Capnpugwash is finishing his season of crossings July 20 2011

[rafinmd]

Have a wonderful day in New York. I hope you get weather as great as it's been today in London.

 

Roy

[capnpugwash]

Update No 10

 

The foghorn is no longer sounding although visibility is still quite poor; perhaps from the Bridge it is clearer. We have just had the noon announcement and the forecast is for all kinds of weather, fog, squalls, showers and possible sunny intervals, it sounds like a UK forecast.

 

This evening is the third formal of the week and is also the CWC cocktail party in the Queen’s Room. The dress codes have been quite well adhered to by about 90% of passengers, of course that does leave more than 200 who have chosen not to comply. I haven’t seen any in the Britannia so they may be using the buffet or $10 outlets. There was a man at dinner last night wearing a baseball cap in the restaurant which was a little strange but other than that he was perfectly attired.

 

It is now 5pm and the wind has increased a little and is now a force 5. There is a little gentle lateral rolling on board which is probably caused by the slight swells coming from the side, but the movement is hardly noticeable. The temperature is unchanged and the barometer continues to fall.

 

I got dressed for the events of the evening and headed down to the Chart Room, to avoid the cocktail party which may have been a mistake as there were only about 400 people there. Anyway I missed it and had a very nice time in the bar. Dinner was hosted by Ian or perhaps Iain who is an officer responsible for most things that are mechanical that are not in the engine room. He was a very nice man who lives in Kirkcudbrightshire in the south west of Scotland. We had a pleasant evening and after dinner I went to G32 for a couple of hours and am now heading for bed at 1.45am.

 

More later.

[Salacia]

Capn, no mention of the horrific events in Norway. Are you receiving latest news on board? Or is satellite news unobtainable? (Please forgive me for asking, but absent any comment on your posts, I can't help but ask if the ships channels are receiving news broadcasts.)

 

Respectfully,

Salacia

[capnpugwash]

Capn, no mention of the horrific events in Norway. Are you receiving latest news on board? Or is satellite news unobtainable? (Please forgive me for asking, but absent any comment on your posts, I can't help but ask if the ships channels are receiving news broadcasts.)

 

Respectfully,

Salacia

 

As far as I know we are receiving BBC, Sky and Fox news channels

[William Dean]

As far as I know we are receiving BBC, Sky and Fox news channels

 

Isn't "Fox News" an oxymoron?

 

WD

[Whitemarsh]

Isn't "Fox News" an oxymoron?

 

WD

 

The BBC has the right idea. It's so much more efficient to simply stop reporting the news and just present a one-sided idealogical propaganda campaign.

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2016299/Climate-change-sceptics-BBC-coverage-challenged-vigorously-corporation-body-rule.html

[ColumbiaSC]

I would think that, as on the ship, it would be best and a courtesy to other readers to refrain insofar as possible from making comments --- based on personal political biases --- concerning reputable television news channels that are among the choices that may be chosen by passengers on Queen Mary 2.

 

Obviously, there would be no reason why current international news, whether good or bad or indifferent, would not be aired on the ship as usual.

[capnpugwash]

Update No 11

 

Today is Monday July 25 and the ship is sailing through the moderate sea very smoothly in spite of the south westerly force 7 wind. The air temperature is 55/13 degrees and the barometer is rising. Humidity is 82% and we are making 18 knots. Our position is south of Newfoundland and due east of Halifax, Nova Scotia. We are only 912 nautical miles from New York.

 

After breakfast I went to the spa and emerging a couple of hours later I found a beautiful sunny day, there is still a fairly stiff force 4 wind blowing but in a sheltered area it feels a lot warmer than the actual 57/14 degrees.

 

We have completed our northerly great circle route and have just commenced a rhumb line track from a position east south east of Halifax straight to the Ambrose Lighthouse Station and then on to the Verrazano Bridge.

 

I just called in to the buffet and gathered the makings of a cheese and ham sandwich with Colman’s mustard. It was very nice, I spotted the ice cream cornets as I left and gave in to the temptation of a vanilla and chocolate mix, it was probably full of chemicals but I can assure you that they are quite delicious chemicals.

 

We have a great soprano called Annette Wardell on board and she has already given one show the other day, in today’s programme she is scheduled for what Ray Rouse, the Entertainment Director has titled a Soprano Soiree. Bizarrely it took place at 11.15am this morning. They must have altered the meaning of soiree I imagine.

 

More later.

[rolfecms]

One of the on board lecturers is the maritime historian Bill Miller, I realise that it is difficult for him to vary his presentations but they are absolutely identical to those that he gave a month or so ago. It is a great shame but in my humble opinion he doesn’t hold a candle to the lectures about similar subjects by John Maxtone-Graham.

 

Capn, We attended Bill Miller's lectures on our QE TA in January. It was our first time to hear him so I cannot comment on repetitiveness, but his excitement combined with his knowledge on the subject matter did make the content more enjoyable for us. His SS Normandie exhibit at the museum in the South Street Seaport was very good too.

 

I would like to hear how you think John Maxtone-Graham excels in his presentations. We look forward to hearing him on a future crossing. I should add that I have yet to read 'The Only Way to Cross' but have heard it is the definitive book on the subject.

[capnpugwash]

Capn, We attended Bill Miller's lectures on our QE TA in January. It was our first time to hear him so I cannot comment on repetitiveness, but his excitement combined with his knowledge on the subject matter did make the content more enjoyable for us. His SS Normandie exhibit at the museum in the South Street Seaport was very good too.

 

I would like to hear how you think John Maxtone-Graham excels in his presentations. We look forward to hearing him on a future crossing. I should add that I have yet to read 'The Only Way to Cross' but have heard it is the definitive book on the subject.

 

I agree that the first time of watching him is interesting, I just prefer the more restained style of Mr M-G's lecture. Very hard to put my finger on exactly why, but it is less showbiz and less hand waving. They may both be repetetive but Miller is the only one that I have seen more than once.

[rosler28]

Well Cap'n not one of your most successful crossings I would guess?

 

I plan to do a couple next year and always enjoy reading your posts.

[garigoun]

Bill Miller, isn't he the gent who rejoices in the soubriquet 'Mr. Ocean Liner'?

Gari

[capnpugwash]

Well Cap'n not one of your most successful crossings I would guess?

 

I plan to do a couple next year and always enjoy reading your posts.

 

No, the crossing has been fine with some very nice moments and hopefully more to come.

 

@gari - Yes I think he is, I heard his presentation today on Cruise Ships and lines and it was very informative.

[Cruise Liner Fan]

Capn, We attended Bill Miller's lectures on our QE TA in January. It was our first time to hear him so I cannot comment on repetitiveness, but his excitement combined with his knowledge on the subject matter did make the content more enjoyable for us. His SS Normandie exhibit at the museum in the South Street Seaport was very good too.

 

I would like to hear how you think John Maxtone-Graham excels in his presentations. We look forward to hearing him on a future crossing. I should add that I have yet to read 'The Only Way to Cross' but have heard it is the definitive book on the subject.

I have attended Mr. Miller's lectures aboard the QE2 and QM2.He does always repeat the funny story of Actress Kim Novak's trip aboard the Ship S.S. United States for a transatlantic crossing and a S.S. United States crewmember who had access to her stateroom,stole the toilet seat from her stateroom for a souvenir.This crewmember then cut the toilet seat into smaller pieces and sold the pieces of the toilet seat saying that Kim Novak sat here :D Regards,Jerry

[capnpugwash]

Update No 12.

 

Tonight is the final formal night, Beef Wellington, Baked Alaska which will be followed by the parade of chefs. This is preceded by the Senior Officer’s cocktail party which is normally good fun. This will be held in the Queen’s Room on deck 3.

 

The evening is quite beautiful albeit a little sticky, the sun is shining onto the glassy sea, there is not a wave in sight, there is a force 3 breeze from the west and the temperature is 61/16 degrees, humidity is 90% and we are making 20 knots. We only have 720 nautical miles to go and 36 hours to do it in, which mathematically works out quite well. We have completed over 2400 since leaving Southampton.

 

On balance I think that today was one of the best sea days that there has been when I have been on board, the sun has shone all day the sea has been full of wildlife, dolphins, seals and porpoises. There is even a report of a “large” whale breaching within 20 feet of the ship. I saw the dolphins and porpoises but missed the rest. I have seen a couple of passengers who have taken on the look of lobsters where they have spent too long in the sun today, of course it was cool so they probably didn’t realise that they were burning.

 

The party was very pleasant as there were only about 300 passengers there and I chatted with so many people, it was great. I spent some time with Lord Howe and his wife but he is really quite frail. After the party I had dinner and Brian Watling hosted the table and new all had a very pleasant evening. There was no Beef Wellington and I chose a Caesar Salad and Spaghetti Carbonara which did the job. I did get tempted by some chocolate ice cream with the merest taste of Cherries Jubilee on the side, some things are just too good to resist.

 

I had a couple of drinks in the Commodore Club and then headed to bed to ready myself for tomorrow. They have the Dixieland Lunch in the pub tomorrow at 12.15 which is normally pretty good but you have to get there well before noon to get a seat. Yet another thing to worry about!

 

More later

[bobby1119]

I agree that the first time of watching him is interesting, I just prefer the more restained style of Mr M-G's lecture. Very hard to put my finger on exactly why, but it is less showbiz and less hand waving. They may both be repetetive but Miller is the only one that I have seen more than once.

 

Yes, and Maxtone-Graham is more scholarly. The best of them all was the late Frank Braynard. I heard him a few times on QE2.

[capnpugwash]

Yes, and Maxtone-Graham is more scholarly. The best of them all was the late Frank Braynard. I heard him a few times on QE2.

 

That is a good description of him.

 

Update No 13

Today is Tuesday July 26 and for a lot of passengers on board it is packing day; I am fortunately exempt from this barbaric practice as I will be departing the USA tomorrow evening to cross the ocean eastbound on this great ship. How lucky is that?

The weather looks quite promising this morning, it is now 7.15am and already the temperature is 64/18 degrees with 79% humidity. The sky is partly cloudy and we have a south easterly force 4 breeze across the very smooth surface of the ocean. We are making 18 knots through the water.

I have just returned from breakfast which I took in the buffet, it is nowhere near as grand as waiting for the Britannia to open but it enables me to start doing very little earlier in the day. I think that I am developing Pavlovian dog syndrome, whenever I get to stairway B after breakfast I start to descend to deck 6. This is where my cabin has been during the last 6 crossings, now I am on deck 10 yet I persist in doing it. To be fair it is not every time that I use those stairs but it does happen about 90% of the times when I have just had breakfast. Maybe there is something in the muesli!

I went out on deck and the cloud cover is quite dense giving a very grey feeling to the day, I really hope that it burns off but the sun has a lot of work to do.

The wooden knob on the door of the steam room that I was waxing lyrically about came off in my hand this morning. It must be me I think, 4 knobs in a little over two months cannot just be coincidence. This repair should be quite easy though, the wooden knob has a hole drilled in it into which a threaded bolt is inserted, basically the hole is too big so the bolt needs to be packed out by wrapping it in a small piece of glue soaked cloth and then it needs to be reinserted in the hole, job done. I reported it to the attendant but he didn’t seem as well acquainted with knobs as I have become, it is a small wonder really.

The greyness of the sky has developed into thick fog, the only good thing is that the foghorn is sounding, and I love that haunting sound.

We are currently just east south east of Boston and south west of Nova Scotia with only 360 nautical miles to go. We are making over 22 knots. I am clean and shiny and think that I need a couple of cups of Cunard’s finest coffee, but instead I will have to make do with the stuff that they serve on board. Truthfully I find that it is ok but then I hate Starbucks and all these other fancy places where large isn’t large and you need a second language and 15 minutes to order a coffee.

More later

[Boytjie]

UI have seen a couple of passengers who have taken on the look of lobsters where they have spent too long in the sun today, of course it was cool so they probably didn’t realise that they were burning.

 

That is a fairly typical English problem. :D

[rgaudet]

Sounds like a glorious day yesterday, summer in the Atlantic. The webcam today looks bright but very hazy and the sea looks like glass. If you didn't know any better you'd think it was at port. I'm amazed at how such a large body of water can be so smooth.

[capnpugwash]

Sounds like a glorious day yesterday, summer in the Atlantic. The webcam today looks bright but very hazy and the sea looks like glass. If you didn't know any better you'd think it was at port. I'm amazed at how such a large body of water can be so smooth.

 

Amazed and disappointed:eek:

 

Update No 14.

 

The fog is so thick around the ship that I couldn’t see the bow from the window of the Commodore Club just now and that is only about 60 metres, this means that the foghorn is sounding regularly. I don’t think that they leave it to chance but rather they have an automatic setting on the button that will sound it in accordance with the requirements of maritime law, at least I think that would be the case.

 

The fog persists and I went to the pub for lunch, I did get there quite early in order that I would get a seat for the Dixieland Jazz Band, I was there in time for a general knowledge quiz and although I didn’t participate I did act as unpaid advisor to a mum and her son. With or perhaps in spite of my help they scored 16 out of 20, I didn’t know that the national bird of India was the peacock but there were about another 6 that I did correctly advise them to answer. 18 won it and 2 off the pace is no too bad.

 

After the quiz came the band, they were all new to me and pretty good although they played the usual finale song, “when the saints go marching in” half way through their set and finished with a religious hymn for some reason. As an encore they played Bill Bailey so the result was satisfactory although the way they got there was a bit odd.

 

The fog is still thick and we are scheduled to go under the VN Bridge tomorrow at 4.20am, we will be passing the Statue of Liberty at 5am which should have docking at Red Hook right around 6am. We normally swing 180 degrees near Governor’s Island and the back the 400 to 500 yards to get alongside. This means that the port side of the ship not only sees Lady Liberty but also has a bird’s eye view of the mooring process. It isn’t the same as manoeuvring into Pier 88 on the Hudson River but it is still quite a special thing to see. After all it is New York.

 

We currently have a light following wind which measures force 2, the temperature is 65/18 degrees and the sea is slight. We are 290 nautical miles from our destination and we have 17 hours to cover the distance and we are currently making 18 knots.

 

Tonight, being the final night is elegant casual which is a real mish-mash of styles and no-one really knows what to wear, it is the same as semi formal but men don’t need a tie, why they differentiate with this most minor of details I fail to understand, they say that it is because people have packed but if you have to wear a jacket and then pack that after dinner, how much extra effort is it to put a tie in your case.

 

More later.

Update No 14.

 

The fog is so thick around the ship that I couldn’t see the bow from the window of the Commodore Club just now and that is only about 60 metres, this means that the foghorn is sounding regularly. I don’t think that they leave it to chance but rather they have an automatic setting on the button that will sound it in accordance with the requirements of maritime law, at least I think that would be the case.

 

The fog persists and I went to the pub for lunch, I did get there quite early in order that I would get a seat for the Dixieland Jazz Band, I was there in time for a general knowledge quiz and although I didn’t participate I did act as unpaid advisor to a mum and her son. With or perhaps in spite of my help they scored 16 out of 20, I didn’t know that the national bird of India was the peacock but there were about another 6 that I did correctly advise them to answer. 18 won it and 2 off the pace is no too bad.

 

After the quiz came the band, they were all new to me and pretty good although they played the usual finale song, “when the saints go marching in” half way through their set and finished with a religious hymn for some reason. As an encore they played Bill Bailey so the result was satisfactory although the way they got there was a bit odd.

 

The fog is still thick and we are scheduled to go under the VN Bridge tomorrow at 4.20am, we will be passing the Statue of Liberty at 5am which should have docking at Red Hook right around 6am. We normally swing 180 degrees near Governor’s Island and the back the 400 to 500 yards to get alongside. This means that the port side of the ship not only sees Lady Liberty but also has a bird’s eye view of the mooring process. It isn’t the same as manoeuvring into Pier 88 on the Hudson River but it is still quite a special thing to see. After all it is New York.

 

We currently have a light following wind which measures force 2, the temperature is 65/18 degrees and the sea is slight. We are 290 nautical miles from our destination and we have 17 hours to cover the distance and we are currently making 18 knots.

 

Tonight, being the final night is elegant casual which is a real mish-mash of styles and no-one really knows what to wear, it is the same as semi formal but men don’t need a tie, why they differentiate with this most minor of details I fail to understand, they say that it is because people have packed but if you have to wear a jacket and then pack that after dinner, how much extra effort is it to put a tie in your case.

 

More later.

[Lake Barcroft Sailor]

As always have enjoyed your posts and am looking forward to yours on the return as well. Just checked out the web cam and the fog is really thick. Have a great day in NYC tomorrow. One other thing. If you should run into Bill Miller by any chance ask him how he enjoyed the Allure of the Seas last January. He was on board the QE for its first TA to America and disembarked in Fort Lauderdale where he was joining the Allure of the Seas as a passenger--not a lecturer. Knowing how he loves liners and Cunard in particular, I am dying to hear what he might say about sailing on a floating condominum/shopping mall.

[rgaudet]

Amazed and disappointed:eek:

 

.

 

I think you need to book another crossing or two in hurricane season. Looks like you have some room in your calendar for Sept or Oct!? Then I think you'd have some fun!

[capnpugwash]

Update No 15.

 

I am become very domesticated and I place the blame firmly on the proximity of my cabin to the laundrette on deck 10. I decided that I would wash and dry some of my underwear and such and the machines, whilst fairly busy, are quick and simple to operate. At least they are when you translate the instructions from American to English. I have a full load swirling around as I write and I will return in 20 minutes to switch it over to a dryer for 40 minutes or so. The best thing is that it is all free. There are 3 Maytag washer/dryers, only two of which are working plus there are two ironing boards. Other than timing issues it is a relatively painless process. They could do with a couple of chairs but space is at a premium.

 

It is only 2.30pm and there are already a smattering of cases out in the corridor, that is true organization and is only slightly odd, or maybe my perception of it is slightly odd.

 

All in all the washing was completed in around one hour, including drying time, the laundrette was quite busy and when I picked my load out from the dryer there were about six people there. Trust me there is not room for that many spectators and I have to wonder why they were gathered there when there is such a paucity of available machines. By my industrious use of my time I have saved a total of $15 which will be put to good use in the Commodore Club later this evening.

 

I am back in the cabin to rest up for the evening’s frivolities and whilst the TV programmes are regularly repeated, I am having a good time watching Shakespeare in Love, it is such a well crafted film and such a clever story with the intertwining of the play and the accompanying story, a really fine example of the art of story writing.

 

It is approaching 5.30pm and we are still surrounded by fog, although it is thinner than it was earlier. We have very slight, glassy seas and a temperature of 66/19 degrees accompanied by a falling barometer, we have a force 2 breeze blowing from our stern and 91% humidity. Our current speed is 18 knots and we are only 222 nautical miles from our destination.

 

More later.

[lannp]

Thanks for the postings Capn. Enjoy your day in NYC.

 

Linda

[capnpugwash]

Thanks as always for all your support and very kind words, I am off to the Chart Room now to say farewell to a few fellow passengers and will probably resume tomorrow evening or maybe in the morning if something noteworthy happens in the harbour.

 

More later.