatrically, highlighting the iconic funnel. Although QM2 is demonstrably larger than QE2, the ship she replaced, she is every much a liner and a standout amongst the current batch of cruise ship resembling stacks of apartment flats.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uNIJ25Qnzl4/TjtPDV-IaFI/AAAAAAAAAts/YOdztN66jTY/s1600/278698_2214674204936_1189999649_2682196_2653481_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uNIJ25Qnzl4/TjtPDV-IaFI/AAAAAAAAAts/YOdztN66jTY/s640/278698_2214674204936_1189999649_2682196_2653481_o.jpg" t$="true" width="640" /></a></div>In the early morning sun, it was apparent that the ship has suffered some hull damage, in the awkward area of the stern required for the pod propulsion units. More than likely it was a bump to a pier. Didn't she make headlines with a mishap at some port in Europe? The ship is scheduled for drydocking this fall and it clear that she's due for some refurbishment; antifouling paint is very worn and the hull is in need of repainting.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-K7fElsG5PeI/TjtQH92-gEI/AAAAAAAAAtw/6QjiB6Bll-0/s1600/271669_2213602298139_1189999649_2680251_4614626_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-K7fElsG5PeI/TjtQH92-gEI/AAAAAAAAAtw/6QjiB6Bll-0/s640/271669_2213602298139_1189999649_2680251_4614626_o.jpg" t$="true" width="640" /></a></div><em>Queen Mary 2</em> docked at Pier 88, originally the French Line pier where the <em>Normandie</em> tragically caught on fire during its conversion to troop ship during WWII. Attempts to extinguish the fire added water to the hull that eventually led to the ship rolling over in the pier and sinking. With the ship a loss, it sat for much of the war in the pier, as a sad reminder of the war. Carnival Miracle would arrive and quickly dock on the opposite of QM2 at the pier and I was treated to a nice view of several tails; the French built <em>Queen Mary 2</em>, Finnish built <em>Carnival Miracle</em>, British built <em>Concorde SST</em>, and American built <em>U.S.S. Intrepid.</em><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fOCiDLMAAKo/TjtdhaivptI/AAAAAAAAAt4/6axpxMQ0xUg/s1600/DSC_0424.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fOCiDLMAAKo/TjtdhaivptI/AAAAAAAAAt4/6axpxMQ0xUg/s640/DSC_0424.JPG" t$="true" width="640" /></a></div>Before meeting up with ocean liner friends (some getting off QM2, others joining the ship this day for the traditional Fourth of July cruise), I planned to walk the entire waterfront from the Cruise Terminal down to Battery Park and take advantage of the picture perfect weather. While I would end up seeing such maritime relics such as the <em>Lightship Frying Pan</em> and the fireboat <em>John J. Harvey</em>, my main goal was to get an up close view of the once glorious Cunard Line Pier 54 of the Chelsea Piers. I've seen it from the water, having it's historic nature pointed out to us on the decks of QE2 and Circle Line excursion boats. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6h85xlVwkfc/TjtShmgd00I/AAAAAAAAAt0/_anxev7-fOg/s1600/278717_2213650179336_1189999649_2680439_1949162_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6h85xlVwkfc/TjtShmgd00I/AAAAAAAAAt0/_anxev7-fOg/s640/278717_2213650179336_1189999649_2680439_1949162_o.jpg" t$="true" width="640" /></a></div>On the rusted ironwork face, you can still make out both names, the original Cunard Line, and then the subsequent Cunard White Star name of the merger of the two lines which resulted in the completion of the original <em>Queen Mary</em>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NdhWany-qnw/Tjtf-u8ZHYI/AAAAAAAAAt8/RpUY3l1EIFE/s1600/DSC_0413.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NdhWany-qnw/Tjtf-u8ZHYI/AAAAAAAAAt8/RpUY3l1EIFE/s640/DSC_0413.JPG" t$="true" width="640" /></a></div>All that most visibly remains is the ironwork arch of the head house and the stone base, which looks like it was fashioned from Stony Creek Granite, from the Stony Creek Quarries of Connecticut that I previously visited through work. Peering through the fence though, were bits and pieces of the terminal strewn about, including the art deco inspired stone pieces depicted above, a very sad sight. One can only image what this pier was like in it's heyday. Sadly this historic structure, designed by the architects of Grand Central Station, did not escape the wrecking ball. It was here that the <em>Lusitania</em> sailed for her final time and also where the Cunard Line's <em>Carpathia</em> offloaded survivors of the ill-fated <em>Titanic</em>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AJ-8H31gzwg/TjtgxbIHG1I/AAAAAAAAAuA/BHc_Vr65r9o/s1600/279810_2213700380591_1189999649_2680504_6152706_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AJ-8H31gzwg/TjtgxbIHG1I/AAAAAAAAAuA/BHc_Vr65r9o/s640/279810_2213700380591_1189999649_2680504_6152706_o.jpg" t$="true" width="640" /></a></div>Following lunch, fellow ocean liner enthusiasts and I debated where would the best spot be to see Queen Mary 2 depart. We would end up taking the New York Watertaxi over to Weehawken, NJ, for the best view of the ships departing that afternoon. Perched above the access road above the cliffs across from the Cruise Ship Terminal, it was readily apparent that this was a good decision.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r3v-Hu9g7KE/TjtijHY1XOI/AAAAAAAAAuE/VqXSCAvw-o4/s1600/279153_2213724581196_1189999649_2680559_953928_o%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r3v-Hu9g7KE/TjtijHY1XOI/AAAAAAAAAuE/VqXSCAvw-o4/s640/279153_2213724581196_1189999649_2680559_953928_o%255B1%255D.JPG" t$="true" width="640" /></a></div><em>Queen Mary 2</em> departed on time in the afternoon sun, with short blasts from her original Queen Mary Tyfon horn, which sounded remarkably improved over the last time we heard it while onboard. She looked ever the part of a classic ocean liner in profile against the Manhattan skyline.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6jJHhC5XyPk/TjtnY6gnPcI/AAAAAAAAAuM/ZbX17AnOq3o/s1600/279198_2213685740225_1189999649_2680457_5356539_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6jJHhC5XyPk/TjtnY6gnPcI/AAAAAAAAAuM/ZbX17AnOq3o/s640/279198_2213685740225_1189999649_2680457_5356539_o.jpg" t$="true" width="640" /></a></div>Cunard Line has used several of my pictures in a recent <a href="http://wearecunard.com/2011/07/i-have-one-of-the-most-sought-after-jobs-at-sea%e2%80%a6/">blog post</a> of Cunard President Peter Shanks.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4_Oi1zPd3MU/TjtjsWkntoI/AAAAAAAAAuI/XCteLnE3I5I/s1600/271819_2213713180911_1189999649_2680555_2065337_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4_Oi1zPd3MU/TjtjsWkntoI/AAAAAAAAAuI/XCteLnE3I5I/s640/271819_2213713180911_1189999649_2680555_2065337_o.jpg" t$="true" width="640" /></a></div>Just above the bow of QM2, the Freedom Tower can be seen rising above the lower Manhattan skyline. I'll no doubt be back next year, same date, same cruise, and hopefully in Manhattan again (please Cunard make this happen). Who knows, maybe I'll be onboard.............Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16505720008360910233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784818136223459509.post-40598626646627937132011-05-27T19:17:00.006-04:002011-05-27T19:59:36.636-04:0075th Anniversary of Queen Mary Maiden Voyage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FisrcWTXB1A/TeAyC3GLm0I/AAAAAAAAAtI/Iit0Yi6WVL4/s1600/db_0071.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="452" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FisrcWTXB1A/TeAyC3GLm0I/AAAAAAAAAtI/Iit0Yi6WVL4/s640/db_0071.jpg" t8="true" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>On May 27th , 1936, Cunard-White Star Line's Queen Mary began her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vY4daF7uy4">Here</a> is original footage of her arrival in New York. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYjiD0xhKMY&feature=player_embedded#at=25">Here</a> is better Newsreel footage.<br />
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<em>(Sorry, but I cannot locate where I obtained these photos from on the internet to give proper credit and a link. If anyone knows, please send me the link.)</em><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RIBqxTuZeOQ/TeAyYVD7sDI/AAAAAAAAAtQ/_9jstoVPtGQ/s1600/db_301.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="465" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RIBqxTuZeOQ/TeAyYVD7sDI/AAAAAAAAAtQ/_9jstoVPtGQ/s640/db_301.jpg" t8="true" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GJF3Kfjm4Dk/TeAyPnwFHuI/AAAAAAAAAtM/8uFMZbT93ds/s1600/db_251.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="396" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GJF3Kfjm4Dk/TeAyPnwFHuI/AAAAAAAAAtM/8uFMZbT93ds/s640/db_251.jpg" t8="true" width="640" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fRh_eJxZGsA/TeA0WcBxo7I/AAAAAAAAAtc/cWSJR-S_x6Q/s1600/db_141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="cssfloat: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fRh_eJxZGsA/TeA0WcBxo7I/AAAAAAAAAtc/cWSJR-S_x6Q/s640/db_141.jpg" t8="true" width="453" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16505720008360910233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784818136223459509.post-57474827864441193142011-05-15T14:44:00.000-04:002011-05-15T14:44:03.234-04:00QE2 Ringtone for iPhones<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o1UNIWSibMs/TdAeYVRo9qI/AAAAAAAAAso/TtzvGwHCues/s1600/picture+188.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" j8="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o1UNIWSibMs/TdAeYVRo9qI/AAAAAAAAAso/TtzvGwHCues/s640/picture+188.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>I've finally ditched the old flip phone, which I could not customize the ringtones. With my new iPhone 4 in hand, I now wanted to customize the ringtone to something reminding me of QE2. At first, it looked like it could be somewhat complicated, after doing a quick search of "how to's" with Google. Thankfully, though, I have found there is no need to download any fancy apps or software to do this. If you have iTunes loaded on your home computer, this is super easy. This procedure is for the iPhone, which use iTunes for music files.<br />
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First, download this mp3 file, which was offered originally on the day of QE2's final departure from Southampton:<br />
<a href="http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/3842159.Get.QE2_s.whistle.as.a.free.ringtone.for.your.phone/">http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/3842159.Get.QE2_s.whistle.as.a.free.ringtone.for.your.phone/</a><br />
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<em>Note: you do not have to use this file if you have another MP3 file of QE2's Tyfon horns to choose from. I certainly do, but this clip is perfect; perfect sound, with no wind and crystal clear sounding.</em><br />
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Second, follow these easy instructions for converting the MP3 file to an M4A file and then renaming to a M4R file that the iPhone recognizes as a ringtone.<br />
<a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/156234/turn_any_mp3_into_an_iphone_ringtone.html">http://www.pcworld.com/article/156234/turn_any_mp3_into_an_iphone_ringtone.html</a><br />
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Third, with M4R created and in you iTunes account, connect iPhone to computer and sync phone. Go to your ringtone settings and the QE2 file should be there to chose from and reset. Voila! Done!<br />
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Getting phone calls now puts a big grin on my face. I just discovered another cool thing the other day with the iPhone. Listening to the iPod feature, I got a call, and the QE2 ringtone played over the song on my headphones. At first, I was completely caught off guard when I heard it, but then realized I had an incoming call.....cool!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16505720008360910233noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784818136223459509.post-29269099672475592792011-03-25T20:22:00.014-04:002011-08-08T17:57:12.889-04:00The Shape of Things to Come, Part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-HW68Kn5VPoM/TYVQdkoxSSI/AAAAAAAAArc/hc8seGSt7-I/s1600/920931929_picture+448.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" r6="true" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-HW68Kn5VPoM/TYVQdkoxSSI/AAAAAAAAArc/hc8seGSt7-I/s640/920931929_picture+448.jpg" width="424" /></a></div>Yes, this is a cruise ship and not a apartment block on the water's edge. It's NCL's Epic, as I caught a glimpse of her in Manhattan on the day of her maiden port of call to New York City.<br />
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What is going on with the hull at the stern, which looks like it's sprouted a ducktail-like appendage? This hull feature clearly has a function since it cannot be said that it was added to enhance the beauty of the ship. Perhaps it was necessary for the hull hydrodynamics for pod propulsion. Wait a minute, this ship does NOT use pods for propulsion. Despite being built at the same yard as Queen Mary 2 and is about the same size, conventional shafts and propellers are used. <br />
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So what is going on here? Surely, the yard is not shying away from pod propulsion based solely on the problems that have been experienced on Queen Mary 2 and other Celebrity ships that utilized the Rolls-Royce Mermaid pod design. I'm guessing it has got to be to increase the waterline, increasing hull speed, which, in effect, would allow the ship to use less fuel.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-T_FHd1RSVHc/TYVQqTaToPI/AAAAAAAAArg/b1ohJCbFcNE/s1600/1172732327_dsc_0104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" r6="true" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-T_FHd1RSVHc/TYVQqTaToPI/AAAAAAAAArg/b1ohJCbFcNE/s640/1172732327_dsc_0104.jpg" width="424" /></a></div>Actually, it seems like we're seeing a trend developing here in cruise ship design and it is not a "pod" thing after all. More evidence here from the stern of the P&O Azura, which sprouted one of these similar appendages. We saw this ship in Barbados while on our Queen Mary 2 Caribbean Calypso cruise this past January. This ship is based on a proven Princess Cruise Lines <em>Grand Class</em> design; you know the ones with the weird handle bar or spoiler attached high above on the stern. Azura, thankfully, was built without it, and this feature is scheduled to be removed from other similar ships in the fleet. Apparently, this feature was just not working for the line. Perhaps those passengers deserted the aptly named <em>Skywalkers</em> nightclub located in the "spoiler" when the seas were anything but smooth. Anyway, I digress. Azura is <u>NOT</u> pod propelled , but has conventional shafts and props with thrusters mounted in the keel area for unassisted tug manuevering. The appendage shown here has slight pockets in it for the propellers, which can be seen in the uneven dark area at the waterline.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-4XHm6u9BRNc/TY4EY7b4WkI/AAAAAAAAAsk/Eq2bY3UZs78/s1600/0000AZURA-Construction-7_jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" r6="true" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-4XHm6u9BRNc/TY4EY7b4WkI/AAAAAAAAAsk/Eq2bY3UZs78/s640/0000AZURA-Construction-7_jpg.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Construction photo of the Azura, showing the keel mounted stern thrusters and conventional shaft and prop propulsion. Photo was found on the Cruiselinefans board <a href="http://www.cruiselinefans.com/p-o-cruises/39666-azura-photos-7.html">here</a><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
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<a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ouww3ay5eEQ/TYVQVUHlsxI/AAAAAAAAArY/NKNMTbdB1_E/s1600/678405720_picture+316.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" r6="true" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ouww3ay5eEQ/TYVQVUHlsxI/AAAAAAAAArY/NKNMTbdB1_E/s640/678405720_picture+316.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Back to another example of this new trend. Here is the stern of NCL's Jewel, taken from a Circle Line excursion boat on the Hudson in October 2009. Now this ship does have pods; the ABB Azipod design, similar units used on the <em>Vista Class</em> twins Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria. The appendage is nicely integrated into the hull here and while not a fan of all the hull graphics, I am not offended by the design, unlike the massive NCL Epic. From this angle, it looks like the appendage will act like similar to trim tabs used on smaller boats. In fact, if you study the hull design of QV/QE and her other sisterships, you can see a less pronounced duck tail appendage in the squared off sterns.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-we2OC-kiaZo/TY0haYFQwmI/AAAAAAAAArk/xfBaCuLEgco/s1600/407717042_picture+068.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" r6="true" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-we2OC-kiaZo/TY0haYFQwmI/AAAAAAAAArk/xfBaCuLEgco/s400/407717042_picture+068.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Taken on October 16, 2008, while watching the final departure of QE2 from New York, the Carnival Miracle is one of the first <em>Vista Class</em> type hulls in the vast Carnival fleet. Technically it is classified as a <em>Spirit Class</em> ship and is the precurser to the current <em>Vista Class</em> ships. This ducktail appendage appears less integrated into the hull design as in the latest iterations on the QE/QV twins, HAL's Eurodam and Niew Amsterdam, and the latest from Costa. Carnival is clearly getting alot of their money's worth out of this hull design. On the Miracle, it really does look like this "stern flap" was added after the fact. Look at the corners where there appears to be a pipe guard for additional pod protection.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-jJLJqzq7ih8/TY0jeWdC0lI/AAAAAAAAAro/v35h5CuwqLY/s1600/Photo-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" r6="true" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-jJLJqzq7ih8/TY0jeWdC0lI/AAAAAAAAAro/v35h5CuwqLY/s400/Photo-6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>For Cunard's most current ship, here we have Queen Elizabeth, navigating the locks of the Panama Canal for the first time, courtesy of <a href="http://www.wearecunard.com/">http://www.wearecunard.com/</a>. The stern flap is now seamlessly integrated into the modified <em>Vista Class</em> hull. From this angle, you can see the added cabins at the stern, resulting in a less rakish profile as compared to the Miracle above.<br />
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While this energy saving appendage is subtle here on the Elizabeth, the stern flap appendage appears to have been taken to the extreme on the new Celebrity Solstice class ships. I'll go out on a limb here and say that I rather like the outward appearance of these Celebrity ships, from the distinctive shear profile, sleek bridge wing design, distinctive sloped stern profile, and even the blunt nose bow shape. I could do with less of the dark tinted glass, but I liked the design from the day I saw the artist's renderings posted online.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WtrwcReaYoM/TY0mBHhF0FI/AAAAAAAAArw/lx11cpbOsYc/s1600/2360.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" r6="true" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WtrwcReaYoM/TY0mBHhF0FI/AAAAAAAAArw/lx11cpbOsYc/s640/2360.jpg" width="426" /></a></div> Delving into the design of this new class of ship for Celebrity, I found a very interesting article explaining all the unique aspects of the ship and the class found <a href="http://www.cruisebusiness.com/cbr_old/images/20081217/cbr-3-2008-s-28-51.pdf">here.</a> <br />
<em>Note: all photos of the Solstice here are courtesy of </em><a href="http://www.meyerwerft.com/"><em>www.meyerwerft.com/</em></a><br />
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As explained in the above article, an extension of the hull, the extended ducktail, resulted in a sleeker hull and less resistance. Extensive tank testing was done at Marin in the Netherlands, who were used for Queen Mary 2 development, to optimize the hull form. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-n-3MReYN-Hg/TY01RA4drbI/AAAAAAAAAsI/u0dFgVFadnM/s1600/2185.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" r6="true" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-n-3MReYN-Hg/TY01RA4drbI/AAAAAAAAAsI/u0dFgVFadnM/s640/2185.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>In addition to the ducktail, there is another feature, not readily apparent underneath the tail called an interceptor. In this case, it was found that a wedge shaped interceptor proved most efficient in decreasing the amount of power required to drive the hull. More information on hull interceptors can be found <a href="http://www.nauticalweb.com/superyacht/494/tecnica/trimeng.htm">here</a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-8qiRzpWzPpM/TY01ViNWNvI/AAAAAAAAAsM/LjWwujN9res/s1600/2183.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" r6="true" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-8qiRzpWzPpM/TY01ViNWNvI/AAAAAAAAAsM/LjWwujN9res/s640/2183.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>I've yet to find any really good pictures of this feature, but there is a picture in the Solstice PDF file referenced above that hints at the appendage under the ducktail. You just have to commend the Naval Architects and Celebrity for trying out this new technology. Up close, the tail does look a bit weird to the eye accustomed to more conventional shaped sterns and especially from the air, it really does take on the shape of a ducktail.<br />
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Additional measures to reduce fuel consumption included grinding all the hull welds smooth and using the latest state of the art antifouling paint coatings. Cunard has similarily been using this improved coating on its fleet with success. While these contribute to the increased fuel efficiency, the second most readily apparent feature on the new Solstice class is the extended bulbous bow.<br />
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Piercing the water in the preceeding bow shot of the Solstice, is a bulbous bow, which appears to take this appendage to the extreme as well. It could very well be the longest bulbous bow fitted on a cruise ship. Unbelievably, it appears to extend to at least the length of the blunt nosed bow. At first I thought this photo below was distorted due to the camera angle, but the above mentioned article explains that the appendage was indeed lengthened for speed.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-sxJ6Hebi7Ic/TY0zxICssjI/AAAAAAAAAsA/3i1nEynjftg/s1600/4205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" r6="true" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-sxJ6Hebi7Ic/TY0zxICssjI/AAAAAAAAAsA/3i1nEynjftg/s640/4205.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>The Meyer-Werft shipyard design appears different than the extended bulbous bow on Queen Mary 2 in that the cross section is much thinner, less round in appearance.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-_EUwIIbOsas/TY06m997g8I/AAAAAAAAAsQ/giEZCK9itGk/s1600/7040a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" r6="true" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-_EUwIIbOsas/TY06m997g8I/AAAAAAAAAsQ/giEZCK9itGk/s400/7040a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> Queen Mary 2's appendage was lengthened during the design process after tank testing did not produce the hull speed specified by Cunard. As Naval Architect Stephen Payne has mentioned, there are compromised with extending the bulbous bow appendage to increase speed. "Bulb slap" is probably the worse consequence, which occurs when the appendage comes crashing down into heavy seas first, since it is so forward of the bow and sending shudders throughout the ship. QE/QV experience this "wiggle" in heavy seas from what I have read and heard from passengers, but Queen Mary 2 is not immune to this as well. Further discussion on bulbous bows and the eternal cruise ship vs. ocean liner debate can be found <a href="http://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php?topic=430.20;wap2">here</a> on my favorite forum for discussing all things QE2, <a href="http://www.theqe2story.com/">http://www.theqe2story.com/</a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-0LWqCkXHZA0/TY36Ozv0ZSI/AAAAAAAAAsg/oG3LPQqAGdw/s1600/Picture-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" r6="true" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-0LWqCkXHZA0/TY36Ozv0ZSI/AAAAAAAAAsg/oG3LPQqAGdw/s640/Picture-5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Queen Victoria's bulbous bow in drydock, courtesy </span><a href="http://www.wearecunard.com/"><span style="font-size: x-small;">www.wearecunard.com</span></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Who knows how the Solstice ships fare in heavy seas, with their more slender bow-like shape. The interiors of this class of ship are trend setting modern design, much like QE2 was in her time. In the novelty department, the Solstice has a Owens-Corning glass blowing feature and an industry first; real grass on the sports deck. One day, I intend to try out both inovative features first hand. <br />
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Jumping on the ducktail bandwagon, Princess Cruises just announded their new Royal Princess cruise ship. At first, I thought that this ship had to have been designed by the Meyer-Werft yard since it resembled the <em>Solstice Class</em> of ships and even included the bridge projection that the yard is famous for on other ships for Aida and NCL. <em>Note: all photos courtesy of Princess Cruises</em>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-4UO-NpkqvoI/TY343jYkYnI/AAAAAAAAAsU/rL0TTWqSKls/s1600/360197260-16104549.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="384" r6="true" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-4UO-NpkqvoI/TY343jYkYnI/AAAAAAAAAsU/rL0TTWqSKls/s640/360197260-16104549.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>The stern flap is readily apparent in this rendering, but this ship is surprisingly going to be built by Fincantieri, which has a long standing relationship with Carnival Corporation. Most recently, Fincantieri has delivered the QV/QE sisters for Cunard for instance and were the builder for the Carnival Splendor, which made the news recently for the dramatic engine room fire and days spent adrift at sea.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PuSZ5kMCIks/TY35AVrgx2I/AAAAAAAAAsc/q_DL5m0S288/s1600/362561460-16104606.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" r6="true" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PuSZ5kMCIks/TY35AVrgx2I/AAAAAAAAAsc/q_DL5m0S288/s640/362561460-16104606.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>As always, you have to follow the money. Shipbuilders and owners are driven financially by the almighty bottom line. Apparently, the cruise ship industry has followed the United States Navy in their quest for fuel savings. I found this paper online, which goes into detail on the "stern flap" technology. If you're interested in what your tax dollars funded, read on. <a href="http://www.dt.navy.mil/pao/excerpts%20pages/2001/sternFlap9_01.html">http://www.dt.navy.mil/pao/excerpts%20pages/2001/sternFlap9_01.html</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ASEUwB-H9GQ/TY00ldAejBI/AAAAAAAAAsE/N2WvcymCh60/s1600/propulsion-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="481" r6="true" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ASEUwB-H9GQ/TY00ldAejBI/AAAAAAAAAsE/N2WvcymCh60/s640/propulsion-3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>For further technical reading on combining both stern flaps and hull interceptors, take a look at this <a href="http://www.boatdesign.net/.../53331d1296675899-stern-flaps-interceptors-tsai-%20hwang-interceptor-mm.pdf">paper</a>. For further technical reading on stern flaps, take a look <a href="http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/stern-flap.htm">here</a>.<br />
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All this research has brought back those college memories of brain overload with the sleep robbing Architectural Design Studio and the brain frying mathematics of Naval Architecture classes running concurently.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16505720008360910233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784818136223459509.post-33921473379027244962011-03-18T23:28:00.000-04:002011-03-18T23:28:22.728-04:00The Aft Deck<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-R-y9lr-QPw4/TYQdb7qWuPI/AAAAAAAAArM/oheNzD3kuSU/s1600/416124140_picture+266.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" r6="true" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-R-y9lr-QPw4/TYQdb7qWuPI/AAAAAAAAArM/oheNzD3kuSU/s640/416124140_picture+266.jpg" width="640" /></a>QE2's aft deck, final call at Liverpool, October 2008 </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-MHuz5xUYNek/TYQaUe140gI/AAAAAAAAArE/xEXC7UfQWjQ/s1600/1206766142_dsc_0326.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" r6="true" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-MHuz5xUYNek/TYQaUe140gI/AAAAAAAAArE/xEXC7UfQWjQ/s640/1206766142_dsc_0326.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div align="center">QM2's aft deck, morning on the Caribbean Sea, January 2011</div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="left">What's missing from QM2's pic is the guy with the pint out in the sun on QE2. Mind you we had not fully docked yet at the pierhead in Liverpool in that photo and most folk were at the rail watching the ship approach the pier, he was getting some sun and enjoying his beer. This apparently was his favorite spot since I inadvertently captured him in a similar pose on yet another day! </div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-88EXnID4GWA/TYQhUt2DOyI/AAAAAAAAArQ/0w2NL65LEmE/s1600/Picture+053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" r6="true" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-88EXnID4GWA/TYQhUt2DOyI/AAAAAAAAArQ/0w2NL65LEmE/s640/Picture+053.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div align="left">The chairs on QM2 are plastic coated metal with mesh fabric, while QE2's were all PVC plastic with cushions. Somehow, though, I think this guy would feel right at home on the aft deck of QM2.</div><div align="left"><br />
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16505720008360910233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784818136223459509.post-69666073866977898292011-03-12T17:51:00.001-05:002011-03-12T17:53:55.682-05:00Queen Mary 2 Sunrises & Sunsets<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-0JliY714FXk/TXvzhsE6o4I/AAAAAAAAAq4/LOnyR_tMEcc/s1600/DSC_0259.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" q6="true" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-0JliY714FXk/TXvzhsE6o4I/AAAAAAAAAq4/LOnyR_tMEcc/s640/DSC_0259.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>To take your mind off the recent events in Japan, where Queen Mary 2 is currently safe and sound, sailing on her World Cruise, here is a compilation of sunrises and sunsets taken while on the Caribbean Calypso cruise this January. Although I missed the first morning's sunrise, sleeping in after a few long nights of packing for the trip, I set the alarm and got up for every other sunrise. It was completely worth it. Taken with my Nikon D90, bought last minute for the QE2 Farewell to the UK cruise, these photos are just a few of the over 5000 pictures I took. The Nikon was on my shoulder most of the trip and it really makes the person behind the lense look like a pro!<br />
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The "bit beneath the bridge" was the spot to be at sunrise for most of the trip, until we changed direction and headed back home. Every morning, I shared this spot with another fellow photographer that I had met back in New York before we even boarded the ship. We met taking bow shots at the Red Hook terminal, with a common interest; photography of a great ocean liner. He was German and spoke little English, but we exchanged a few words each morning as we were awestruck with our combination of great weather and ship. You can actually spot him in the video of the bridge shots while we approach Dominica. Don't ask me why, but we did not exchange email addresses.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/--PykDc91mbU/TXv2x3sCqcI/AAAAAAAAArA/5D5CBIyzpjs/s1600/DSC_0333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" q6="true" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/--PykDc91mbU/TXv2x3sCqcI/AAAAAAAAArA/5D5CBIyzpjs/s640/DSC_0333.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Enjoy! <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_pqk_Iewzs">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_pqk_Iewzs</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16505720008360910233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784818136223459509.post-946647733863192752011-03-10T00:15:00.007-05:002012-02-19T19:33:23.781-05:00Cakewalk<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-1tHYcyxI5_I/TXhAzL0x9aI/AAAAAAAAAqQ/leQlALZOlJs/s1600/launched.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="414" q6="true" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-1tHYcyxI5_I/TXhAzL0x9aI/AAAAAAAAAqQ/leQlALZOlJs/s640/launched.jpg" width="640" /></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><em>Cakewalk</em> photo courtesy of Derecktor Shipyard</span></div>
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Why am I featuring this strikingly beautiful yacht here? First, this yacht was constructed in Bridgeport, Connecticut of all places, not in Europe at one of the more famous yards noted for their mega-yacht builds. Derecktor Shipyards has constructed the largest yacht built in the United States, and it was built in my home state! In fact, it was practically constructed under my nose, yet it completely escaped my roving eyes until it was launched.</div>
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<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QzzhEfmxYpo/TXhC2EMe7oI/AAAAAAAAAqg/06ti845Emg8/s1600/Cakewalk4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" q6="true" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QzzhEfmxYpo/TXhC2EMe7oI/AAAAAAAAAqg/06ti845Emg8/s640/Cakewalk4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Since 2004, I have been making a regular trip to Long Island for my project at Cold Spring Harbor Labs, taking Interstate 95 into New York City in the very early hours, spending the day out on Long Island, and then battling the traffic home in the afternoon. The Derecktor yard is readily visible from Interstate 95, but most times, it was either too dark to notice on the drive in, but quite the opposite on the return drive. Often, with traffic at a crawl, I could get a good long glimpse of the yard, usually filled with various commercial craft with the occasional large yacht. Sometime in the spring of 2010, during one of my return trips, the door to the large shed was open and I recall wondering just what I saw inside. It was definitely a large mega-yacht, but it was a puzzle what it was doing in this yard at this time of year when it should be off cruising in warmer waters.<br />
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Fast forward to the summer of 2010. August 10, 2010 would be a special day. I had to make the usual trek in to the Lab to deliver drawings and take as-built measurements and photographs of a new project on the campus. I would not be accompanied by anyone from work, but instead with my son Ryan, who would get to see what I have been working on for such a long time. With absolutely perfect weather, we drove in and made haste in performing my tasks, with Ryan getting his first taste of holding the "dumb end" of the tape. He was clearly not impressed with the job, but I promised we'd go for a tour of the the newly opened Upper Campus Lab complex. If we did not spend too much time there, we could drive further East on Long Island and pick up the Port Jefferson Ferry for a different way home. Of course, I was detained a bit in the building since I ran into the contractors, who were still working on final touches. It would be a close call to make it on the ferry. We ended up being the second to last car to board the ferry and it was departing the dock before we could get out of the car. It was then I told Ryan that if we missed it, we'd have had to wait another full hour for the next ferry.<br />
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<a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-fJGa3LEPmlU/TXhKJqcreMI/AAAAAAAAAqk/B5X6YPCEOqI/s1600/Port+Jeff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" q6="true" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-fJGa3LEPmlU/TXhKJqcreMI/AAAAAAAAAqk/B5X6YPCEOqI/s640/Port+Jeff.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
For me, I cannot pass up any opportunity to get on the water and today, we were going to take the Port Jefferson <em>Park City</em> car ferry back to Bridgeport, Connecticut, making the short trip across Long Island Sound. While not much of a time saver since the ferry is NOT one of those high speed jet drive catamarans, we were back on the water with picture perfect weather to boot. Ryan was quick to point out that this was actually the first time the both of us had been back on a ship since our final trip on QE2 in October of 2008; way too long to be away from the water.<br />
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<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-M-5ipQhiIuI/TXhMjswIUhI/AAAAAAAAAqo/qxLzUgh_edw/s1600/Port+Jeff1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" q6="true" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-M-5ipQhiIuI/TXhMjswIUhI/AAAAAAAAAqo/qxLzUgh_edw/s640/Port+Jeff1.jpg" width="424" /></a></div>
Now there's a familiar shot! Yes, the <em>Park City</em> has exposed bridge wings and those life raft canisters are so reminiscent of those on the rear deck of QE2.<br />
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I've taken this ferry several times before for work, and today, the seas were like glass, unlike the last time, which I recall was shortly after my QE2 January 2008 Transatlantic Crossing. Winds were howling and the shallow depths of Long Island Sound whipped up the seas for an interesting hour long trip. Plodding along in seas maybe 10 feet high, she was rolling considerably. Co-workers ribbed me when I had to shut the laptop and go up deck for some air. I make an Atlantic Crossing in January without incident, but I go green on a little jaunt across the Sound in seas that weren't that bad...go figure.<br />
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Today was the complete opposite; very warm, little wind, and dead calm seas. Still, there was that smell of salt air and the occasional whiff of diesel exhaust from the funnel. Call me crazy, but I just love the smell of diesel exhaust and sea air! Yeah, I love the smell of diesel in the morning too.....Granted, the smell is a bit different that the heavy bunker grade fuel used on cruise ships such as QE2 or QM2, it still is a "good" smell to me.<br />
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The <em>Park City</em> appeared to be twin screw, but from way it maneuvered and all the noise and vibration felt in the deck below our feet, it appeared to have bow and stern thrusters. There would be no tug assists on this mini "crossing" of sorts!<br />
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To the left, Ryan's doing his version of a "funnel run," something we never got to experience on QE2.<br />
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Reliving our favorite moments on QE2 spent watching the sea from the "bit beneath the bridge", we made our way to the same spot on <em>Park City</em>. She's got a bit of a different foredeck for sure since the bow swings up to allow the cars below to exit upon arrival. Still, with the wind on our faces, we were approaching port, but not anticipating any crowds cheering and waving as we approach the pier. The chimney stack in the distance is the power plant located in Bridgeport harbor, our final destination, which seemed to take forever to arrive at. <em>Park City</em> is no speed queen! I asked one of the deck hands what her cruising speed was, and he stated it was 16 knots. It felt more like 10.<br />
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Bridgeport harbor is very much a working harbor, with Derecktor Shipyard and other commercial piers, mainly with local fishing boats tied up. As we made it into the breakwater, Derecktor's appeared off our starboard bow, with a large floating drydock and boat shed dominating the horizon.<br />
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Just beyond the drydock, I could make out a large yacht. We were going to get a closer look as we approached the pier and perhaps I could make out a name.<br />
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What was this thing? It was very out of place for here I thought. Perhaps the yacht had to make emergency repairs. This is a Derecktor yard, who's other yard in Newport was famous for America's Cup racing sailboats, most notably Dennis Conner's <em>Stars and Stripes</em>, which successfully brought the Cup back home to the States. It never occurred to me they would actually build a yacht of this caliber here. <br />
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Wow! What a striking profile and pleasing set of lines, but no name yet. Today was August 10, 2010. Incredibly, the yacht was only launched two days before on August 8th. I'd have to wait several more months until I saw a write-up of <em><a href="http://www.derecktor.com/news/press/cakewalk_launch.html">Cakewalk</a></em> in a boating magazine to find out the details of this very special vessel. <em>Cakewalk</em> was proudly built by this Bridgeport yard by local craftsman, hidden away in the large shed during most of her construction. She is 281 feet long and is the largest yacht ever built in America. Check out more beautiful images on her own <a href="http://www.my-cakewalk.com/">website</a>.<br />
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Still following along and wondering what's the real significance with this yacht and QE2? Interestingly, the yacht's hull is constructed in steel, with her superstructure done in aluminum, just as in the case of QE2. The mirror-like finish of the steel hull is a testament to all who labored on her construction. Cakewalk had both a yacht designer and a naval architect, as well as an interior designer on the design team, similar to QE2's design team. Designer Tim Haywood crafted the look of the yacht, with the naval architecture handled by Azure Naval Architects, and interior design by Dalton Designs. <br />
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Tim Haywood previously worked for over 20 years for Jon Bannenberg Ltd., a designer of megayachts and whom QE2 fanatics will recognize as one of the designers responsible for some of the interiors of the original QE2. While Tim did not work for Jon at the time QE2 was on the drafting boards, he worked with Jon before his death and influence of his style is very much evident in the lines of <em>Cakewalk</em>. More on his bio and clips can be found<a href="http://www.my-cakewalk.com/bios/project-bios.php"> here</a>.<br />
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Azure Naval Architects, responsible for the hydrodynamics and engineering of the yacht, are located in the Netherlands. Unbelievably, they too have a QE2 connection. Browsing their website, low and behold, there was a photo of QE2 in their <a href="http://www.azure-na.com/projects.html">projects </a>section, listed under "refits." Apparently they were hired by Nakheel to perform engineering for the yet to be accomplished, hopefully stillborn, plan to convert the ship to a floating hotel. Note to self; contact them for a future blog post if they are willing to divulge any details on their QE2 project.<br />
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August 10th would not be the last we'd see of Cakewalk, however. During our January 2011 Caribbean Calypso cruise on QM2, I recognized the distinctive blue hull while on our way to the aerial tram in St. Thomas. There she was in the harbor, off the bow and dwarfed by the futuristic looking Ruby Princess and sharing the pier with NCL's butt ugly Norwegian Jewel. Queen Mary 2 can be seen off in the distance at the Havensight pier in the aerial photo. <em>(This deepwater pier was not built at the time we called at this port on our first trip on QE2 in 2000. QE2 anchored between the islands and we tendered in to the pier.)</em><br />
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While on the tram, we witnessed the Ruby depart the pier unaided, churning up the sandy bottom, and giving us a bird's eye view of our Connecticut built mega-yacht <em>Cakewalk</em>. This time, her name was clearly visible. <br />
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<em>Cakewalk</em> is available for charter for a cool million a week.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16505720008360910233noreply@blogger.com1