Capnpugwash is back on the high seas, BTB on QM2

[rgaudet]

Cap'n, for future reference, so I'm hopefully not one of those people going against the flow of traffic on Deck 7: does the flow generally go clockwise or counterclockwise? Or is it just random depending on the day and time and who's out there?

 

It was counter clockwise all week on my voyage. I went out for a jog and just starting going clockwise. It was immediately apparent I was going against the grain. Not wanted to have to wave to people on each lap, I turned around!

[donamae]

Well....Cap'n...my confusion has passed, thank you for the explanation. I have checked your 'upcoming' and it seems you will be cruising B2B on QM2 all summer!!!! I then checked your profile to find you have listed as occupation .... 'Insurance'....hmmmm,does that mean you are sailing on the proceeds, as surely that is not your profession because the 'time off' days are so excessive. Or maybe you are a high profile member of British Royalty who travels 'incognito'...(just kidding) I am so envious of the wonderful lifestyle you are able to enjoy.

Bottom line, all kidding aside, as a Canadian, fellow member of the Commonwealth, and proud of it, I do admire your wonderful sense of humor, and look so forward to following your adventures.

Reading your posts reminds me so much of listening to my Mum, Nana & Grandpa, who were all from Essex, and also loved to tell stories. Just wish we could join you for dinner, on board of course.

Happy sailing!

dm

[capnpugwash]

Well....Cap'n...my confusion has passed, thank you for the explanation. I have checked your 'upcoming' and it seems you will be cruising B2B on QM2 all summer!!!! I then checked your profile to find you have listed as occupation .... 'Insurance'....hmmmm,does that mean you are sailing on the proceeds, as surely that is not your profession because the 'time off' days are so excessive. Or maybe you are a high profile member of British Royalty who travels 'incognito'...(just kidding) I am so envious of the wonderful lifestyle you are able to enjoy.

Bottom line, all kidding aside, as a Canadian, fellow member of the Commonwealth, and proud of it, I do admire your wonderful sense of humor, and look so forward to following your adventures.

Reading your posts reminds me so much of listening to my Mum, Nana & Grandpa, who were all from Essex, and also loved to tell stories. Just wish we could join you for dinner, on board of course.

Happy sailing!

dm

 

Well I wish that I was travelling on the proceeds but I still work, I am fortunate that I can work anywhere so here is as good as it gets.

 

Update No 3

 

The meeting was fairly well attended with around 30 people there and Mary Ann had done an excellent job organising it, we all had name tags and there were some very nice people there. It is nice to put faces to names at last.

Tonight was our first formal night and was also the welcome aboard cocktail party, I managed to avoid it and had a pleasant couple of drinks in the Chart Room, Russell Holmes was playing the piano and he is so good that it was a pleasure to listen to him, maybe the gin helped! Seriously he is a great pianist and he does a great job.

John Duffy was at dinner tonight and I know that I have said before how nice a man he is, well he was absolutely charming again tonight, the food, wine and company were great. I had some spinach soup and some pasta and it was spot on. It was yet another success for the chefs. After the meal I headed up to the Commodore Club for a nightcap only to find Campbell Simpson tinkling the ivories, it was a great shame as there were very few people there to see him, I don’t know why when we gain an hour a night, but they are the facts.

I mentioned to John Duffy about the rumour that dining times were being altered to give an early and late option to the first and second sittings and he had not heard of this plan, I think that he would have been consulted if this was going to be implemented.

The sea remains slight, we have a rising barometer which should mean good weather, and the temperature is currently 58/14 degrees. The wind is force 5 from the west and we only have 2468 miles to go.

More later.

[Underwatr]

Capn:

Would you please ask the tugboat lady if she was on the QV thru the Panama Canal in March?

If I met her it was one of those one-time encounters in Brittania lunch. Or else my foggy memory is totally shot (and I'm far too young to consider that).

[capnpugwash]

Update No 4

 

It is another beautiful day at sea, the sun is shining, the sea is blue and the waves are tiny. We have a force 5 headwind, a rising barometer and the forecast is for this weather pattern to continue. Today is Sunday June 5th, it is a little after 6am and we are heading west at 18 knots, it is really very sedate. Having gone to the King’s Court for an early breakfast and discovered that they do not seem to have any Weetabix; it was very disappointing but a minor hiccough in the grand scheme of things.

 

It is now approaching 8am and the weather has deteriorated significantly and the blue sea is now grey/green and the clouds have formed causing the air temperature to fall, strangely the wind speed has decreased to a force 3 but it does feel cold, the deck walkers are all wrapped up in their various warm outer layers of clothing. I think that it must have rained a little this morning as there are occasional sheets of water running from the lifeboats suspended above the promenade deck, you could get a nasty shock if this deluge caught you unawares walking around the deck, quite fun really.

 

I was approached by an American lady this morning with whom I have travelled before and she tells me that she has her little Yorkshire terrier dog on board in the kennels, this dog is apparently 21 years old, I always thought that small dogs had a much shorter lifespan than that. She hails from Russia and is a retired nurse living in New York City. She said that she spends all day and most of the night up on deck 12 in the kennels ministering to her little pet. She is says that she is married to a fairly wealthy New Yorker who chooses not to accompany her and her dog; I think that I can understand why! It is quite difficult to hear and understand what she says as she speaks very softly and her voice is also very heavily accented.

 

I am off to the spa soon to start yet another hectic day at sea.

 

More later.

[We2Cruzers]

Thanks Capn for all your interesting observations and posts.

My husband and I will be on the June 10th TA and then travelling through Norway and back on the TA to NY. It's our longest voyage and we're really looking forward to it. Your posts are really keeping me up to date on all things QM2 related as well as the weather. Just wanted to say thanks for that!

[capnpugwash]

On our Christmas cruise ( 12-19-2010) I was a bit disturbed to see dogs on the boat deck and in Kings Court, always thought, dogs were kept in the kennels. These were small dogs, but even small dogs have been known to lift a leg. Any on board this cruise ?

 

Hope you had a great turn out for the CC M&G

 

Give my regards to my good friend Linda and a hug on her upcoming Birthday :)

 

Have a wonderful cruise.

 

Eva

 

I believe that all the kennels are full, maybe 8 or so dogs. :eek:

 

Update No 5

 

The spa was empty and it was great, all the bubbles are quite disconcerting but nonetheless quite pleasant, I spent the best part of an hour amongst them and am certainly re-oxygenated after it, a 20 minute steam left me rejuvenated and clean, but very hot. They have a large bowl of small pieces of ice, this is automatically refilled. I put a couple of handfuls of this ice in a towel and put it around the back of my neck, within 10 minutes my temperature was almost back to normal. I sat for a while in the relaxation area listening to an audio book and watching the progress of the people on the deck. There is a logic to their progress and it does seem that they walk or run from the bow to the stern on the port side and from the stern to the bow on the starboard deck. This is basically an anti-clockwise motion, but there were still 3 or 4 oddballs who insisted on running against the flow, I have absolutely no idea why they would do this as they can’t fail to notice what they are doing, maybe they thrive on confrontation.

 

It is 11am and the sun is shining brightly, gentle winds and a slight sea. I think that I am going to have to go and find a deckchair for a couple of hours. I have just returned to my cabin, only to find another invitation to dine at the Captain’s table this evening, how good is that!

 

More later.

[Pemcorgimum]

Small dogs generally live longer Capn P but 21????

 

According to google, the world's oldest dog ( in 2009) was 21- so.....??

[capnpugwash]

Small dogs generally live longer Capn P but 21????

 

According to google, the world's oldest dog ( in 2009) was 21- so.....??

 

I am convinced that she is exaggerating for some reason,:eek:

[Underwatr]

21 in dog years is 3 in human years...

[rosler28]

21 in dog years is 3 in human years...

 

I think she is saying that the dog is 21 human years old. That is the same as 147 human years.

 

The odd dog will live that long, but not many. In fact, it's probably it's last cruise.

[Q-step]

I think she is saying that the dog is 21 human years old. That is the same as 147 human years.

 

I just realized that in dog years I would have been died over 300 years ago.

[omakim]

only to find another invitation to dine at the Captain’s table this evening, how good is that!

 

I am so overcome with envy. Now I know why I am ignored with my tales of tugboats and enlisted days at sea.

 

All tongue in cheek of course, with the exception of the envy part. Still sorry I'll miss you while you're off the ship in New York 1 July and I board with my grandson for the Halifax/Boston run.

 

Press on regardless.

 

Jon.

[capnpugwash]

Update No 6

 

I went out on deck 7 but every space that was in a sunny position was taken so the only chairs available were in the shade underneath the lifeboats, I tried to sit there but it was just too cool so I thought that I would try deck 12, there were seats there but the sun went behind the burgeoning clouds within 10 minutes, that was that then. It is nearly noon and I will listen to the Captain’s announcement and see what he has to say. He was his normal informative self, and he announced that the clouds are due to clear away some time later this afternoon and we will also be crossing the Mid Atlantic Ridge. This apparently is an undersea range of dormant volcanoes that stretches from near the North Pole all the way down to just below the tip of South Africa and has formed islands like Ascension Island and the Azores and a few more that I can’t remember. The sea is set to remain very calm for most, if not all of the remaining days. I live in hope that he is wrong and that we get a little serious wave action for at least a while over the ensuing days.

 

I can give you a passenger breakdown for this westbound transatlantic, there are 34 countries represented of which 948 are from the USA, 689 from the UK, 418 Germans and 110 Canadians. 87 have made the long journey from Australia and New Zealand and there are 72 Swiss and only 1 Bahamian and 1 Israeli. The total passenger count is 2501, so I think that the ship is almost full. I don’t know what the make up of the crew is but I think that they are from over 100 countries yet they all seem to get on well together, maybe the United Nations could learn something from them!

 

It is 6pm and time to start getting ready for the festivities of the evening, tonight is a formal dress code and is designated as the Black & White ball. The sea and wind conditions are unchanged and the temperature is only 57/14 degrees. We have sailed 1094 miles from Southampton and have 2113 nautical miles to go. Our speed through the water is only a pedestrian 18 knots; this apparently is all that is required to arrive in Brooklyn on time.

 

More later.

[camelotcats]

Capn, So very envious to see you are on board and sailing again! We will be joining you for your journey home as well. You posts certainly add to our excitement!! I look forward to your next installment.

[capnpugwash]

Update No 7

 

I have had the best evening, truth be told I went to the Chart Room too early at around 6.45pm but it was still very pleasant albeit I did have cocktails for 1 hour 45 minutes which was a slight challenge. I was up to it and came through it easily. Dinner was wonderful, Captain Wright was on sparkling form as were most of the other guests and we were the last table to leave the restaurant at just after 11pm. The Captain did confirm that he will retire on June 17th, when we next return to Southampton. I truly hope that he has a long and happy retirement doing whatever he chooses to fill his time.

 

After dinner, I went to the Commodore Club which was remarkably empty, after a couple of their finest mixes I thought that I was due a visit to G32 which was also under attended. I had a chat to the DJ ands he actually understood about how the music being played affected the amount of people dancing, so perhaps the message is getting across.

 

We don’t have a time change tonight which is a shame as it is just after 2am, but there you go, no-one ever said that life was easy.

 

More later.

[Salacia]

Update No 7

 

I have had the best evening, truth be told I went to the Chart Room too early at around 6.45pm but it was still very pleasant albeit I did have cocktails for 1 hour 45 minutes which was a slight challenge. I was up to it and came through it easily. Dinner was wonderful, Captain Wright was on sparkling form as were most of the other guests and we were the last table to leave the restaurant at just after 11pm. The Captain did confirm that he will retire on June 17th, when we next return to Southampton. I truly hope that he has a long and happy retirement doing whatever he chooses to fill his time.

 

After dinner, I went to the Commodore Club which was remarkably empty, after a couple of their finest mixes I thought that I was due a visit to G32 which was also under attended. I had a chat to the DJ ands he actually understood about how the music being played affected the amount of people dancing, so perhaps the message is getting across.

 

We don’t have a time change tonight which is a shame as it is just after 2am, but there you go, no-one ever said that life was easy.

 

More later.

 

Ahoy Cap! Glad to hear you're bearing up!:)

 

Regarding Captain Wright: has he considered working as a double for Robert DeNiro? Might be a bit of fun for him after retirement, and he does have bear a strong resemblance. Needs to work a bit on the accent though. Of course, with a villa and a yacht waiting for him, his retirement is not lacking - may he enjoy it in good health for many years.

 

On a different topic, I've read that some cruise ships have issued a statement regarding precautions related to the E.coli outbreak which appears to have started in Germany. Since your voyage originated in Hamburg, has there been any special precautions/notifications?

 

Lastly, I wish I could have been a fly on the wall when you were discussing the music with the DJ in G32:D

 

Cheers & thanks for posting.

Salacia

[rosler28]

Do you know who is taking over as captain on the 17th?

[hwfiv]

I am so overcome with envy. Now I know why I am ignored with my tales of tugboats and enlisted days at sea.

 

All tongue in cheek of course, with the exception of the envy part. Still sorry I'll miss you while you're off the ship in New York 1 July and I board with my grandson for the Halifax/Boston run.

 

Press on regardless.

 

Jon.

 

Far from it, Jon! My father and I are hoping that we'll somehow find ourselves at the same table as you and your grandson for a meal at some point during our trip, so that you can regale us with those stories of tugboats and enlisted days at sea!! If only Capn would be on our trip as well! That would make it perfect!

[capnpugwash]

Ahoy Cap! Glad to hear you're bearing up!:)

 

Regarding Captain Wright: has he considered working as a double for Robert DeNiro? Might be a bit of fun for him after retirement, and he does have bear a strong resemblance. Needs to work a bit on the accent though. Of course, with a villa and a yacht waiting for him, his retirement is not lacking - may he enjoy it in good health for many years.

 

On a different topic, I've read that some cruise ships have issued a statement regarding precautions related to the E.coli outbreak which appears to have started in Germany. Since your voyage originated in Hamburg, has there been any special precautions/notifications?

 

Lastly, I wish I could have been a fly on the wall when you were discussing the music with the DJ in G32:D

 

Cheers & thanks for posting.

Salacia

 

Cunard only get provisions at certain ports and Hamburg is not on that list, when I boarded salads were not the most popular items in King's Court. I agree that there are great similarities between Mr DeNiro and the current Captain.:eek:

 

@ Rosler.... the new Master will be the Commodore, Christopher Rynd who boards this Friday and takes command on June 17th.

[itstootsie]

Hello Capnpugwash! Thoroughly enjoying reliving our BTB 10th May with you on your present voyage! At least you had more at your CC M&G than we did on the 18th May, but nevertheless enjoyed it very much! I don't recall the other attendees names, but hi to you all! Looking forward to reading more from the Fabulous QM2!

Susan

[Whitemarsh]

After dinner, I went to the Commodore Club which was remarkably empty, after a couple of their finest mixes I thought that I was due a visit to G32 which was also under attended. I had a chat to the DJ ands he actually understood about how the music being played affected the amount of people dancing, so perhaps the message is getting across.

 

Did the DJ give any kind of indication that his recognition of the problem is going to result in an improved choice of music? It would seem perverse if that's not his intention. Most DJ's aim to fill a dance floor - not empty it.

 

As to what the intention of 'Vibz' is, I can only imagine. Murder on the dance-floor springs to mind. I wonder if the reason 'Vibz' only performs in G32 whilst in International Waters is to avoid being indicted on charges of 'Endangering the possibility of an enjoyable evening for others' with their criminal musical stylings.

[capnpugwash]

Update No 8

 

It is now Monday June 6th and the calm weather continues the sky is overcast but it is dry, with no rain forecast. I tried an omelette this morning in the Chef’s Galley; the chef there prepares such dishes and waffles, French toast and pancakes. It was ok although it did have a film of cooking oil over it so I don’t think that I will repeat the experience, I suppose I could ask him to fry it in butter which might work or I may end up being hit with a meat cleaver if he gets all cheffy with me.

 

The spa pool had been emptied overnight and only refilled this morning, it was freezing cold so I was unable or unwilling to spend much time in it, the steam room made up for it, I don’t know what the temperature was set at but it was very hot. I listened for an hour or so to my latest audio book and have just returned to my cabin in time for the noon announcement.

 

We are heading into fog as we near the Grand Banks, this is fairly common at this time of the year, tomorrow evening we will pass directly over the final resting place of Titanic, I don’t believe that any ceremonies are planned to take place, I certainly won’t be attending if they are.

 

A couple of weeks ago there was a new idea tried on here which involved a song writing class and competition among the passengers, if you recall Roger Daltrey was on board and we all had a fine old time. Apparently they are to repeat the event as it was so popular. The artists that are considering coming along are Bryan Ferry, Belinda Carlisle and Alice Cooper. That should be a bit of fun I think. The date is the eastbound crossing leaving New York on July 6th. You heard it here first. 

 

I am just heading to Todd English for lunch; I will try not to eat anything too rich although I have no real plans for anything this afternoon.

 

More later

[rrunner]

Hello Capnpugwash! Thoroughly enjoying reliving our BTB 10th May with you on your present voyage! At least you had more at your CC M&G than we did on the 18th May, but nevertheless enjoyed it very much! I don't recall the other attendees names, but hi to you all! Looking forward to reading more from the Fabulous QM2!

Susan

65

 

Hi - Enjoying your blogs once again Capnpugwash. I was at the May 18th CC meeting. It was nice to meet you. Hope you have the same seat in the Spa. I would like to be in the Canyon Ranch now myself. Susan were you the lady I saw several times in the computer room.

[Cape Cod Sally]

I have been a lurker for weeks-thoroughly enjoying Capnpugwash's tales! My husband and I will be onboard in September for a second voyage and reading the happenings of the capn help to keep us up with the latest news---Keep it up Capn--Hope to meet you sometime!

 

Sally