Live from QM2, in transit to New York

[capnpugwash]

Live from Queen Mary 2. In transit to New York.

 

 

I don't know if it is kids in general or just my two, they seem to attract my socks. It is probably my fault because I generally do not wear them. This is my little rebellion after wearing socks all my life in the City, once I hit 44 and started working for myself in the City, I would only wear socks if I had to weara suit, since 2001 and working from home, I seldom wear a suit hence no socks. This leads to complacency by the children as I haven't mentioned socks for months. They feel they can wear them with impunity, which is exactly what they do. I could only find one pair today so I thought that I would venture to Marks & Spencer to obtain a pack of 7 pairs. My sister kindly drove me to Southampton and we had to juggle our departure time with the visit to Marks and the 2 minutes silence for Armistice Day. Mission accomplished but what a truly wintry day. Cold as charity with low grey clouds and not a peek at the sun.

 

 

As we arrived at Gate 4 the ship, which was bow on, looked absolutely magnificent. We drove to Dock 46 and I unloaded my bags and said farewell to my sister. Other than cab drivers, I have never experienced the wrench of parting at a ship. It was quite an emotional moment which gave me pause to ponder. I found a porter and he grabbed my two bags, a pound coin and off he went, happy as larry. I went into the terminal and it was packed, my cousin was there herding the crowds, she works for Cunard and part time for the Port on days like today.

A quick kiss and a hug and I was at the Platinum desk, 5 minutes later I walked through the metal detector without incident and 5 minutes later I was on board and walking up two flights to Deck 5. It was not quite 1pm by now. The cabin was ready as they tend to be nowadays so I dropped off my briefcase and went to the King's Court for a little bowl of spicy chicken, steamed fish and rice in the Lotus section. fantastic food and not too heavy.

 

 

I went to the Boat Drill and bumped into a couple of friends who didn't know I was travelling so they got a shock which was fun. Afterwards we went out for the sailaway, but we were delayed by two late arriving passengers, only half an hour. But it was cold and the draft was across the stern. I waited until we had let go all lines and backed out and then I went in search of hot coffee.

 

 

We are now steaming along Southampton Water and I am so comfortably esconced in me In-Hull cabin. I really think they take a lot of beating. The Captain is Nick Bates and the Entertainment Director is Ray Rouse. I do hope that they come up with some original wit but my past experience makes me think that this is unlikely. We will probably have 6 days of the same old jokes again. I like Nick to talk to but he just needs to use different extracts from Mr O'Shaughnessy's book.

 

 

It is 6pm now so I fancy a warming shower, getting changed and a a few sharp ones in the Chart Room. I will speak to you later.

[pepperrn]

Have a great voyage, looking forward to your informative and witty reports as always.

 

Bon Voyage cap'n

[Mudhen]

Take good care of her........we'll be boarding next week in NY. Have a wonderful crossing!

[Carnevale]

Thanks for the update! Like Mudhen, we'll be boarding next week too so we'll be following your posts with great interest. Are you carrying on for the Caribbean cruise?

[Host Sharon]

I hope you enjoyed your martinis! Have a good trip. Perhaps you should buy a new book for Cap'n Bates!

[Oahucruiser]

A friend who is on your crossing said that Captain Bates announced that the seas are, and will be, "boisterous" for 36 hours. Enjoy the ride!

[Cruise Liner Fan]

Live from Queen Mary 2. In transit to New York.

 

 

I don't know if it is kids in general or just my two, they seem to attract my socks. It is probably my fault because I generally do not wear them. This is my little rebellion after wearing socks all my life in the City, once I hit 44 and started working for myself in the City, I would only wear socks if I had to weara suit, since 2001 and working from home, I seldom wear a suit hence no socks. This leads to complacency by the children as I haven't mentioned socks for months. They feel they can wear them with impunity, which is exactly what they do. I could only find one pair today so I thought that I would venture to Marks & Spencer to obtain a pack of 7 pairs. My sister kindly drove me to Southampton and we had to juggle our departure time with the visit to Marks and the 2 minutes silence for Armistice Day. Mission accomplished but what a truly wintry day. Cold as charity with low grey clouds and not a peek at the sun.

 

 

As we arrived at Gate 4 the ship, which was bow on, looked absolutely magnificent. We drove to Dock 46 and I unloaded my bags and said farewell to my sister. Other than cab drivers, I have never experienced the wrench of parting at a ship. It was quite an emotional moment which gave me pause to ponder. I found a porter and he grabbed my two bags, a pound coin and off he went, happy as larry. I went into the terminal and it was packed, my cousin was there herding the crowds, she works for Cunard and part time for the Port on days like today.

A quick kiss and a hug and I was at the Platinum desk, 5 minutes later I walked through the metal detector without incident and 5 minutes later I was on board and walking up two flights to Deck 5. It was not quite 1pm by now. The cabin was ready as they tend to be nowadays so I dropped off my briefcase and went to the King's Court for a little bowl of spicy chicken, steamed fish and rice in the Lotus section. fantastic food and not too heavy.

 

 

I went to the Boat Drill and bumped into a couple of friends who didn't know I was travelling so they got a shock which was fun. Afterwards we went out for the sailaway, but we were delayed by two late arriving passengers, only half an hour. But it was cold and the draft was across the stern. I waited until we had let go all lines and backed out and then I went in search of hot coffee.

 

 

We are now steaming along Southampton Water and I am so comfortably esconced in me In-Hull cabin. I really think they take a lot of beating. The Captain is Nick Bates and the Entertainment Director is Ray Rouse. I do hope that they come up with some original wit but my past experience makes me think that this is unlikely. We will probably have 6 days of the same old jokes again. I like Nick to talk to but he just needs to use different extracts from Mr O'Shaughnessy's book.

 

 

It is 6pm now so I fancy a warming shower, getting changed and a a few sharp ones in the Chart Room. I will speak to you later.

Jim, Enjoy your crossing :) Regards,Jerry

[capnpugwash]

art 2

 

 

The dinner table that I have been assigned to is a hosted table, not that anyone was in evidence last night. Apparently they only show up on formal nights. This is a new experience for most of us on the table. I will let you know how things go. My table companions are fine and we chatted until 10.45 before anyone left.

 

 

I went to the Commodore Club last night after dinner and found a few old friends working there and a couple more turned up on my side of the bar. Nice conversation with everyone. They have new Martinis. They call them Molecular. Basically this means that the drink is mixed very similarly to before but it is completed with a gelatin like spray of another ingredient. It is reminiscent of Irish Coffee, where the coffee is drunk through the cream, same deal. They talk of deconstructing the martini and then reassembling it in a different form, perhaps but that sounds to me like the sales spiel of an encyclopaedia or double glazing salesman. The jury is out from my perspective.

 

 

I woke this morning at 6.30 and there is a bit of a sea running, only 6 to 8 feet, but it isn't calm. The ship is wobbling a little driving into a force 5 headwind and I wonder if the stabilisers have been deployed. It is really nothing but I have never noticed any movement on the QM2 in the past. We are only making 12 knots through the water.

 

 

It is a misty morning which will probably clear but the barometer is falling and I think that we may get some heavier weather later today. We have 2863 miles to go to New York.

[Cruachan]

Stone me Capn', you don't let the grass grow under your feet do you? I didn't even realise you were back at sea yet again. Hope you are having a terrific time - it certainly sounds like you are.

 

J

[Highly Sociable]

Gosh Jim, are you going for Bea muellers record of number of days on board?

 

I'm only jealous!

 

I had one of the new martinis when we were on board a few weeks ago, but only one. I was soon back on the old favourites. Say hello to Ronan from Norman please. He was brilliant when we did the Round Britain trip and spent ages with him, discussing the cigars. We also met Eva and David who are now in G32, but Pip has resigned and apparently bought a bar in South Africa.

 

Please keep up with the daily reports. Only 9 months until our next trip (unless we manage to sneak a little one in before then ;))

 

Jane

[Pemcorgimum]

Those Martinis do sound strange- but you could have fun sampling them - enjoy the crossing Jim and hope it's not too bumpy- the weather you are going through is forecast for us tomorrow and Saturday with strong winds and rain.

[Highly Sociable]

Have posted a private message for you on facebook, if you get chance to read it.

 

Jane

[Bispham Boo]

Jim

glad you're back on board again. Have a great time, and have a martini (or 3) for me and a Bombay and tonic for Paul.

[MCC retired]

We tried one of those Molecular Martini's on our recent QM2 cruise .

Served by 2 bar waiters in the Commodore Club , one with the martini , the other with the bottle of whatever it was to spray on top.

It's was OK , but at $9 a drink , it was our last one for that trip.

Back to the Golden Lion for us ,for those limited edition British ale's and great draft beers .

[Finch]

Thank you, Jim, for sharing your trip with us; it will be a treat! Safe trip to you, all the way to NY.

[capnpugwash]

Thank you all for your comments now for

 

Part 3

 

 

The swell of the ocean really increased in severity although not in wave height, we had the usual meet and greet in the Commodore Club this afternoon, with about 50 attendees, it was nice to see so many people that I have met on other crossings and to put faces to names. The rise and fall of the ship's bow was about 20 feet and as it came crashing down the spray flew up in the air to be caught by the wind and blown apart. I was sitting with my back to the window and actually began to feel a little queasy. It is true what people say that having the horizon in sight really obviates seasickness. After the meeting I went down to Deck 5 and stood on my balcony looking at the sea and horizon for about 20 minutes and I was back to my normal cheerful self.

 

 

The weather and sea conditions were unchanged throughout the afternoon and it is now time to dress for the first formal evening, it is also the passenger cocktail party tonight but I feel like playing truant and skipping it. I do realize that I am missing out on a couple of free cocktails but I really am not keen on these massive get-togethers.

 

 

I am looking forward to dinner as I skipped lunch today, so I am quite hungry and ready to eat, additionally it will be a new experience with our host being present. It was suggested last night and all agreed that we would switch places at the table each evening which I have always thought to be a good idea.

 

 

We had dinner with one of the Ship's Doctors called Jacques, he is a charming South African from Capetown, he supplied us with white and red wine which was very pleasant, although he mostly drank Coke for some inexplicable reason. We finished eating and chatting until almost 11pm and then I retired to the Commodore Club. It was fairly quiet in the bar and I only stayed for a couple of drinks and then headed for my cabin.

[pepperrn]

Thank you, great to hear all about QM2's progress and weather/sea conditions. Very informative. I shall look forward to reading more.

 

I've also had the pleasure of a hosted table. You may find that the host changes for each formal night. That's what happened at my table. All of them very entertaining.

 

I hope all continues to go well for you and QM2, thanks again.

[capnpugwash]

Part 4

 

 

It is now around 4am and the sea has increased to rough with 12 foot waves and a force 6 wind. My cabin is on deck 5 and I was woken by the slight rolling and pitching of the ship. We are cutting through the water at 25 knots, the barometer continues to fall. I have just noticed that it is Friday 13th, still it is good that I am not superstitious – mind you someone on board might be, oops.

 

 

We have 2,325 miles left to travel to New York. This sounds like a lot but we seem to be eating them up – 538 since yesterday.

 

 

It is approaching breakfast time now and the weather and sea remain the same with white horses skipping from wave to wave. The door panels are all shaking and making a deal of noise as the ship continues to gyrate. There is sea spray blowing past my in-hull balcony on deck 5 and having ventured out into the cold morning air I find that it is the spume from the bow-wave being caught and whipped up by the wind. I can't remember seeing this before, but perhaps I just haven't noticed before. This may be what makes the balcony deck damp some days.

 

 

You may recall that on previous posts I have mentioned that I always suspected that drinking the ship's desalinated water made my ankles swell due to excess salt, in the past every Officer that I have mentioned it to has dismissed it as an urban myth. Well last evening Doctor Jacques, whilst explaining the contents of the engine room went on to discuss the desalination plant and, bless me, if he dfidn't say-totally unsolicited that the water produced is so pure as to have no taste so in order to make it more palatable they add a little salt!! So there you are, the truth will out.

[Seachase20]

Part 4

 

 

It is now around 4am and the sea has increased to rough with 12 foot waves and a force 6 wind. My cabin is on deck 5 and I was woken by the slight rolling and pitching of the ship. We are cutting through the water at 25 knots, the barometer continues to fall. I have just noticed that it is Friday 13th, still it is good that I am not superstitious – mind you someone on board might be, oops.

 

 

We have 2,325 miles left to travel to New York. This sounds like a lot but we seem to be eating them up – 538 since yesterday.

 

 

It is approaching breakfast time now and the weather and sea remain the same with white horses skipping from wave to wave. The door panels are all shaking and making a deal of noise as the ship continues to gyrate. There is sea spray blowing past my in-hull balcony on deck 5 and having ventured out into the cold morning air I find that it is the spume from the bow-wave being caught and whipped up by the wind. I can't remember seeing this before, but perhaps I just haven't noticed before. This may be what makes the balcony deck damp some days.

 

 

You may recall that on previous posts I have mentioned that I always suspected that drinking the ship's desalinated water made my ankles swell due to excess salt, in the past every Officer that I have mentioned it to has dismissed it as an urban myth. Well last evening Doctor Jacques, whilst explaining the contents of the engine room went on to discuss the desalination plant and, bless me, if he dfidn't say-totally unsolicited that the water produced is so pure as to have no taste so in order to make it more palatable they add a little salt!! So there you are, the truth will out.

 

So enjoying your posts, especially when the weather is interesting. Re the ship's water: I have to agree with you. And also remember a ship's officer - one of the doctors, I think - on QE2 saying that the constant though un-noticed vibration underfoot causes the water in one's system to be "shaken" down to one's ankles. One solution back then was to stuff one's lifejacket under the mattress at the foot of the bed, thus raising one's feet a little.

[Trainman52]

Part 4

You may recall that on previous posts I have mentioned that I always suspected that drinking the ship's desalinated water made my ankles swell due to excess salt, in the past every Officer that I have mentioned it to has dismissed it as an urban myth. Well last evening Doctor Jacques, whilst explaining the contents of the engine room went on to discuss the desalination plant and, bless me, if he dfidn't say-totally unsolicited that the water produced is so pure as to have no taste so in order to make it more palatable they add a little salt!! So there you are, the truth will out.

And that is why they call sailors, "old salts". :D

 

 

Ride those waves safely and we'll see you in N.Y. where it is currently overcast and quite windy.

[ovccruiser]

Excellent and informative as ever Cap'n. Friday the 13th has no worries for me, in fact 13 is my lucky nymber. My mother was born on Friday 13th, my 13th birthday was on a Friday and my old house number when I lived with my parents was 13. I beleive your current storm is heading for the UK and should reach the South West later today:( we are expecting 25 to 40mm of rain this afternoon.

 

Enjoy your cruise

 

The very envious.....

[Mattsmum]

I love reading your reports, hopefully you will be fit and well throughout this one :).

[stopgo]

What Cruise is Pugwash on now ? is this an additional one not on his list or am I missing something. Thought is next one was the 28 day Xmas Cruise.

[gometros]

You may recall that on previous posts I have mentioned that I always suspected that drinking the ship's desalinated water made my ankles swell due to excess salt, in the past every Officer that I have mentioned it to has dismissed it as an urban myth. Well last evening Doctor Jacques, whilst explaining the contents of the engine room went on to discuss the desalination plant and, bless me, if he dfidn't say-totally unsolicited that the water produced is so pure as to have no taste so in order to make it more palatable they add a little salt!! So there you are, the truth will out.

 

Does that make it re-desalinated water? :D

 

Cap'n can you please explain what is a hosted table?

[cruisegal101]

What Cruise is Pugwash on now ? is this an additional one not on his list or am I missing something. Thought is next one was the 28 day Xmas Cruise.

 

He is on a WB crossing on QM2.