Yes at last we have the Video Blog of my interview with Sir Terry Wogan, but I’ll come to that in a moment. As Queen Victoria returns from a wonderful voyage to the Canary Islands, Queen Mary 2 has been making history on her Around The British Isles Voyage with her first visit to  Glasgow, and of course the home of Cunard for so many years; Liverpool. As you know from the last posting on Tuesday, Peter Shanks (President and Managing Director of Cunard Line) is on board and hopes to post more news soon along with some pictures and maybe even video.

On Queen Victoria we are nearing the end of a great voyage to the Canaries and our guests were delighted to find the warmth of the islands. After a short voyage to Cherbourg, Zeebrugge and Rotterdam we’ll be heading back to the Mediterranean. Now before the interview here’s this week in Cunard’s history for the week 23^rd to the 30^th October.

October 27 1986

QE2 arrives in Bremerhaven for a six-month £110 million re-engining and refurbishment programme, the largest such refit in the history of the merchant marine, undertaken and successfully completed in 1987. Steam turbines replaced by diesel electric power plant and the funnel is widened to accommodate the new engine. HRH the Princess of Wales boards on the ship’s return to Southampton.

October 29 1970

QE2 offers medical assistance to the ‘Cerinthus’ in the Atlantic

October 30 1947

Cunard’s first cruise ship, the Caronia II, is launched at John Brown Shipyard, Clydebank. She becomes known as the ‘Green Goddess’ because of the colour of her hull.

Hopefully most readers of this Blog will be familiar with Sir Terry Wogan and his TOGs, but in case you don’t, he currently has the most popular breakfast radio show in the UK with over eight million listeners every morning. He has also become quite a British institution in his own right over the years, hosting numerous TV shows and of course the remarkable annual BBC “Children In Need” event. Although he announced his retirement from the breakfast show recently he will still be heard on the Radio 2 airwaves at weekends and yes, he will still be joining guests and TOGs on board Queen Victoria for the voyage departing on 14 May 2010.

Following the great success of the TOGs voyage last year, (you can read all about it in the Blogs posted between the 20^th November and 11^th December 2008), we decided to do it all again! Next May we’ll be visiting exciting cities such as Barcelona and Cannes as well as the port of Livorno where guests can visit Pisa and Florence. With Rome and Gibraltar also on the itinerary it’ll be a fantastic voyage.

We are looking forward to welcoming back the TOGmeister himself, Sir Terry Wogan, along with his intrepid team who’ll be getting involved with all sorts of fun and games including the Deadly Quiz and Loose Cannon Karaoke as well as a brand new Janet and John.

As you may know I went to meet Sir Terry again, when I was last at home (see Blog from 6 August 2009), and our friends Helen and Norman (at http://togscalendar.org/) filmed the interview in London at BBC Radio 2’s studio. And if you are still wondering what a ‘TOG’ is, don’t worry Sir Terry explains it all. So here’s the interview:

We hope you’ll join us and remember it’s all about fun and raising money for Children in Need. You don’t need to be a TOG to join in the fun so to find out how you can be a part of this exciting voyage and how you can support BBC’s “Children in Need” click http://www.cunard.co.uk/togs/

In the meantime we wish everyone taking part in this year’s events, all the best with their fundraising activities. Of course the crescendo of the occasion will be the night of Friday 20 November on BBC 1 hosted by a galaxy of stars including Sir Terry himself.

Thanks for logging on again, we’ll have more news from the fleet soon including more posts from Queen Mary 2’s Around The British Isles Voyage. Cheers for now - Alastair

Before I tell you about the first few days of this wonderful voyage, I’ll cover some other news.

Firstly I am pleased to announce this site has been rated with 4 stars by the “Best Blogs At Sea” website. So my thanks go to you our readers for your part, and for those who support me in filing these blogs. This is a great site of fellow ship bloggers which I think you’ll find very interesting. www.bestblogsatsea.com.

It was great to read your comments again last week as well your questions which I’ll now do my best to answer Firstly in answer to Anthony Gaiani Jr’s question regarding the Queen Elizabeth and her progress, I’m afraid I don’t have anything to tell you at the moment, but I am looking into getting you some news very soon on her progress. However I do understand she is still on schedule for her launch in the autumn of 2010 and can assure ‘We Are Cunard’ bloggers will be amongst the first to know anything.

Thanks you as well to Steve Pedersen for his question about the glass panel on the floor of the bridge wings on both Queen Mary 2 and on Queen Victoria. If you are not aware of these panels, thanks to Scott Cameron, I have a photograph of one from the Queen Victoria.

The panels are located on each bridge wing and are made of toughened glass. Contrary to rumour they are not trap doors used to eject unwelcome guests, but an added aid to assist in docking the ship. Fully enclosed bridge wings were introduced to many ships in the late 90’s as the amount of technical equipment located on each wing increased, and the need to protect it against the elements. The panels were introduced as a means of improving visibility for Captains as they brought the ship along side. In fact the next time you are on board, walk along the pier side and look up at the bridge wing and you’ll see the panel is located at the point exactly above the edge of the pier. I hope that answers your question Steve, and please feel free to keep asking more and if I don’t know the answer I know one or two people who will!

Now it’s time for this week in Cunard’s History for 14^th to the 20^th November.

November 15 1997

QE2 makes her maiden call Miami, USA

November 19 1968

QE2 moves to her dry-dock in Greenock before beginning her first sea trials. Prince Charles becomes the first “civilian” passenger to board the ship.

Now to this week’s blog as the day finally arrived for TOGS around Britain (and some beyond) to come together and join a voyage of a lifetime on board Queen Victoria. TOGS I hear you ask……………….. Let me explain! TOGS actually stands for Terry’s Old Geezers and Gals – Terry (or more appropriately Sir Terry Wogan), is probably Britain’s best loved radio broadcaster who’s morning show on BBC Radio 2 has more listeners (over 10 million daily) than any other show, and as such he has become a national institution in his own right. You can find out more about Sir Terry and his breakfast show by following this link.

www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/wogan.

Sir Terry will be joining us later in the voyage after the incredibly successful fund raising night on Friday 14^th of November for ‘Children In Need’. This is an annual event which aims to raise money for literally hundreds of Children’s charities. There were some who thought that the current financial crisis around the world would mean last year’s total could not be matched, yet alone exceeded. Thanks to the ever generous British public and all those involved in fund raising events around the country, and at BBC Television centre (hosted by Sir Terry), a staggering £20.9million was raised. To find out more about the work ‘Children In Need’ does and how you can still donate (hint, hint!) you can click on this link. www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey

I was asked if I would join the group to assist with the smooth running of the voyage and the various TOGS activities. So apart from relishing the opportunity to be a part of this great event, it was also worth it to escape the new season of “I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here”!  It was also a rare chance for me to travel as a guest on board so I was looking forward to seeing things from a different perspective which is always valuable. The festivities started with a special welcome party for all TOGS to gather in the Winter Garden. The ship had done a stunning job in preparing the venue and making it very special for the TOGS reception. In fact the very talented on board ice carver even made a giant Pudsey Bear (the ‘Children in Need’ mascot), out of polystyrene as a centre piece, which soon became a photo opportunity for TOGS’ scrapbooks.

I had the pleasure of introducing Charles Nove who many of you will recognise as one of Terry’s intrepid team. Not only is he a much loved broadcaster he is a keen wearer of cardigans and a fan of the Route Master double-decker bus – yes an interesting character! You can find out more about Charles on his blog -   http://charlesnove.blogspot.com.

He set the tone of the voyage by welcoming the TOGS, who were already enjoying the special TOGS cocktail (designed by the on board bar staff especially for the voyage), and finger desserts to live music.  We soon found out that many TOGS were embarking a ship for the very first time so it was great to welcome them, as well as a few familiar Cunard faces who were already sharing their nautical know how. It had been a long day for everyone but there was so much to chat about and catch up on that no one actually got the early night that they had earlier promised themselves!

It was an early start the following morning as we all gathered for the TOGS shore excursion to Meteora. If you have never been there – I can really recommend it, and although it sounds a bit of a cliché, seeing really is believing. We set off from the port of Volos (which apparently – for those familiar with Greek Mythology – was where Jason and his Argonauts set off in search of the Golden fleece in probably somewhat different conditions to that of the luxurious Queen Victoria; I doubt Jason had accommodation with a bath and balcony! Our guide was fantastic in giving us a potted history of the region’s incredible past featuring names I tried to remember from my history lessons. There was so much to absorb, but this was possibly overshadowed by our guide trying to get to grips with who or what TOGS were, let alone explaining the innuendos of the Janet & John stories, which we discovered didn’t translate very well in to Greek! To tell you briefly about Meteora; it is a region of incredible rock formations, which survived as vast pinnacles, towering above the surrounding landscape millions of years ago. Around the 9^th century hermits in search of solitude, climbed the faces of these formations and created caves which are still visible today. These hermits were later brought together in monasteries which were built at the top of these rocks and were virtually impossible to get to, in fact they were created by lowering baskets on ropes and the building materials were painstakingly lifted up one basket at a time. This was the normal access method for new joiners to the monasteries whose faith was probably put to the ultimate test as they hovered in nets hundreds of feet above the ground in a process that took up to half an hour. We were offered the same route, but most of us were delighted to find out that steps were carved in to the rocks in the early 20^th century.  Sadly, today only a handful of the original 26 or more monasteries survive. They are truly incredible and you may recognise this one, the Monastery of the Holy Trinity (Aghia Trias), as the location of the dramatic ending of the James Bond film, ‘For Your Eyes Only’ starring Roger Moore.

What a great day it was; mind you after a superb Greek lunch buffet the conversation on the way back to the ship seemed to transform in to gentle snoring from around the bus as we prepared for the formal night ahead.

Our next TOGS event comes in a few days time, and we’ll soon be welcoming more guests from Radio 2 including Sir Terry, so we’ll keep you up to date with what’s happening on board with some more photos. Don’t forget to listen to Radio 2 (you can also listen to this on line), on the 27^th and 28^th of November for the live broadcast from Queen Victoria’s Commodore Club between 7.30am and 9.30am GMT. In the meantime I am happy to report that everyone is having a wonderful voyage and are gradually introducing the TOGS concept to the crew and other guests of Queen Victoria with varying degrees of comprehension!

Breaking News

Look out for some special upcoming Blogs including the emotional send off of QE2.  Also coming up is the TOGs (Terry’s old Geezers and Gals) voyage on Queen Victoria. Last week, along with my Cunard colleagues Richard Curtis, and Matthew Elgie, I was invited to join the launch of the “Bandaged” CD with Sir Terry Wogan at the BBC in London. I would like to take a moment to plug this CD which features many names from Radio 2 who gave up their time for this extremely worthwhile cause. You can find out more by following this link

www.charitygoods.com

From this you can click on the links to find out more about BBC’s “Children In Need” (BBC 1 – Friday 14^th November), and the incredible work done for youngsters.

We then put the final touches to the 12 day TOGS voyage on Queen Victoria departing 17 November from Athens, which promises to be an amazing voyage.  I’ll be on board and will be sending reports from the voyage and what the Radio 2 stars are up to along with their TOGs. 

Before I get in to this special blog, I just wanted to answer a comment from Rob Lightbody regarding the “This Day In Cunard’s History” about QE2’s funnel being repainted red during the 1986 refit. Rob pointed out that that although the funnel was widened and reconstructed at this time it was in fact repainted red in 1983. However we have consulted our Oracle (Michael Gallagher) on such matters and according to him it was in fact repainted even earlier – in August 1982. 

Meanwhile quite a few of you have been asking about Queen Mary 2’s dry dock which is currently taking place in Hamburg.  She is currently docked at dry dock ELBE 17 of Blohm + Voss Repair, a company of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems. I’ve been to this dry dock a couple of times and when Queen Mary 2 is there she provides a stunning back drop to the city drawing an incredible amount of visitors photographing the ship from the other side of the river Elbe.  This is a picture I took on her last dry dock which shows how imposing she is.

Thanks Jerry for your link, we asked another Jerry if he would give us a report on what was happening and what a ship is like during the dry dock period. In addition to a freshen up of some public areas including the Chart Room we are also installing mobile technology to enable mobile phones to be used whilst at sea. A special coat of extremely high tech paint is also being applied to the ship’s hull – this is a state of the art low friction paint that will enable Queen Mary 2 to slide through the sea with a minimum of effort, thus helping to conserve fuel. Especially important during this time of unpredictable oil prices when there is a greater need than ever to operate efficiently! 

Some of you may remember Jeremy Saltonstall as the Second Officer who did such a great job in presenting the Virtual Bridge Tour ( A lecture in the Theatre detailing the day to day operation of the ship’s navigational bridge), on Queen Mary 2 and during the first few voyages on Queen Victoria. Here is Jerry’s report:

For me, a normal day on Queen Mary 2 is to carry out a watch on the bridge either at sea or in port. However it is always a rare occasion to be on watch whilst she is in dry dock. I have been involved with Queen Mary 2 since she was built back in 2003 in St Nazaire, France where I got to experience the whole building and start up operation of this fine liner. I was also involved in the building and start up of Queen Victoria in 2007 in Marghera, Italy. Seeing these vessels taking shape has been an interesting part of my life and I feel proud to be a part of history in the making.

Queen Mary 2 has been in service now for five years, and what a life she has had so far. As we departed Southampton for Hamburg on 22^nd October we bid farewell to the most famous ocean liner in the world, Queen Elizabeth 2. As we passed her at berth 38/9, there was an exchange of whistles and a lot of emotion. The privilege of sounding the whistles was given to Sheena, one of our housekeepers, who had served on QE2 for many years.

On arrival in Hamburg we waited for the right tide before slowly edging the ship in to Elbe 17 dry dock at the Bhlom and Voss repair yard. Once in position the dock gate was closed behind us and it wasn’t long before you could notice the water levels were starting to drop. At 14:00 on 25^th October, Queen Mary 2 was confirmed that she was resting on the blocks, where she would stay for 3 weeks. Before all the water had been pumped out of the dry dock, there was a mad rush to get the lifeboats and tenders lowered to the water, sent to the aft end of the dock, lifted over the dock gate, and driven round to another part of the ship yard where they were lifted out again into a large car park to have maintenance carried out on them. By the time we had finished the operation, the water level was already down two thirds of the vessels hull. It was here where you could see the amount of wear and tear that the hull of the ship had experienced. A large coat of fine green seaweed coated the areas just below the water line. As the water level continued to drop, the smell of seaweed dominated the whole area around the ship, the kind of smell that you would normally get when the tide was out in a port. Gangways were connected in various shell doors around the ship and equipment, spare and new parts were already being lifted on board.

It was midnight the next day before the dry dock was completely dry. Queen Mary 2 sat there, looking almost lost without any water around her, in a way like a stranded whale. The next day I went down into the dock bottom to see for myself the condition of the hull. All in all it was in a very good condition, ok it was very dirty, but the coatings were all intact and the amount of seaweed on the flat bottom of the hull was minimal.

We are now well over half way through the dry dock here in Hamburg and I am on the night watch between Midnight and 8am. The weather is cold everyday but the heating has remained on at all times to keep us warm. At night the fog roles up the river and Queen Mary 2 sits quietly in her dock. It’s a spooky scene, especially after just celebrating Halloween, as the fog moves around the ship at night without the sound of the fog horn going, like it would be at sea. Fog is normally an annoying thing for us on the bridge when underway but here in dry dock it’s nice to just watch role on by each night. Each day I walk around I see new items in place, it does seem extremely weird where all the shelves in places like the spa and shops are empty. There are no bottles on the shelves in the bars. All the chairs and deck chairs have been removed, the pools are empty, carpets are covered with protection, most of the elevators are shut down, and half the crew are missing! It’s certainly not what you would call a normal operating ocean liner.

The workers in the shipyard are very friendly and doing a great job in getting the vessel ready for sailing. All the maintenance is going to plan and we hope to be off the blocks and leaving the repair yard bound for Southampton on 13 November with the Cunard Queen looking, like she always does,……..Amazing!