Countdown to Queen Elizabeth – 404days

 

Thank you again for all the great feedback and questions. Thanks particularly to Theresa Arrowsmith as it’s great to hear family stories, especially when a life at sea seems to be in the blood. I know there is a lot of interest regarding Queen Elizabeth, but I’m afraid that announcements about her first Master and other details have yet to be made, but rest assured I’ll let you know as soon as I know.

 

Some news I can give you, is that the results of the annual Superbrands survey in the UK have just been announced. The survey is a major piece of research amongst thousands of consumers and a panel of experts that looks at which brands are recognized as the ‘best in their field’. It reveals that consumers are seeking out brands and companies that act as dominant brand ‘presidents’ in their categories. I’m delighted to say Cunard is selected as the Brand President within the ‘Travel General’ category and comes in as the highest ranking cruise line within the 500 selected Superbrands.

 

Before we get to this week’s special interview here’s “This week in Cunard’s History” for the week, 31^st July to 6^th August:

 

July 31 1951

Caronia completes her first North Cape voyage arriving back in Southampton

 

August 1 1996

QE2 makes her maiden call to Helsinki, Finland

 

August 6 1929

The Britannic is launched at Harland & Wolf in Belfast and becomes part of the Cunard Fleet in January 1934

 

August 6 2008

Queen Victoria makes maiden call to Cannes, France

Many of you who have sailed on Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria will have hopefully enjoyed a special night in the Todd English restaurant. For this Blog we thought we would find out a little bit more about the man behind these amazing restaurants in a fascinating interview. Firstly here’s a background on this multitalented chef.

 

Award-winning restaurateur and celebrity chef Todd English is one of the culinary world’s brightest stars. Throughout his illustrious two-decade career, he has received numerous honours and accolades by several of the industry’s most prestigious publications. In addition, he established one of the best-known restaurants in America (Olives), published three acclaimed cookbooks (The Olives Table, The Figs Table and The Olives Dessert Table), and has been featured in many TV programmes including his own Emmy-nominated show, Food Trip with Todd English. He has even been named one of People magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People!” When Cunard began developing Queen Mary 2’s restaurants, the goal was to create an alternative restaurant that would delight guests ranging from first-time Cunarders to well seasoned world travellers. Todd English stood above all others because of his innovative approach to Mediterranean-inspired faire that combines comfort-food with a sense of style. His first venture at sea, simply named “Todd English” opened aboard Queen Mary 2 in 2004. In December 2007, Chef English attended the royal naming ceremony of Queen Victoria and joined Cunard in opening his second Todd English restaurant at sea. In early 2008 Chef English partnered with actress Eva Longoria to open his first west coast restaurant in Hollywood (Beso). Later that year he opened The Libertine in New York’s Gild Hall Hotel, offering his own interpretation of “pub fare” complete with an upstairs Library Bar.

 

You can find out more about Todd English’s restaurants on board in these three consecutive video clips which are currently showing on both Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria.

 

 

 

 

Todd English was kind enough to spend some time to talk to us about his life, restaurants and association with Cunard so; on with the interview.

 

Special Interview – Celebrity Chef – Todd English

 

How did your partnership with Cunard come about?

Shortly after my New York Olives restaurant opened 9 years ago Cunard approached me as they were looking for something new and different for their new ocean liner under development, Queen Mary 2, and I fit that description! So I went to London and we started the concept and design processes for the restaurant.

 

Could you tell us a bit about what inspires your style of cuisine?

It is inspired by all the Mediterranean regions where olives grow. I’ve been studying for over 20 years, and I’ve travelled to many places and sampled lots of cultures and cuisines so I get a lot of ideas from traveling, and I reinterpret a lot of what I see and infuse it with my own style. It’s layered, and complex, but the ingredients are local, and I rework them with a Mediterranean sensibility.

 

The Todd English restaurants on board Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria are stunning; could you give us an idea of what goes in to their design?

I wanted to do the restaurants so that you felt like you weren’t necessarily on the ship. I wanted to give the feeling like you were walking down a New York City neighborhood and found the perfect place; beautiful and inviting, combining elegance with sophistication.

 

What would you say are the differences between planning menus for Cunard and for your restaurants on land?

Well you have to base the menu around what you can get on board, and you have to plan ahead of course. That’s why the restaurants feature what I like to call, The Greatest Hits of Todd English, because they offer a wide variety of all my best dishes, and incorporate the local ingredients from the various ports of call that the ships visit.

 

In addition to being an award winning chef with many restaurants throughout America, you manage to write acclaimed cookbooks, appear on television programmes and be involved with the two Todd English restaurants on board – how do you manage to fit it all in?

It’s a people business, and it definitely gets tough to balance it all, but you’ve got to get out there and push yourself and try everything if you’re going to succeed. I’ve hired the best people and I trust my team to do a good job whether I’m there or not, and they do!

 

What is your favourite city in the world for food and why?

I love Sushi, so right now it’s Tokyo. One; because it’s so different from what I do, and two; because the food is pure, clean, and simple, in a certain way. I’m such a sushi junkie that I’d like to open my own Sushi restaurant to support my habit!

 

What is your favourite restaurant in the world?

Since my mother’s kitchen isn’t an official restaurant, I’d have to say Daiwa Sushi in Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo.

 

What do you enjoy to eat if you are lucky enough to have a relaxing evening at home?

Spaghetti. I love my homemade pasta.

 

What would be your ultimate meal and who would be your chosen dinner guest (from any era) to share it with?

Japanese food from Daiwa Sushi in Tokyo, Japan. I’d like to share it with the late Julia Child because she was the ultimate culinary master. We’d order the finest A5 grade Kobe beef, the delicious Ohtoro,(bluefin tuna) and Chuutoro sushi, and the finest quality shari (rice); and of course, only the most superb and delicate Daiginjo sake.

 

What would be your best piece of advice to anyone dining in one of your restaurants for the first time?

Don’t be afraid. My menus feature common ingredients, but in uncommon ways, but trust me, the food tastes good!

 

And what would be your best advice to any Cunard guests for when they are cooking at home?

Keep it simple and use lots of fresh ingredients!

 

You have achieved so much already- are there any other dreams you have yet to fulfill?

Yes, I’ve always wanted to have my own vineyard somewhere in a Mediterranean climate.

 

 

Many thanks to Todd English for taking the time to chat to me and if you would like to explore more of the culinary world of Todd English you can go to his website: - www.toddenglish.com.

 

I’ll be back again soon with more news and hopefully in the next few weeks an update from the Fincantieri ship yard in Monfalcone on the progress of Queen Elizabeth as well as some exciting news about Sir Terry Wogan’s next TOG’s voyage. Cheers Alastair

 

 

Countdown to Queen Elizabeth – 411 days

 

Welcome and thanks again for the continued feedback. There’s a lot to chat about in this blog including a special guest Blog from Ned Tutton. Firstly in answer to Dave Meineck’s questions about the carpets on Queen Elizabeth I can tell you they will be similar to the ones on Queen Victoria with accents of red on the Port side and blue on the starboard side. Meanwhile regarding Linda Crooks’ question about Queen Elizabeth’s horns, it was a nice suggestion but I have been reliably informed Queen Elizabeth will have her own. Before we get to our gust Blogger here’s a very busy “This week in Cunard’s History” for the week, 24^th to the 30^th July:

 

July 24 1990

An estimated 1 million spectators greet QE2’s maiden arrival in Liverpool marking Cunard’s 150th Anniversary

 

July  25 1943

Queen Mary carries 16,683 troops from New York to Gourock in Scotland, the greatest number to be ever conveyed on a single voyage - a record that remains to this day

 

July 28 1938

Mauretania II is launched at the Camel laird Shipyard in Birkenhead

 

July 30 2006

A traditional bagpipe procession signaled a jubilant send-off for Commodore Ronald W. Warwick following the conclusion of his farewell transatlantic crossing in Southampton.

 

 

I first met Ned Tutton when he was a cadet on Queen Mary 2 and in talking to guests on this Blog and on board I know many of you are interested to see how the Cadet programme works and Ned was kind enough to help when I met him recently on Queen Victoria as a 3^rd Officer. Ned began his sea-going career on domestic car ferries and sailing ships. In 2005 he started his cadetship with Cunard and later Carnival UK during which time he served on Queen Elizabeth 2, Queen Mary 2 and Princess Cruises’ Diamond Princess. Qualifying in 2008 he returned to Queen Mary 2, and then was appointed to Queen Victoria where he is currently serving as 3^rd Officer. When on leave Ned is never very far from the sea as he lives on the Isle of Wight, and spends his time sailing, walking and visiting friends and indulging in his part time hobbies of music and theatre.

 

 

Guest Blog – Third Officer – Ned Tutton

I grew up on the Isle of Wight, and although I have lived inland, deep in the country of the south central part of the island, being only twenty five miles wide and 15 miles tall, one is never very far from the sea. My Grandparents all had connections to the sea, through the Royal Navy during World War 2, as port agent of Medina Wharf in Cowes on the Isle of Wight, and a long line of Lighthouse keepers.

 

My grandmother lived in Cowes, and I spent a great deal of time with her when I was in my early years. I was always fascinated by watching the ships passing by on their way to Southampton and Portsmouth. One of the great excitements was a trip to Southampton on the Hydrofoil as the route passed the ships tied up in the docks in Southampton. One ship that I remember in particular was a beautiful dark hulled liner with a red funnel that I was later to find out was the Queen Elizabeth 2. Little did I ever think I was to work on her in later life!

 

The idea of working at sea was never really a serious proposition, and my seagoing life was limited to crossing the Solent on one of the ferries, and occasionally the English Channel, but this made me very seasick! When I was sixteen I was given the opportunity to sail on the Jubilee Sailing Trust’s square rigged tall ship Lord Nelson, which kindled my passion for tall ships which endures to this day. My wish to work at sea full time was finally came to fruition when as a deckhand on the Isle of Wight Car ferry, I decided I wanted greater challenges, and one day to be Captain of my own ship.

 

In the UK we are fortunate to have a system similar to a traditional apprenticeship in that a company will sponsor you through your training usually in return for a short return of service. I applied to, and received interviews with, three of the most respected names in UK shipping, namely Cunard, P&O Princess Cruises and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

 

The interview for P&O Princess Cruises and Cunard, which are under the umbrella of Carnival UK, took place at Warsash Maritime Centre, in Hampshire. The first day involved written, mathematical and psychometric tests and in the evening we were taken out for a meal; I don’t know if our table manners were being assessed or not but I’d to think so! The second day was the formal interview with the training managers which seemed to go quite well, and just three days later at the age of twenty I had a received an offer of a cadetship from Cunard. In fact I was one of the last people to do so, as P&O and Cunard now combine their recruitment as they are united under Carnival UK.

 

The Cadetship is split between time at college and time at sea. At college we study the academic subjects such as Navigation (and yes we still learn celestial navigation which involves standing on the college roof with a sextant!), Law, Business, Management, Ship Construction and stability to name a few. We also take courses in Seamanship, Fire-Fighting, Sea Survival and Radio Communications. Different training schemes vary in how this is achieved, but I studied for an HND Level 2 in Merchant Vessel Operations.

 

To achieve your final qualification you must spend at least 12 months at sea and complete a task book demonstrating one can carry out the practical aspects of shipboard operations from mooring, to anchoring, and navigating to painting! The NVQ I took split this into two halves: Learning to be a seaman, then learning to be an officer. Looking back I am a strong supporter of this system as it allows one to see both sides of the operation, and to have better understanding and empathy with those who are working for you.

 

My first ship as a cadet with Cunard was on QE2 and the initial feeling was one of bewilderment. As many people will attest, QE2 took a little time to get to know one’s way around! It didn’t help that at the time I embarked a drill was taking place, and the entire ship was shut down with all the fire screens closed. I was trapped in the Lido for half an hour before being pointed in the right direction! QE2 had a wonderful atmosphere that made one feel immediately like one of the family. I was certainly made to feel extremely welcome from the very beginning by everyone onboard, and it was good to be reunited with the family when I joined Queen Victoria earlier this year, albeit in a new home!

 

My training continued on board Queen Mary 2 where I spent three tours of duty, and then on Diamond Princess, after which I spent one final period at college before passing an oral examination at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.  Four weeks later, (two years and eleven months after first becoming a cadet), I walked back up the gangway of Queen Mary 2 as 3^rd Officer

 

As 3^rd officer I am known as the, “Officer of the Watch”, and my immediate aim is to pass my “Chief Mates” Certificate of competency, which will enables one to serve as Chief Officer on a cargo ship or second officer on a large passenger ship. Then I would take my “Masters” certificate of competency which allows one to sail as Master or Captain on any ship. Between each level is eighteen months sea time, which works out at about two and a half years including leave, and then six more months at college, so from Cadet to Captain normally takes at least nine years. The four most senior deck officers onboard (Captain, Staff Captain, Chief Officer and Navigator) are qualified Masters, so although it may take nine years to be qualified as master, it is not usual to earn command of a passenger ship for another few years.

 

In terms of my future I think it difficult to foresee exactly which way my life will lead, but it definitely involves being Captain!

 

I’d like to thank Ned for a great article and a fascinating insight to a unique career. I’ll be back again soon with more news from the ships and of course answers to your questions. Cheers Alastair.

 

Countdown to Queen Elizabeth – 412 days

 

As usual I like to keep readers fully informed with all breaking news from Cunard. An announcement was made yesterday regarding Cunard’s President and Managing Director. The best way to explain the change which takes place today is for me to enclose a message from Carol Marlow herself: 

 

 

 

After 5 wonderful years with Cunard, I will be moving on, to take up the role of Managing Director, P&O Cruises, Cunard’s sister brand in the UK. This is certainly an exciting opportunity for me, but, of course, I will miss Cunard. My successor at Cunard will be Peter Shanks, who is no stranger to Cunard, having worked closely with us for the past 7 years, as European Managing Director for Cunard, and then overseeing Cunard globally for Carnival, our parent company.

 

In the meantime, I would like to thank you for your ongoing support of Cunard, and wish you continued wonderful voyages on “The Most Famous Ocean Liners in the World”. It has been my pleasure to serve you at Cunard, and take my place in the rich history of this wonderful line.

 

With kind regards

 

Carol Marlow

PRESIDENT AND MANAGING DIRECTOR

 

Although we’ll miss her, I’m sure you’ll all want to join me in wishing Carol all the best in her new role with our sister company.

 

Meanwhile our congratulations go to Peter Shanks and we look forward to working with him.  

 

 

 

 

I have known Peter for some time in his previous capacity, and you’ll be delighted to hear that he also shares our passion for Cunard. As soon as he’s had some time to settle in I’ll ask him for an interview, as I’m sure you’ll want to get to know him as well.

 

I’ll be back tomorrow as usual with some answers to your questions and a special guest Blog. Cheers Alastair

 

Countdown to Queen Elizabeth – 418 days

 

Thank you again for all the comments and the great feedback. There will be lots more news about Queen Elizabeth over the coming months and I know you’ll have questions that I’ll do my best to answer. In the meantime further to Freddie’s question regarding the naming of Queen Elizabeth, I’m afraid we don’t know who this will be yet. This probably won’t be announced until much nearer the time – typically around 3 months before the ceremony itself. Of course if there is any news like this I’ll let Bloggers know straight away.

 

This week’s Blog is a result of the very positive response from the last “A Day in the Life” Blog. Firstly though here’s “This week in Cunard’s History” for the week, 17^th to the 23^rd July:

 

July 22 1951

Caronia II makes her maiden call to Oslo, Norway

 

July 22 1990

QE2 completes her fastest eastbound Atlantic crossing in four days, 6 hours and 57 minutes, at a speed of 30.16 knots.

 

When I talk to guests and Bloggers there is always a lot of interest in our crew and in their lives, and as a new regular monthly feature it’s a pleasure to highlight what they do on board as well as a bit about themselves. The winner of the most recent “Star of the Month” award on Queen Victoria was Maurice Williams who is the Band Leader for the seven piece Queens Room Orchestra, who perform Ballroom music for our guests in the Queens Room every night.

 

I have had the pleasure in working with Maurice on Queen Victoria on this year’s World Cruise and I was delighted to hear that he won the award as he is conscientious in everything that he does. His enthusiasm for his work is contagious and guests and fellow musicians feel this energy every time he leads his orchestra in the Queens Room.

 

The Star of the Month title is awarded to just one crew member per ship each month as a result of guest and crew feedback and then consideration by our on board White Star Committee. The crew member is recognised in a special presentation where the Captain presents their award. A framed photograph acknowledging their achievement is displayed in the Grand Lobby of each ship for guests to see.

 

 

Although his mother is from Newton, Mississippi and his dad is from Memphis, Tennessee, Maurice was born in Chicago, Illinois. He has a brother and sister and now two sons of his own. He has been a professional Musician since 1972, with extensive experience in performing as a sideman and solo performer in numerous bands and on many ships. Here he is in one of his early orchestras; “Ajack’s Music Mania”.

 

 

As a musician Maurice is professionally proficient in Trombone, Tuba, Baritone Horn, Acoustic Bass, and Electric Bass. He also arranges and composes dance music for any occasion. Maurice has a degree in Music Education with more than 20 years performance experience as well as instruction and leadership in classroom string and wind instrumental music, and adult music education classes. He also holds qualified teacher status from the general teaching council of Great Britain. Whilst living in Birmingham, England he was awarded a grant from the Scarman Trust to organise, rehearse, and prepare community musicians from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds to perform as a single group called “The Note Benders” and here they are in rehearsals.

 

 

Maurice has other skills as well as he is also experienced and licensed in the repair and maintenance of electronic equipment working as a PC Board Assemblyman, Test Electrician, and TV Repairman.

 

Not unlike many musicians Maurice is a bit of a night owl starting his day late in the morning, but he does work late in to the night. I am always impressed by the amazing self discipline musicians have to continually practice their talent. Finding a place on board the ship to do this is not as easy as it may sound, especially on days when the ship is at sea as the public rooms are being used for guest activities. Popular areas end up being the Theatre dressing rooms or the crew recreation areas. Maurice likes to practice for at least an hour or two every day and also uses his day time to write arrangements for his orchestra to play. Sometimes guests ask for special tunes they would like to hear, so if he has the song in his library he arranges it so that the entire band can play it that evening. He also likes to write music for his own enjoyment.

 

As a Band Leader, he reports to the Musical Director and is responsible for all the music that his orchestra will play that night and as Maurice says “I am always concerned and aware of playing the correct styles and tempo because a lot of our guests are quite particular about dance music and have a variety of tastes, so I have to be knowledgeable as well as flexible”.

 

At the moment Maurice is also starting to work on his master’s degree which is proving to be quite a task requiring a lot of his spare time in between his work commitments.

 

His main work begins around 7pm with a warm up in preparation for the dance sets. He then spends some time with the Queens Room Vocalist to put together the order of music to be played that evening. He says “I want to make sure that the band doesn’t play the same songs as the vocalist and that each dance style is covered for that evening.” Typically they will work till 12.15am (with some breaks in between of course!)

 

 

Like most crew members he likes to get off the ship on port days, but sometimes stays on board to enjoy the ship being quiet.

 

I asked him what “We Are Cunard” means to him. He told me “As a team we share the goal of ensuring our guests are as comfortable and happy as possible. For the Queens Room Orchestra our aim is to bring as many dancers to the floor as we can and I like to see all of them smile and laugh and hopefully not notice that they have just danced for twenty minutes!”

 

At the end of this contract Maurice is excited to be using his “Star of the Month” winnings to rent an apartment. He says he doesn’t really have many hobbies as music surrounds his life constantly and he has never thought about doing anything else. The most frequent question he is asked is whether he likes his job. He says his answer is easy; “For a musician to make a living performing is a dream come true. My dream is to be able to continue performing as much as I can for as long as I can and am really enjoying my time with Cunard”

 

I think that sums it up really and as well as thanking him for his time on this Blog, we, of course, wish him well with his degree.

 

I’ll be back soon with more news and I look forward to reading your comments and questions. Cheers Alastair.

Countdown to Queen Elizabeth – 421 days

 

Firstly thanks so much for all the feedback – so many comments from the last few Blogs; it’s been amazing to get such a great response. This looks like being the busiest month for the Blog yet, so thank you for reading and all your input, but special thanks to all those behind the scenes for all their support as well as the Guest Bloggers. We will certainly try and post more video and of course cover as many of the special events as we can. Don’t forget if there are any announcements from Cunard – I’ll make sure you hear about it on this Blog.

 

Before we get to this post’s video, I would like to answer a question from Dawn Audoire-Jones. The first Captain of Queen Mary was Commodore Sir Edgar Britten and Commodore Irving was the other Captain in 1936. We are not aware of a Captain Audoire but now I have mentioned it here perhaps someone will! Thanks to Michael Gallagher for his help with that.

 

Meanwhile back to my visit to Italy for Queen Elizabeth’s keel laying ceremony, here is the promised video blog (in fact my first), which includes an interview with Cunard’s President and Managing Director, Carol Marlow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you read this I will actually be in Southampton attending a management training course with some of my colleagues from the ships and shore side offices so I’ll let you know a bit about that in my next post.

 

In fact talking of Southampton, for those who weren’t aware, 20 July is a date to mark in the diary as it is one of those rare days where both our current Queens, Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria, will be in port at the same time, so I’m sure there’ll be some great photo opportunities.

 

That’s it for the moment but I’ll be back as usual on Thursday with another “A Day in the Life” article, this time  featuring Queen Victoria’s latest star of the month.

 

I have some more great Blogs coming up including interviews and a guest Blog from 3^rd Officer, Ned Tutton who will be talking about life as a Cunard Deck Cadet.

 

Cheers Alastair.

Countdown to Queen Elizabeth – 425 days

As Queen Mary 2 sails across the Atlantic back to Southampton on her 12^th crossing this year and Queen Victoria heads north for her maiden call to Iceland, the topic of the Blog this week is the second half of my report from Queen Elizabeth’s keel laying ceremony. Thank you for all the comments from part one and now that there’ll be more and more to see, I’ll do my best to keep you fully updated with her progress including lot’s more pictures. But as usual before we get to that second installment, here’s “This week in Cunard’s History” for the week, 10^th to the 16^th July:

July 11 2005

Queen Mary 2 carries the first U.S. signed copy of J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince”, from Southampton to New York.

July 13 1904

Caronia (sister ship to the Carmania) is launched and together they are known as “The Pretty sisters” The funnel colours are changed from 1/5th black to 1/4 black. She was the only ship to be named after an American - Caro Brown whose grandfather was Cunard’s New York agent at the turn of the century

July 14 1997

QE2 makes her maiden call at Dun Loaghaire, Ireland

July 15 1951

Caronia II makes her maiden call to Trondheim

So back to events in Monfalcone and after part one on Monday, we are now at the point where the actual ceremony began. The keel laying itself involves the placement in the dry dock of the first section of the ship’s hull. This section is made up of six pre-manufactured blocks and weighs a staggering 364 tons. This is a view looking forward from what will be the amidships section of the new liner’s hull, with the block suspended from a massive crane, ready to be lowered on to the supports below.

And this is a view looking aft where you can see the block from a different angle with the huge workshops in the background, which are busy building the next sections of the ship’s superstructure.

At 3.00pm, with everything in place and the media ready to record the event, Fincantieri’s Shipyard Director Paolo Capobianco, welcomed everyone and said “Building a new liner for Cunard is a special achievement for Fincantieri and takes us right to our roots, fostering both our determination to build once again a passenger ship of high technological content and unmistakable style, reflecting the best of the industry and tailored to the needs and requirements of the ship owner”.

Cunard’s President and Managing Director, Carol Marlow replied by saying; “We are delighted to be back here among our friends at Fincantieri so soon after we took delivery of Queen Victoria in 2007, the first Cunarder to be built in Italy. I am sure that Queen Elizabeth will be just as popular and successful as her two sisters. We at Cunard are always impressed by the commitment and enthusiasm of everyone at Fincantieri, and we look forward to the next year-and-a half of working closely with them on this ship, which will be nurtured by their skill and vision and built into a vessel equal in stature to the other great Cunard liners”.

In fact Carol impressed everyone, by delivering part of her speech in excellent Italian, much to the delight of our hosts. Before the block was lowered the shipyard’s chaplain Padre Gildo was invited to say a prayer to bless the successful construction of our new Queen.

Then it was time for Carol Marlow to push the big red button and start the lowering of the first block.

With that, the block lowered quite quickly in to place under the careful guidance of the crane operator and ship yard engineers in the dry dock itself, and you could just hear the sound as the block came to rest on the supports below which would hold it in place until the other sections are added and she finally meets water in less than 6 months time.

Although at first glances it looks like a snug fit, you may notice that there is actually quite a bit of space either side of the block, and that’s because the dry dock is designed to be able to accommodate wider ships. Despite Queen Elizabeth being Cunard’s second biggest liner ever built at 90,400 tons, (just a little larger than Queen Victoria), she will be able to fit in to the massive locks of the Panama Canal, unlike some of the ships that have been constructed in this dock.

With the ceremony complete, work could begin in the dry dock, marked with a toast, and here Paolo Capobianco celebrates with Carol Marlow with a glass of Prosecco.

You’ll have no doubt noticed that there appears to be some equipment already in the block. This is a normal part of the building process where the ship is literally built around some of the more substantial pieces of machinery. In fact within this first block there are an amazing 104 tons of pipes, cables, insulation and other equipment, some of which can be seen with this closer look at the inside of the block.

The next stage is to release the cables and then cut off the hooks that were welded to the metal to hold the cables carefully in place. And then it’ll be time to bring lighting and other equipment in to the block to continue work and prepare for the next block which will be lowered in just a few days. This view is looking forward with the block in place and a great view of more equipment in place.

I hope to go back again soon, where I know the progress will be very impressive. Over the coming months I’m also going to interview some of the people involved in the new build process such, engineers and interior designers. Many of you have also being asking about who the senior officers will be on Queen Elizabeth and I’m afraid we will have to wait a little longer for that news, but rest assured you’ll be the first to know!

I was hoping to bring you some video of the keel laying ceremony in this Blog, but that will now be posted on Monday along with the transcript of the blessing from Padre Gildo. In the meantime thanks again for logging on and please do keep those questions and comments coming in. Cheers Alastair

Countdown to Queen Elizabeth – 426 days

Wow! I have just seen the second video capturing some of the great moments of James Taylor’s Transatlantic Crossing from New York to Southampton. Again thanks and congratulations to Brian O’Connor and Eric Allen, for a fantastic video which features interviews with Captain Nick Bates, Entertainment Director Ray Rouse and of course James Taylor himself, as well as clips of his performances and interview. For those who were there it’ll be a great memento of a legendary voyage and for the rest of us…….. well we wish we could have been there to witness another amazing event in Cunard’s history. See the video below:

Meanwhile I’ll be back tomorrow with more news from the Queen Elizabeth keel laying ceremony. Cheers Alastair

Countdown to Queen Elizabeth – 429 days

Firstly a belated happy 4^th of July for all our American readers, I hope it was a great celebration for you all.

Meanwhile as you know, last Thursday I was lucky enough to be part of another historic Cunard event. So as promised here are the first pictures of our new Queen which I took at the Keel Laying ceremony of Queen Elizabeth which took place in Monfalcone, Italy. Although Fincantieri is the same company that built Queen Victoria, the actual ship yard is different, located about 100 miles away between Venice and Trieste. This is the first of two special Blogs celebrating this amazing day.

It was a very early start as our small group including, President and Managing Director of Cunard Line, Carol Marlow, arrived at Venice airport for the ninety minute transfer to the ship yard. As we drove through the small town of Monfalcone this was the first thing I saw as we arrived: -

The ship yard is dominated by numerous huge cranes which are used to lift large sections, of ships under construction, from one place to another and yes in the foreground you can see a part of our latest Cunarder!

After a very welcome lunch, hosted by some of the senior executives from Fincantieri, including the ship yard director Paolo Capobianco, we were shown around the yard itself.

However firstly I need to take you back to where story really started. It was some time ago when the steel that would make up the ship’s superstructure, was first cut. This is a view of the steel works, adjacent to the ship yard itself, where this took place and where the construction of Queen Elizabeth began.

As the yard is involved with up to three different ships at a time, the hull number and other important information is written on every piece of painted metal, as it effectively becomes the biggest 3 dimensional jigsaw you could ever imagine. The hull number for Queen Elizabeth is 6187 and the markings look like this.

The painted sheets of steel are delivered to sheds like the one below, where they are welded together to form the different blocks and parts of the ship although they are still completely unrecognizable at this stage.

The blocks are then stored in various locations around the yard until they are ready to be put together to form larger blocks. It can get a bit crowded, and with parking for the yard workers also being tight for space, compromises do occur. Not exactly a regular car park!

As we were shown around the yard you could see sections of the ship everywhere with a huge amount of work taking place, often deep inside the various blocks. This photo shows a section of Queen Elizabeth’s hull with men welding inside. The big yellow piece of equipment is a heavy duty extraction fan to keep the small working spaces ventilated through the blue hose.

It’s an incredibly impressive operation and even more amazing when you think that in less than fifteen months time this will be a finished ship ready to sail to Southampton for her maiden voyage!

We were then taken to the dry dock area for the ceremony, where we met more of the team who were going to transform these blocks of steel in to a magnificent ship. There is just the one dry dock at this yard and time is crucial to ensure that delivery deadlines can be met. In fact we found out that the previous ship (P&O Cruise’s Azura) had only been floated out of this dock just a week earlier. In the meantime the dock had been drained and prepared for the next ship. It’s on these carefully placed blocks, that Queen Elizabeth will rest, until her float out incredibly, in under six months time.

The picture doesn’t do any justice to the sheer size of this dry dock, but if you look closely you can see two men in the middle of the picture which puts the scale of the project in to perspective. Before you ask, the view is looking forward to the dock doors which will move so Queen Elizabeth float to her outfitting dock.

We gathered with Fincantieri representatives and members of the press under the flags of Italy, The United Kingdom (as with all Cunarders, Queen Elizabeth will have Southampton as her port of registration), and the European Union. We were also joined by the ship yard chaplain Padre Gildo who was to offer a blessing for the successful construction of the new liner.

Here is the all important first block which will be in the middle of the completed ship. It was suspended by a massive crane (that can carry up to a staggering thousand tons), and numerous cables with a plate marking the special occasion, waiting for the ceremony to begin at 3.00pm.

Well I’m afraid that’s where I’m going to leave the story of the day so far. To see the block being lowered in to the dry dock you’ll have to wait until I return for the regular Blog on Thursday. I’ll have lots more pictures and hopefully some video – perhaps my first video blog? In the meantime thanks again for logging on and of course as always I welcome your questions and comments.

Cheers Alastair

Countdown to Queen Elizabeth – 433 days

This is a very important week for Cunard. Firstly we celebrate the anniversary of the maiden sailing of our first ship, Britannia. Also 7 years and one day after Queen Mary 2’s keel was laid, Queen Elizabeth’s keel will be laid in a special ceremony in Italy. In fact as you read this I will be in Monfalcone, to join the celebrations marking this important stage of Cunard’s latest liner’s construction and look forward to sharing the pictures and news with you on Monday. Firstly though, as usual, here’s “This week in Cunard’s History” for the week, 3^rd to the 9^th July:

July 3 1951

Caronia II leaves New York for her first voyage to Norway’s North Cape and the Land of the Midnight Sun.

July 4 1840

The Britannia leaves Coburg Dock in Liverpool to cross the Atlantic at a speed of 9 knots, completing the journey in 14 days and 8 hours.

July 4 1986

QE2 participates in the Statue Of Liberty centennial celebrations in New York Harbour.

July 4 2002

The keel is laid for Queen Mary 2 and the first of 94 blocks that make up her hull is lowered in to the dry dock. The first block (numbered 502) weighed 600 tons. At this time Commodore Warwick was appointed Master Designate.

Many of you will recognize Chris’ name for his regular comments on this blog. Chris’ interest in Ocean Liners began at the age of 11 when he first set eyes on QE2 in Auckland Harbour. Since that day he has travelled extensively aboard the Cunarders. In 2008 he co-authored QE2: A Photographic Journey, a 120 page colour photographic tribute to the QE2, and lectured aboard QE2 during her farewell season. He has since lectured aboard Queen Mary 2 and in October 2009 his two new books will be released – QM2: A Photographic Journey and The QE2 Story. Chris maintains an independent Cunard website which can be found at www.chriscunard.com. Chris wrote to me a few weeks ago to remind me about the special anniversary Cunard will be celebrating on the 4^th of July, and I was delighted to take up his offer to write a guest Blog to mark the occasion.

Guest Blog – Chris Frame– Cunard Author and Lecturer

As you’re undoubtedly aware, 4 July, 2009 marks the anniversary of what is arguably one of the most important voyages of all time. On 4 July, 1840 Sir Samuel Cunard’s flagship Britannia embarked on her maiden crossing. This began the regular trans-Atlantic passenger service, a move that would forever change world politics, demographics and economies.

When thinking of Cunard Line’s history it is staggering to realise just how different the world was back then. Today we take global travel and communication for granted, however when Cunard begun operations, their paddle steamers offered the first reliable link between the old world and the new.

Cunard Line has been a household name for 169 years! When Cunard Line was founded there was no Coca Cola, no Ford and McDonalds was still 100 years away! There was no Microsoft, no Dell and no Google. If that’s not enough of an eye opener, when Cunard Line was founded, the Statue of Liberty was 46 years away and HM Queen Victoria had only been on the throne for three years!

The foundations were set for Cunard Line in 1839, when Sir Samuel Cunard set sail from his native Halifax, destined for England. He did so to answer the British Government’s call for tenders to operate the first regular trans-Atlantic mail service.

Cunard had long been a savvy businessman and respected entrepreneur in Nova Scotia. In fact, his strong commercial mind was evident early in his life, when at age 17 he bought and managed the Halifax General Store.

As he matured, Cunard became a prominent figure within the greater community and a key decision maker in Halifax. He joined his father’s business and expanded its interests into coal mining as well as steam shipping, which provided invaluable experience for the life that awaited him in England. Cunard saw the potential for steam powered vessels and their ability to offer a faster and more reliable service than traditional sail.

It was therefore the combination of Cunard’s exceptional mind, a sound business case and his belief in steam technology that provided the perfect ingredients to tender for the trans-Atlantic mail service. Cunard won the tender and formed the British and North American Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, which quickly became known as “Cunard’s Line”.

The British contract instructed the new company to build a fleet of at least four ships capable of travelling at a maximum speed of 9 knots (as a comparison, the Queen Mary 2 can achieve 29.5 knots), in order to offer a weekly mail service.

Cunard formed a relationship with noted maritime architect Robert Napier who designed his fleet starting with Britannia. Despite the mail contract being the driving force behind the design of the new Cunarders, Sir Samuel saw an opportunity to carry fare-paying passengers aboard his ships and thus, the age of the trans-Atlantic passenger crossing was born.

Britannia was a far cry from the current fleet. At 207 feet long she was a sizeable vessel for her day, however compared to the likes of Queen Mary 2 (1,132 feet) and Queen Victoria (964 feet) she was tiny. There was no Royal Court Theatre, no ballroom and no swimming pool. Accommodation was sparse, built into any available space not taken up by the mail service. Food was sourced from livestock carried aboard and the fare was far from gourmet. However, despite these hardships, the new company flourished and built a solid reputation for safe crossings that arrived and departed on time.

Cunard selected Boston as the American port for his service, a decision that was met with elation from the citizens of the U.S. City. In fact upon arriving in Boston aboard Britannia, Sir Samuel was welcomed with well over 1,000 invitations to dinner parties. Queen Mary 2 guests would find it interesting to note that the Boston Cup, located just aft of the Chart Room (having been transferred aboard from the magnificent QE2 in April 2004), was commissioned by the citizens of Boston to commemorate Britannia’s maiden arrival.

Britannia’s arrival in Boston inaugurated what has become the greatest shipping company of all time. Cunard Line has endured from the early days of steam to the modern age of the jet. Cunarders such as Lusitania, Mauretania and Aquitania carried countless thousands to a new life in America, while the original Queens were instrumental in the allied successes during World War II. Cunard has become part of our history, not simply by offering enjoyable voyages for their passengers, but also for their role in helping to shape nations.

The experiences that guests enjoy aboard Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria are timeless, arcing back to a day when a passenger ship was the only way to travel. Indeed the Cunard marketing statement of the late 1940’s – “Getting there is half the fun” – is as true today as it was when written. Travel aboard an Ocean Liner offers passengers the precious gift of time, something wonderfully rare in today’s fast paced world.

Alastair, I hope that this very short snippet of Cunard history assists in reinforcing the magnificence of the Cunard heritage. I strongly believe that if Sir Samuel Cunard knew his legacy would continue with such strength, attracting such a loyal following of passengers 169 years after he first set sail on Britannia, he would be immensely proud.

Thank you Chris; this is a great and fitting tribute to this important anniversary. I agree that this history is what makes us who we are today and one of the many reasons why “We Are Cunard”. I’ll be back on Monday with a special report from the Keel Laying ceremony of Queen Elizabeth – with hopefully lots of pictures and may be some video! Cheers Alastair