16.8.2015 At Sea en Route to Halifax

Shortly after I posted yesterdays blog the captain announced via the ships public

address system that the search for the missing crew member was unsuccessful and has been stopped

due to the fog and the henceforth very bad visibility. A sad occurrence of this trip.

 

From todays nautical information made available to passengers in the “Daily Programme”:

"After completing our great circle track QM 2 will initially set a westerly course, passing to 

the north of the final resting place of the infamous White Star liner Titanic, which lies

in position 41(o) 43’ North 049(o) 56’ West, before altering to the North West towards

Sable Island. Our track will take app. 26 nautical miles north of the crescent shaped island

as we set course towards the Halifax pilot station"

This schedule is due to the search for the crew member delayed by abut 6-8 hours and in

todays noon nautical information announcement the captain mentioned that instead of reaching

Halifax tomorrow morning at around 5:30 local time it will nowbe around noon. The delay is also

impacted by very strong headwinds despite the fact that the QM 2 is steaming ahead at almost

max speed of 23 knots.

 

Live on board is impacted by the outside weather as well. Till the very early hours of this

afternoon thick fog impacted visibility and the strong winds made a leisurely stroll on the promenade

deck a challenge.

Fortunately they have a fantastic daily programme which had the following for me in store:

- a Line Dance Class

- a keynote “Piracy and Terror in the 21st century” by Douglas R.Burgess

- Cinema: “Hot Pursuit” with Reese Witherspoon. 

Also the culinary events are worth mentioning: Sea Food Dinner tonight. Lobster, shrimps, mussels etc.etc.

I enjoyed a large glass of Pinot Grigio with this feast.

Again we have to switch the clocks back tonight. Should now be GMT - 3.

 

A little side note: whilst internet connectivity is possible it is not like at home.The signal goes from the ship

to a satellite 22’000 miles above the earth. The data then bounces down to an earth routing station where

once request goes into the world. The response takes the same 22’000 mile route back. This means that the

online minutes one has to buy are been used rather quickly by just getting and answering emails.

Please keep this in mind should you have send me emails since I left Southampton. I will reply as soon as I 

reached the mainland.

Hence I have only updated this blog and the journey map.

15.8.2015 At Sea en Route To Halifax

From todays nautical information made available to passengers in the “Daily Programme”:

"Today we will pass over the Grand Banks of Newfoundland where the water rapidly shallows 

from over 3000 metres to less than 60 meters in parts. The Grand Banks form part of the 

continental shelf extending from Newfoundland and North America. Known for both its

abundance of marine life as well as infamous patches of “low lying clouds”." 

This was the agenda for today which started rather foggy and windy.

Unfortunately the nautical plan for today changed later in the morning completely when 

a staff member was called via the public address system several times. Then the captain

announced that the crew member has been searched for  without success and is deemed 

to be over board. The QM 2 would therefore reverse to a position the ship had earlier today.

In the early afternoon the captain informed the passengers that in conjunction with Cunards

emergency team and the Canadian Coast Guard when would reverse a bit further and then 

with the help of a nearby ship do a structured search until sunset By the time I am writing this

daily blog this search wasn’t completed yet.

On my map you can only see the positions we had at around 8:30 this morning and at 17:30.

Please check back tomorrow the get the latest.

Nevertheless the available time on board I spend attending

- a speech by Ambassador Chase Untermeyer about “Inside the White House. A virtual tour.” and

- an interview of Dr. Robert Gates ( former US Defence Secretary ) which gave some interesting

  insights about the foreign policy of the US or rather their partly non existence.

- The cultural highlight today was opera “ Carmen”. A 3D screening of an Royal Opera House 

   production in 7.1 Dolby Stereo. A fantastic experience before dinner.

I closed the day in the on-board “Golden Lion” pub with a nice pint of “Old Speckled Hen” brewed

by my very local Kentish brewer Shepherds Neame.

Tonight we are again switching the clocks back by one hour.

 

 

 

14.8.2015 At Sea en Route To Halifax

From todays nautical information made available to passengers in the “Daily Programme”:

“During the early hours of this morning QM 2 continued on her great circle track towards the

Grand Banks of Newfoundland. Our track this evening will take us over some of the deepest

sections of the Atlantic itself with soundings in this area of more than 4500 metres or 2.5 miles.

QM 2 will also pass the Flamish Cap later on this evening, a shallow of about 102 metres in the

otherwise 3500 metre deep ocean floor."

The day started slightly foggy, wet and with winds in gale force. Again: thanks to the ships

stabilisers the movement if very very moderate. Still now motion sickness tablets necessary.

Due to the weather conditions I spend a bit more time in the gym and explored after a nice

( but healthy breakfast ) the ships library. More then 10’000 books are available to be loaned out 

or read in the very ambient surroundings of the library.

Nevertheless other entertaining and cultural events I enjoyed today:

- A fruit and vegetable carving demonstration by three of the ships chefs. 

- Two lectures: “The Golden Age of Piracy Part 2” by Dr. Douglas R. Burgess and the most

   interesting one “Middle East: The Past is Present” by the former US ambassador to Quatar

   Chase Untermeyer. He give some very interesting insight about the past’s influence of toadys

   situation in the Middle East. Many things eye-opening.

- After two formal nights ( formal as far as the dress code in concerned ) in the ships main restaurant

  today was informal, still requiring a jacket for the gentlemen, cocktail dress, stylish separates or

  equivilent for ladies. So I decided to participate in this very stylish surrounding. As an appetiser 

  I enjoyed a pre-dinner show in the ships theatre: “Swing, Swing, Swing” featuring the multi-instrumentalist

 Michael Grant and the Cunards Royal Court Theatre Orchestra. A wonderful blend of pieces by Benny

 Goodman, Acker Bilk, Paul Desmond and Gershwin. 

 This was followed by a great dinner. I choose a somewhat traditional English fair: Mulligatawny soup,

 Roast Beef with horse-radish source and as pudding Eaton Mess. A wonderful Merlot made this even

 more enjoyable.

 After a short walk back to my room: lights out.

 Let’s see what there is on the agenda for tomorrow.

 BTW: Tonight we do NOT have to switch the clocks back.

13.8.2015 At Sea en Route To Halifax

From todays nautical information made available to passengers in the “Daily Programme"

( distributed to ones stateroom):

"The initial stages of our voyage across the North Atlantic Ocean will have taken us from the

Southern coast of England and out into the Celtic Sea on a great circle. Additionally during 

the afternoon we will be crossing over the Maxwell Fracture Zone, which is a large undersea

mountain range forming part of the Mid Atlantic Ridge. Here, depth can shallow out to less

then 1000 meters before deepening again quickly to over 3000 meters."

The day started very dull. Lots of clouds and and very windy. Gale force is mentioned in the

on-board TV meteo. Thanks to the ships size and stabilisers the movement if very very moderate.

No motion sickness pills yet.

After 10 a.m. the sun came out and bit a sheltered sunbathing was possible.

What else did I do today:

- Gym of course whereby lots of steps have to be climbed in getting from floor to floor.

- Two very keynote speeches:

  “The Golden Age of Piracy Part 1” by Prof.Douglas R. Burgess jr. and, this was the most

  interesting one, a speech by Dr.Robert Gates, former US Defence Secretary under the Bush

  and Obama administration, about his experiences under both presidents and his views on the

way America’s government - White House, cabinet agencies and Congress - works and too

often does not work. Brilliant experience !

- Cinema: “Second Best Marigold Hotel” with Maggie Smith, Judy Dench, Bill Nighy etc.

  I ave already seen it but enjoyed the movie even the second time.

- Shownight in the ships very own “Royal Theatre”; Viva Italia, featuring The Royal Cunard Singers

and Dancers. Very good and a fantastic event to close the day.

 

Another daily experience if the testing of the ships whistles: every day at noon they are been tested,

all four of them separately and then together. Quite a sounding experience.

The picture is the daily midday navigation communication made available.

 

Again we have to switch the clocks back by one hour before retiring.

12.8.2015 First day on sea

From todays nautical information made available to passengers in the “Daily Programme"

( distributed to ones stateroom):

"After disembarking our Southampton pilot yesterday evening, QM 2 sailed into the English

Channel and set westerly courses paralleling the southern English coast. During the

evening QM 2 passed south of the Bill of Portland  and Start Point. By the early hours of

the morning we will be to the South of Bishop Rock, marking the traditional start of the

transatlantic passage towards our destination of Halifax."

The day started with bright sunshine which lasted the whole day. A light breeze and a

temperature of 19-20 C made it a very pleasant day.

What did I do today ? 

- Exploring the ship. 10 decks !

- Keynote speech about “The UK-US Special Relationship” by the former US Ambassador

  in Quatar Chase Untermeyer

- Classical Piano Recital with pieces by Mozart, Chopin, Bach and Rachmaninoff

- Movie at the ship’s cinema: The Furious Seven” 

- Exercised in the gym

- Sunbathing in a deckchair

Finished the day in the “Golden Lion Pub” …….

First day was a great ! Let’s see what tomorrow brings.

 

Departure Day

Well on time I arrived at Southampton Central Station to be treated by the Cunard shuttle service

which brought me straight to the Ocean Terminal.

Immediately on arrival once luggage was taken away from you. It appeared later in your cabin ( Cunard

calls them stateroom ).

After a short wait the very efficient check-in process turned to me. Passport was checked, Health

Declaration completed and, most importantly my credit card details stored.

Having received  my ID-Card the next step was securities check. Like on an airport.

Finally I was able to board the ship.

Wow !

I will publish some pictures during the next days.

17:00 All Aboard. The gangway is raised and shortly afterwards the Queen Mary 2 sails for Halifax, a

distance of 2601 nautical miles.

( 1 nautical mile equals 1.15 statute miles, or 1.85 km ).

Dinner was at 18:00 in the Britannia Restaurant. Nice people at my table ( with bad table manners [ Americans ! ] ,

fantastic food and a great wine selection ( at cost, soft drinks are free ).

By the time dinner had finished the ship was out of the solent and the Isle of Wight was visible on the horizon.

Too late for the on-board cinema or the show I retired after this already exciting day to my room to write todays blog

post.

The day has come

Departure Day !

Things are packed, house is locked down : I am ready and excited.

11:02 I am leaving from Sidcup Station for Southampton for my embarkation 

slot at 14:00.

 

Stay tuned