Current QE2 captain

[PRINSENDAM]

I can't imagine officers on any other line taking the time & effort to conduct a midnight navigational session, or passengers most other lines caring to learn about the finer points of finding your way over the water from A to B. The evening gowns & tuxes make the scene all the more magical, I think.

 

On our upcoming QE2 winter transatlantic crossing, no doubt there might be a few gray days on which the officers might have to determine their position by dead reckoning. Hmmm... Now, I wonder if they ever toss the log over the side & count off the knots?...

 

Cheers,

John

 

 

John,

 

Occassionally these lectures are done on the PRINSENDAM.

 

 

In the old days there was no need to throw the log over the side. It was easier to follow the empties thrown overboard from the Wardroom from the ship ahead. These days of 'zero overboard discharge' has certainly made navigation much more difficult!

 

Stephen

[dougnewmanatsea]

I wonder what happened? I don't think any of them were offensive or broke any rules.

 

I think my original post got wiped somehow.

What can I say - bumbling idiot that I am, I managed to delete Stephen's original post rather than reply to it!

 

Anyhow, thanks Stephen for warning the good Captain of our impending invasion of his ship... He had better have some special treatment coming my way, as I'm sure he knows that - as the name of this site suggests - I am a very, very tough critic ;) ...

 

And the 25+ other Cruise Critics on board had better be on good behavior, as if they do anything naughty, they will have to endure the wrath of a Host (albiet a bumbling idiot Host) in person ;) ...

 

(Any Cruise Critics out there who have the impression that I'm going to save you from being keelhauled, you are gravely mistaken ;) ...)

[Post Captain]

John,

 

Occassionally these lectures are done on the PRINSENDAM.

 

 

In the old days there was no need to throw the log over the side. It was easier to follow the empties thrown overboard from the Wardroom from the ship ahead. These days of 'zero overboard discharge' has certainly made navigation much more difficult!

 

Stephen

 

Hello Stephen,

 

Ah, those were the days...

 

BTW (off-topic), speaking of old times--I've been enjoying your (& PP's) Queen of Bermuda/ Furness book, which I bought in Hamilton a couple of months ago. The Queen of Bermuda was my first ship--my father was Furness's Passenger Traffic Manager at the time of the line's demise in 1966. (You can imagine my astonishment at discovering a photo of him with Ian Saunders in the Maritime Museum at King's Wharf.) I recall that the officers used to enjoy gin & tonics or whisky & sodas in the purser's cabin before the depature from in New York. (They used to sit me in the corner & give me a Shirley Temple.) But all very proper, if not according to today's SOLAS regulations. Now THERE was a ship!

 

Best regards,

John

[travel-to-go]

Hello Stephen,

 

Ah, those were the days...

(They used to sit me in the corner & give me a Shirley Temple.)

 

Best regards,

John

Sounds a bit kinky to me, John, How old was this Shirley person? <BEG>

 

Hmmm! For that matter, how old were you!

You old sea-dog, you!

<G>

[stowaway2k]

 

And the 25+ other Cruise Critics on board had better be on good behavior, as if they do anything naughty, ;) ...

quote]

 

Does this mean that you don't want any of us to show you the way up to the base of the funnel, or anywhere else those on good behavior don't go? ;)

[PRINSENDAM]

Hello Stephen,

 

Ah, those were the days...

 

BTW (off-topic), speaking of old times--I've been enjoying your (& PP's) Queen of Bermuda/ Furness book, which I bought in Hamilton a couple of months ago. The Queen of Bermuda was my first ship--my father was Furness's Passenger Traffic Manager at the time of the line's demise in 1966. (You can imagine my astonishment at discovering a photo of him with Ian Saunders in the Maritime Museum at King's Wharf.) I recall that the officers used to enjoy gin & tonics or whisky & sodas in the purser's cabin before the depature from in New York. (They used to sit me in the corner & give me a Shirley Temple.) But all very proper, if not according to today's SOLAS regulations. Now THERE was a ship!

 

 

John,

 

Other ships might follow the empties accross the Atlantic, I suspect that on the QUEEN OF BERMUDA heading to and from New York they were more likely to run aground on them!!!!

 

Yes, QOB was definitely a fine ship. Sadly missed! Glad you are enjoying the book.

 

Stephen

[Post Captain]

Sounds a bit kinky to me, John, How old was this Shirley person? <BEG>

 

Hmmm! For that matter, how old were you!

You old sea-dog, you!

<G>

 

Hmmm! indeed. Not sure if you're having me on (as the Brits would say), but it was all veddy, veddy proper & gentlemanly.

 

The scene was this: My father frequently supervised passenger embarkation for the Queen of Bermuda's (& also the Ocean Monarch's) Saturday sailings to Bermuda--& sometimes brought me along to the pier. At some point before the sailing, we would go aboard, & my father would hobnob with the officers. There would be a semi-formal gathering in the purser's cabin; the officers & Dad would have their g&t's or scotch & soda's, & the steward would bring me a Shirley Temple--ginger ale with a splash of grenadine & a cherry, named for the famous child actress, of course. (Have read somewhere that ST's also include orange juice, but I don't remember that.) A very popular drink for young (single digit age) sea dogs!

 

To this day I recall several of the officers quite clearly: Captain Musson (whose first name I recently learned was Magnus); Staff Captain Ian Saunders (the quintessential staff captain, very popular with the passengers); & the purser, Ray Pushie (who, happily, didn't live up to his name). There were others, too, whose names & faces I don't recall, alas.

 

For what it's worth, it was from them that I learned (by a process of osmosis, I suppose) to speak with an English accent!

 

For those who don't know, the Queen of Bermuda was very much like a small version (approx. 23,000 tons) of the old Queen Mary; the two ships were contemporaneous. Not to advertise for another poster on this board, but there's an excellent book chronicling the history of the Queen and of the Furness Bermuda Line, by Piers Plowman & Stephen J. Card, published by the Bermuda Maritime Museum Press.

[MollyBrown]

I'm still wondering what happened to Captain Ian McNaught, and if he was let go, was it something to do with the fact that he made some remark about QE2 being "no Carnival Cruise Line"?

 

Captain McNaught was proud of QE2, and loyaly defended her if she were criticized.

 

Here's an article I found about this captain:

 

http://www.worldshipny.com/mcnaught.htm

[guernseyguy]

I'm still wondering what happened to Captain Ian McNaught, and if he was let go, was it something to do with the fact that he made some remark about QE2 being "no Carnival Cruise Line"?

 

Molly,

 

The rumours spread by 'Friends of Cunard Captains' continue......First, Nick Bates had 'resigned in disgust'....though funnily enough he is still serving....now you wonder if Ian McNaught has been 'let go', possibly for saying something Mickey Arison would agree 100% with.....a simple search of this forum would have shown that last heard of he was on SUN PRINCESS....see here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=256729&highlight=Mcnaught

 

Peter

[MollyBrown]

Molly,

 

The rumours spread by 'Friends of Cunard Captains' continue......First, Nick Bates had 'resigned in disgust'....though funnily enough he is still serving....now you wonder if Ian McNaught has been 'let go', possibly for saying something Mickey Arison would agree 100% with.....a simple search of this forum would have shown that last heard of he was on SUN PRINCESS....see here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=256729&highlight=Mcnaught

 

Peter

 

No need to be snippy, Peter. My search function on this board does not function for some reason.

 

Even though Captain McNaught may possibly enjoy the Sun Princess, I doubt very much indeed if he would have left QE2 by choice. After speaking with him about QE2, it was quite obvious he was 100% where he wanted to be, as her Captain. It is part of the tradition I think, that a Captain should feel that a ship is "his", and that there should be such a tremendous loyalty to that ship. All this business of shifting captains around (let's play musical captains, this is Princess Cruise Lines!), creates a completely different atmosphere.

 

(All in the name of the "bottom line"? Globalization? Actually, Globalization is not only not "inevitable", but it doesn't appear to be working very well... ).

[travel-to-go]

 

Even though Captain McNaught may possibly enjoy the Sun Princess, I doubt very much indeed if he would have left QE2 by choice. After speaking with him about QE2, it was quite obvious he was 100% where he wanted to be, as her Captain.

Maybe this is one of those things in so many industries today, where they want everybody "cross-trained." able to cover either ship class, in case they need to "cover" for one. As far as which is preferable? Some think Cunard, it seems, some think Princess is "up there". I honestly couldn't say. I've never been on Princess. And perhaps, the QE2 being an older ship, maybe he wants a chance (briefly) to pilot something more modern, with more modern "fittings" or whatever one would call the "plant" that makes the old girl function)

 

That said, A number of posts have been made about Commodore Warwick retiring. I think someone also mentioned here on this forum that the QM2 rotates between Commodore Warwick and another Captain. Anyone know who will be captaining the 3 Jan Panama trip? It would be awfully exciting to get to meet Commodore Warwick, since I don't believe I have met him (I have to look back through my stuff and see if he was maybe a Captain on any of my Cunard Crown sailings) and all say he is a marvelous delightful and personable chap.

 

Any idea?