Welcome back to another week with more news, this time from Queen Mary 2 and her first Mediterannean voyage of the year. More of that in a moment, in the meantime thank you again for your comments especially to June Kirby for her wonderful story – that’s what “We Are Cunard” is all about. We also held the first Bloggers meeting on Queen Mary 2 this week and it was great to chat to more readers of the blog and get their feedback. A special mention to Gillian Walker who has become the first guest to attend meetings on both ships – what a claim to fame! We had some good ideas this week including a suggestion that we include some reports on daily life for the crew on board Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria, so I am planning to introduce the first “A Day In The Life Of………” over the next couple of weeks. Another great idea was that this Blog should do a count down to Queen Elizabeth’s Maiden Voyage. So to start that off; I can tell you it’s now just 497 days to go!

Firstly as usual, here’s “This week in Cunard’s History” for the busy week of the 29th May to the 4th June:

May 30 1914

Aquitania begins her maiden voyage

May 31 1920

The Tyrrhenia (she was later renamed Lancastria) is launched in Glasgow

June 2 1940

Queen Elizabeth slips out of the shipyard on the Clyde and instead of going to Southampton, as was the rumour, she went straight to New York and in to service as a troop ship

June 2 2008

The Queen visits QE2 for the last time in Southampton and bids her farewell, nearly 41 years after she launched the ship on the Clyde

We have just had a wonderful voyage in the Mediterranean on Queen Mary 2 and for me it was a double appreciation. Firstly I loved the itinerary of Gibraltar, Barcelona, Monte Carlo, Civitavecchia (for Rome) and Lisbon because they are ports where you can always discover something new, and for guests visiting for the first time, it becomes a great sampler voyage. It was also great to be back on Queen Mary 2 as I haven’t been on board for a couple of years since joining Queen Victoria in late 2007. The ship is looking fantastic and it is lovely to see friends and colleagues again, and at sea you quickly pick up from where you left off and settle back in to things very quickly. Although both ships have all the special Cunard signatures they are quite different and the question we are always asked is “Which ship do you like best?” Of course that’s an impossible question to answer as they have their own distinctions; what I can say is that I really enjoy them both.

One of the things that Queen Mary 2 has that makes her so special, is her Planetarium; still the only one at sea, and this week it was being upgraded with new projectors to make the experience even more amazing. I’ll have a special Blog telling you all about that in a few weeks.

Meanwhile, coming back to the theme of this week’s Blog there was a lot of nostalgia on board as the Cunard Insights lecture programme played host to some very influential people in the field of entertainment. I am part of a generation that was brought up on British television shows such as “The Likely Lads”, “Porridge” and “Aufwiedersehen Pet” to name just a few of the great shows written by the creative partnership of Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais. They are still as busy as ever and in fact it was great to hear about some of their recent projects such as the movie “Across the Universe”, which was nominated for a Golden Globe. Dick Clement is actually writing a guest blog which I am hoping to post before next week so look out for it – I think you’ll find it fascinating.

We were also lucky to have someone on board, who although you may not recognise his name, I guarantee you’ll know his work. Brad Ashton has written well over 1,000 TV and radio shows spanning 12 countries His scripts have earned him numerous prestigious awards, and his credits include series for Tommy Cooper, Les Dawson, Dick Emery, Frankie Howerd, David Frost, Dave Allen, Ken Dodd and Bob Monkhouse. He was also a head writer for the great Groucho Marx and he was reunited with one of his colleagues this week when he met up with Adrian Walsh who was a comedian performing in the Royal Court Theatre in London’s West End. They hadn’t seen each other in many years (more than they would like to admit), so it was a great reunion.

Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais are good friends with Peter Asher and they suggested he joined them in lecturing on Queen Mary 2. In fact here they all are on the Bridge with Commodore Bernard Warner.

(From left to right Archie Kennedy (Junior Watchkeeper), Nancy Clement, Ian La Frenais, Commodore Warner, Dick Clement and Peter Asher)

Many of you will recognise his name as one-half of the singing duo Peter & Gordon who amassed nine Top 20 records (three of them gold) during their career, including the hit I remember them best for; “A World Without Love” . Born in London he studied philosophy before his music career began in 1964 as a singer, but four years later became head of A&R for the Beatles newly formed record company, Apple Records, where he found, signed and produced James Taylor and worked closely with the Beatles on their individual projects.

In 1971, he moved to America and became a manager, representing James Taylor and, beginning in 1973, the management and production of Linda Ronstadt as well. He went on to become one of the most successful managers in the music industry, handling artists such as Joni Mitchell, Randy Newman, and Carole King as well as James and Linda. His newest client (and his first venture outside the music business) is Pamela Anderson.

As a record producer, Peter Asher has worked with such diverse artists as Diana Ross, Neil Diamond, Ringo Starr, Cher, Robin Williams, The Dixie Chicks and Billy Joel, among many others. He has been awarded 37 RIAA-certified gold albums and 22 platinum albums in the U.S. and many more internationally. He has produced twelve Grammy Award-winning recordings, and in 1977 and 1989 was honored with the Grammy Award for “Producer of the Year”.

I was fortunate enough to spend a little time with Peter who is someone you could listen to all evening as he had so many stories to share; much to the delight of his audiences at his two lectures. There’s a saying that says; “If you remember the 60’s you weren’t there”. Well not only was Peter there, it would be an understatement to say he certainly lived it. He was kind enough to write about his voyage on Queen Mary 2.

Peter Asher – Recording Artist and Record Producer

“This is the last night of my first voyage on Queen Mary 2 and the end of my first-ever experience as an on-board lecturer. My feelings can be summed up by my fervent wish that this was the first night rather than the last. I had a wonderful time. The ship is extraordinarily beautiful and every member of the crew and staff helpful and friendly above and beyond the call of duty. The audiences at my lectures were attentive and delightful. My wife and I had the distinct pleasure of travelling with some old and dear friends making new ones at the same time. I am already feeling nostalgic about this trip and it still has a few hours to go! Thanks so much to everyone involved – and to Alastair for his unflagging good nature and joie de vivre.”

It was a real pleasure to meet Peter and of course I’d like to thank him for sharing some of his life with us on board. As I mentioned earlier we’ll have a special Blog from Dick Clement over the next few days and more news from us next week. Cheers Alastair

When you choose a career at sea, life is always a little bit different and occasionally plans change. Whilst on leave you can get the phone call to say; “There’s been a change in the schedules and we need you back……….” This was the phone call I received last week, while I was busy in the garden. Less than 24 hours later I had repacked and got myself back to Southampton and on board Queen Mary 2. My colleague Ray Rouse had to go home for a couple of weeks on some family business, so of course I was happy to help and here I was back on board Cunard’s flagship. Having being involved with Queen Victoria’s innaugural team, it had been almost two years since I had been here, but it’s amazing how, just like riding a bike, it all comes back and you soon get in to the rhythm of the ship. Anyway I’ll tell you more about that next week, but as promised, this week I have an interview with Captain Ian McNaught. Before the interview though, here’s “This week in Cunard’s History” for the week of the 22^nd to the 28^th May:

May 22 2008

Queen Victoria makes maiden call at Bergen

May 23 1912

The Imperator is launched. She becomes the Berengaria in 1913

May 27 1936

Maiden voyage of RMS Queen Mary from Southampton to New York. It was hoped she would take the blue ribband from the Normandie but due to fog had to slow down and didn’t achieve it. A few weeks later however she achieved the record for the fastest round trip

May 27 1969

QE2 makes her maiden call at Cobh, Republic of Ireland

Many of you will have sailed with Captain McNaught over the 22 years he was been with Cunard, but before the interview, here’s a little more about his career so far.

Ian McNaught was born in Sunderland, and as the son of a Glasgow born Marine Engineer, the sea was in his blood. He visited ships that his father served on, and after watches in the Engine Room with his father, he decided that life on board with the Second Mate on the 12-4 watch on the Bridge was a little more palatable, and so the seeds were sown for a career as a deck officer in the Merchant Navy. After leaving Monkwearmonth Grammar School and spending a term at Fleetwood’s Nautical College for pre-sea boys, he joined BP Tanker Company as a navigating cadet in 1972. Four years later he joined Hullgates Shipping of Grimsby, a company which ran a fleet of small coastal tankers. Hullgates took management of a small LPG tanker in 1986, and a year later Ian McNaught felt it was time to move on. Having studied for Masters at South Shields in 1985 with a deck officer from P&O, he wrote to P&O and Cunard applying for deck officer positions. He was accepted by Cunard and joined Queen Elizabeth 2 in September 1987 as a Second Officer. After two years he transferred to Cunard Princess as a First Officer, returning to QE2 in 1991. He was promoted to Chief Officer in September 1994, and after another two years, he moved to Sea Goddess II as Chief Officer. He became Staff Captain on board QE2 in 1999, and his first command came in June 2001, when he was appointed Master of Sea Goddess I. Two years later Pam Conover announced at the World Cruise Dinner in Singapore, that when the ship arrived home in Southampton from the World Cruise in April 2003, Ian McNaught would take over as QE2’s 21st appointed Master in the 34th year of the ship’s career. At 48 years old, he would be the youngest to have achieved that position. He was honoured to be the last Master, on QE2’s final voyage to Dubai in 2008. Captain McNaught still lives in the North East of England with his wife Susan, who he married in 1980, and their son Steven, who is now following in his father’s wake, presently serving on board Aurora as a Deck Cadet.

Special Interview With Captain Ian McNaught

Now you have been on board Queen Victoria for two months how are you settling in

Very well I think, but then you have to ask everybody else I suppose. It’s a very happy and settled ship with so many regular Cunarders on board that you feel at home very quickly on here.

What is the biggest adjustment you have made coming across to Queen Victoria from QE2?

The biggest change for me has to be in the technology in the ship, especially of course with Queen Victoria being an azipod ship; it means that I had to learn how to drive again! So it has been a steep learning curve for me over the last two months, a big challenge but an enjoyable one and a satisfying result when it all goes well.

What is the most frequent question you get asked – and how do you answer it?

One of the most frequently asked questions, particularly at lines for the receptions, as guests are introduced is “Where is the real Captain”, I think some people expect the archetypical grey bearded Titanic style Captain from the movie, so I take it as a compliment that I don’t look too grizzled and grey and reply “I am sorry and hope you are not too disappointed, but I am all you get for your money this voyage”.

Where is your favourite place on board Queen Victoria?

There are many fine areas here on Queen Victoria, but I think that compared to QE2, the best example of great progress is the Royal Court Theatre, and it really is a spectacular space. When I think of the dancers on QE2 performing on the table top stage area in the Grand Lounge, it really brings home to me just how much ships have advanced, and to be able to sit in one of the boxes and be served canapés, chocolates and champagne during the show must be an evening that you probably would find difficult to experience even in London these days.

What would be your favourite golden nugget of advice to guests coming on a voyage for the first time?

I always think that first time guests are always amazed by what we have inside our ships, both with regard to the facilities and the service provided by the ship’s company; it’s just another world compared to how a hotel ashore works, so all I would say is, “Relax, enjoy it and let us do all the work, all you have to do is whatever you want and have a good time!”

What does “We Are Cunard” mean to you?

Being part of Cunard is being part of a rich tradition formed over some 170 years, a tradition of excellence in ocean travel which I hope we will be able to carry on for many years to come, and to have been a small part of that story, particularly with QE2, makes me very proud indeed.

Where would you like to go in the world where you haven’t been yet?

The one place I would like to go is down to the Antarctic in one of the small adventure ships that go there; to be able to visit places that the likes of Shackleton and Scott explored at the turn of the 20^th century, and to be able to stand on the ice and enjoy one of the last untouched wilderness areas of the world would be a real adventure.

Do you have any unfulfilled dreams?

To be honest I am a very lucky man, my father went to sea, and as a boy that was what I always wanted to do. I can remember watching QE2 being launched on the television, and setting that as my dream. Having achieved that makes me feel very lucky indeed, and now my son is at sea, I hope he can realize his dream as well, which is to be the final Captain on the new Queen Elizabeth as I was on QE2.

When you are on leave; what is your perfect night?

The perfect evening on leave is to be at home in the garden with family and friends and have dinner outside on the patio, and a few drinks, and just watch the sun go down over the woods behind our garden, enjoying an English summer’s evening in good company. Not a ship in sight!

What is your favourite quote and who said it?

You meet so many interesting people on ships, you just never know who you are talking to and everybody has a story to tell. One night on QE2 the astronaut Buz Aldrin came up to the bridge for a cup of tea as we were crossing the Indian Ocean, and we were out on the bridge wing just looking up at the sky and just enjoying the night, and he looked up at the moon, pointed and said “I’ve been there “. That’s pretty hard to match really!

I’d like to thank Captain McNaught for a great interview. Next week I’ll have a special Blog from here on Queen Mary 2 and there’s a lot more to come in the next few weeks with hopefully more news on Queen Elizabeth and her progress in the ship yard. Thanks again for all the comments and questions; please keep them coming in.

Cheers Alastair

While I am at home in Wiltshire on leave you may be asking yourself, what can he write about? Well, worry not; I have lots to tell you about with help from my colleagues on board Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria as well as interviews and Guest Blogs. Talking of which; as most of you will know Cunard has always had royal connections, with all of our Queens being named by royalty. In talking to our guests, it seems to be a topic of conversation that continues to fascinate. With the Cunard Insights lecture programme we have a great variety of speakers, and it’s always great to welcome those who can give our guests more in depth knowledge of royal matters. A few weeks ago we were delighted to have Christopher Wilson on board Queen Victoria, and he kindly offered to write a guest Blog. Firstly though, here’s “This week in Cunard’s History” for the week of the 15^th to the 21^st May:

May 15 2006

Cunard announces Queen Victoria’s maiden World Cruise

May 18 1972

Royal Marine Special Boat Squadron, bomb disposal team, parachute to QE2 mid Atlantic following a bomb scare which proved later to be a hoax

May 19 2006

Queen Victoria Keel Laying Ceremony takes place in Italy

May 21 1983

QE2 makes her maiden call to Genoa, Italy

I have worked with Christopher a number of times and his knowledge is amazing, you really feel like you are that much closer to the Royals. For those of you who don’t know him, Christopher Wilson is a well-known face on UK and US television as a commentator on the lives of the British royal family. Now a best-selling biographer, he was formerly a columnist on The Times, Daily Telegraph, and Daily Mail newspapers in London. For some years he authored the world-famous William Hickey column on the Daily Express. He has written books on Princess Diana, Camilla Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, and Sarah Duchess of York. He is also co-producer of an upcoming TV documentary on Prince William’s long-time girlfriend Kate Middleton, and is currently working on a biography of Prince George, Duke of Kent (1902-42).

While he was on board Queen Victoria recently, he gave four lectures discussing matters including The Duchess of Cornwall, The secret love affair of the Duchess of Windsor which started on a Cunard liner half-a-century ago, the life and amorous times of Georgy, Duke of Kent, uncle of the present Queen and someone who looks to be destined to be the future wife of Prince William; Kate Middleton. His lectures were of course very popular as guests enjoyed gaining a greater insight in to the lives of the British Royal Family. So here he is with this week’s special guest Blog.

Guest Blog – Royal Author – Christopher Wilson

In all my years of chronicling the fortunes of the Royal Family, I don’t think I’ve ever seen the Queen looking so radiant, so happy, as the day last year she came to lunch aboard QE2.

Like the finest vintages Her Majesty improves with age, and these days there seems to be altogether a new spring in her step. Certainly that day, at a farewell lunch to the Cunard ship which had borne her name around the world for the best part of her reign, she was on top form as she chatted with the then captain Ian McNaught, Cunard’s lively president Carol Marlow, and many long-serving members of the crew. It was a special day for Cunard but, I could quite easily see, an extra-special day for the Queen.

There’s a special affinity between our royals and Cunard line, so much so that another ship will bear Elizabeth’s royal name before too long – something no other shipping line can claim. And so it seems natural that when it comes to fuelling the deliciously diverse lecture programme on their ships, Cunard like to have a liberal dollop of royal speakers.

I’m lucky to be one of them. Perhaps my books on Duchess Camilla, on Diana and Charles, on the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, on Fergie and others might qualify me to stand on that stage and offer up titbits, opinion, rumour and (occasionally) hard fact – but there’s no way of knowing how it’s going to go down with the audience.

Because, as I discovered fifteen years ago when I gave my first talks aboard QE2, you can never tell who’s going to be sitting there in front of you. As I finished my first talk – it was about the Queen and her many Prime Ministers – I suddenly recognised in the front row a high-up official from Downing Street during the 1970s. A man who knew far more than I ever could just how things went between the sovereign and her premiers Wilson, Callaghan, and Thatcher.

Mercifully, I got the thumbs-up from this mandarin, and in a way it gave me the confidence to face future Cunard audiences – on QE2, on Caronia, on Queen Mary 2 and on Queen Victoria. Always well-informed, always ready with searching questions, but above all always ready to listen, it really is a great pleasure to share what I know with such discerning ears.

And of course, you all know a great deal more than I do. There was one gentleman who came up at a book-signing session and told me his father had been the Duke of Windsor’s attorney in New York. Nice chap, I asked? “Never paid his bills,” was the growled response.

Yes, many of you have intimate knowledge of Britain’s first family, both past and present, and often you’re generous enough to share it with me – indeed, that’s how a biographer goes about his trade, keeping his ears open and hoping that people will be kind enough to impart what they know.

In America the social glue which holds people, high and low, together is that all-important discussion about the ball-game. In Britain – after the weather! – the one topic we all have an opinion on is our royals. They’re somehow a weather-vane on what’s happening across the rest of the country – but because they have personalities, human characteristics both elevated and humdrum, they invite our close scrutiny.

In my time I’ve been a columnist on various national newspapers writing about politics, the environment, and the arts. But nothing draws opinions out of people more dramatically than a discussion on royalty – and once I discovered that, and wrote my first royal book, there seemed to be no turning back.

Currently I’m engaged on a biography of the Queen’s uncle, Prince George Duke of Kent (1902-42). It’s an uphill struggle because most of those who knew him are dead, and those that survive tend to be rather circumspect about his harum-scarum life. So next time you see me in the Chart Room with a half-finished drink and a furrowed brow, please come over and tell me something I don’t know. It’ll make my day!

You can learn more about Christopher Wilson’s work at www.christopherwilson.info

Thanks very much Christopher for a great Blog and we look forward to seeing you again soon. Next week I have a long awaited interview with Captain Ian McNaught which I know many of you are looking forward to. Also I know many of you are waiting for more news on Queen Elizabeth and her progress in the ship yard. Well there’s not too much to tell you on that at the moment but I hope to get some pictures to you within the next few weeks of the early stages of her construction, and of course if there is any news about her progress I’ll let you know straight away. In the meantime please keep those comments and questions coming in. Cheers Alastair

Welcome to another week and more news from on board. We have held two more Bloggers meetings on board and it’s been fascinating to get your feedback and a special thank you to one guest, who wanted to be known as the original “Kate Middleton” for all her feedback and ideas – please keep them coming. There have been a few comments from guests saying how they love hearing about life on board, and that inspired the topic for this week’s Blog which is about the Cunard “Star of the Month”

But before we get to that here’s what appears to be a popular regular feature; “This week in Cunard’s History” for the week of the 8^th to the 14^th May:

May 8 1967

In sealed orders opened simultaneously, Cunard tell the Captain and crew of Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth, that their ships are to be withdrawn

May 9 1975

QE2 makes her maiden call at Bremerhaven, Germany

May 12 1982

Having been refitted, following her requisition by the British Government, QE2 sails to the South Atlantic with 3,000 troops and 650 crew volunteers

May 13 2002

Cunard confirms that QE2 will be removed from transatlantic service in April 2004, and will be deployed on itinerary based voyages out of Southampton. Queen Mary 2 will assume the role of Cunard’s transatlantic carrier.

May 14 2008

Queen Victoria makes maiden call at Valletta

For those of you who have been on our ships, you will have seen all crew members wearing their White Star Pins with this logo on them:

I have mentioned the “White Star Programme” in previous Blogs but briefly, it is Cunard’s guest awareness programme designed to maintain and improve guest satisfaction. The White Star committee on both Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria is made up of the ship’s department heads and they meet once a month to decide upon a “Star of the Month”. The committee discusses each candidate who has “gone the extra mile”, and reviews guest and crew “Service Recognition Nominee Cards” and other recommendations from heads of department.

The committee then votes in a secret ballot for their choice of winner and runners up. The name of the winner is kept secret until the monthly White Star awards presentation, where all the candidates are invited to join the White Star Committee and other award winners at a special reception. The excitement builds as the announcement for the “Star of the Month” gets closer, and the winner for this award in April was 27 year old Ryan Latumbo.

If that name sounds familiar, you may remember we featured him on the Blog in March. He was the winner of our on board version of the TV Show “Stars in Their Eyes”. He starred as Jamie Jones and won the competition, (receiving the most votes from our audience of guests); with his rendition of “I Swear” and as a reminder, here he is in action on the night.

Ryan was very shocked to find out he won, so once he had recovered, I had a chat with him about his Cunard Career so far. He told me that he lives at home with his mother and four younger brothers in the “City of Love”, Iloilo in the Philippines. He added “I knew I wanted to go to sea, and then found Cunard on the internet. When my teacher at university said Cunard was the oldest and most successful shipping line, I knew it was for me; I loved the slogan ‘Legendary, Elegant and Memorable’”

Ryan is always incredibly cheerful and articulate and I asked him how he had come to have such a great command of the English language. He says this is because, although he started learning English (the second language in the Phillipines) officially at school at the age of 8, his mother (a midwife) and father (a policeman) were very keen that Ryan and his brothers learned from an early age.

He worked in Pizza Hut in the Philippines as a waiter before going to university. Ryan graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Cruise Management at the John B Lacson Maritime Foundation University in the Philippines.

Like his parents he had never been out of his home country until he joined Queen Victoria on November 24^th 2007 when the ship was still being finished in the shipyard in Venice. “It’s a day I’ll always remember” says Ryan, “I was prepared for what ship life was about, but as I walked up the gangway for the first time, I felt all my dreams had come true. It may sound strange, but being part of a brand new ship, I felt like a pioneer, something truly special. ”

Ryan is a Bar Utility and currently works as a Bartender in the Officer’s Wardroom but in his limited free time he loves to learn more skills. Currently he is studying a 1 month “Wine and Spirits training course on board with the Chief Sommelier Michael Standen, He is thinking about becoming a Sommelier, but his true love is working behind a bar. He was inspired by the 80’s movie “Cocktail” and he is constantly reading one of his 6 books on cocktails. Here he is, doing what he loves best; mixing a cocktail

Ryan says” I want to stay at sea because it’s my life and I love it” and this has inspired his brothers one of whom is currently working on Queen Mary 2 and another is at Hotel school looking forward to coming to sea as well. About “We Are Cunard” he says, “I am so proud to be working for Cunard; I feel I belong here. It’s a privilege to work for one of the most prestigious companies in the world”

I asked him what his mother felt about him and his brothers coming to sea. “She is very proud of us all and when I became ‘Star of the Month’, she was over the moon for me and so very happy”. I have a feeling this photo will have its pride of place in the Latumbo household.

I asked about his dreams for the future. “I’d love to be Hotel Manager one day, but for now I would love to travel the world and hopefully save up enough to buy a plot of land at home to build a house for my mother and brothers”.

Ryan is such a wonderful example to us all; his passion, dedication and enthusiasm for his job and Cunard is fantastic and certainly makes him a worthy winner of “Star of the Month”. We’ll keep you posted on how he progresses in his career, but of course in the meantime, we wish him all the best for his future which I think will be a great one.

Well this is the last Blog I’ll be writing from on board for a while, as I hand over to Amanda Reid on Queen Victoria and head up the A34 and home. Packing after 4 months at sea is always a challenge but trying to pack a full sized didgeridoo…well that’s another matter!

So that’s it for another week but we’ll be back soon with more news, interviews and some guest Blogs as well as updates on Queen Elizabeth. Thank you again for logging and please keep those comments and questions coming in. Cheers Alastair