“Why have we been given a card marked ‘M’?” Thus spoke Mrs Shacklepin as we stood in a very short queue of about four people at the vaccination centre at the racecourse of the Big City. Adjacent was a far longer queue, snaking away to the door, labelled ‘P’. Earlier, as we had swept pastContinue reading “Blog 105. Ready in all respects to receive visitors.”
Tag Archives: CUNARD
Blog 89. Damned clever, these Chinese.
“And we jolly sailor boys were leaping up aloft, with the landlubbers lying down below”. Ahoy, landlubbers and shipmates: I’m back from the boat, wind-burned, weather beaten, bruised, aching in most joints, and smelling faintly of diesel oil. This last characteristic is a little odd, bearing in mind that conditions onboard are not so primitiveContinue reading “Blog 89. Damned clever, these Chinese.”
Blog 34. Passage from New York
Day 12 – Thursday 9 May I woke at the more conventional time of 0650 and threw back the curtains to reveal a calm blue sea, sunshine, and white fluffy clouds. You wouldn’t think we were on the same ocean as two days ago. Our position at 0715 was 45deg 51N, 36deg 36W or veryContinue reading “Blog 34. Passage from New York”
Blog 33. Passage from New York
Day 9 – Monday 7 May Another grey day. Position at 0700 ship’s time was 40deg 27.4N, 68deg 36W – roughly 100 Nm south east of Cape Cod. Rain. Wind Force 8 from NE, Full Gale. Course 084, speed 21 knots. Sea state ‘Moderate/Rough’. There was a bit of a chop on, and it wasContinue reading “Blog 33. Passage from New York”
Blog 32. New York in RMS QUEEN MARY 2
Day 8 – Sunday 6 May 2019. New York City, United States of America New York, New York: the self-proclaimed capital of the world, the most highly populated city in the USA with a population 8.4 million, spectacular sights, excellent museums, Broadway shows, cosmopolitan inhabitants, the city of literature, film and TV. And we areContinue reading “Blog 32. New York in RMS QUEEN MARY 2”
Blog 31. Passage to New York
Day 6 – Friday 3 May 2019 Well, here we are on Day 6, about 300 miles due south of Newfoundland and on a westerly course for the final leg. Position at 0710 ship’s time was 41deg N, 52deg 41W; speed 19 knots, course 266, air temperature 8C, overcast, sea Moderate, wind Force 6 fromContinue reading “Blog 31. Passage to New York”
Blog 30. Passage to New York
Day 4 – Wednesday 1 May 2019 “You’re determined to wake me up, aren’t you?”, said a a cold disembodied voice. So dawned the First of May in this bit of the Atlantic at 0550 ship’s time. Clocks were retarded yet again last night and we are now at GMT – 2, or three hoursContinue reading “Blog 30. Passage to New York”
Blog 29. Passage to New York
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…” Day 1 – Sunday 28 April 2019 Aha! I bet that surprised you. We’re back. Here we are again on QUEEN MARY 2, this time heading for New York and back on a two week round trip, that takes in seven hoursContinue reading “Blog 29. Passage to New York”
Blog 27. Hamburg in QUEEN VICTORIA.
HAMBURG Day 1 – Wednesday 3 January Well here we are again, gluttons for punishment, off on a mini cruise to Hamburg. This time we are sailing in the good ship QUEEN VICTORIA as part of a plan to try out other Cunard ships. Heaven knows why, as it is not as if weContinue reading “Blog 27. Hamburg in QUEEN VICTORIA.”
Blog 26. Return from Australia. Lisbon and Home
Day 115 Thursday 4 May. Overcast, occasional feeble sunshine. 17ºC. Wind Force 4 from NE. Position at noon: 36deg 19N. 3deg 6E. Costa del Sol 26nm to the NW. Last night was a formal night and we continued the experiment with cocktails. This time, Jane had a Cosmopolitan, which proved very enjoyable and more likeContinue reading “Blog 26. Return from Australia. Lisbon and Home”
"A Very Vintage Chap..." 