Queen Victoria World Cruise 2024 Notes from the Navigator

[Lynda Bradford]

"On 11 January 2024 I set sail on the Cunard ship Queen Victoria’s World Cruise.  I have travelled with Cunard for 27 years but this was the first full World Cruise for me. 

The Daily Programmes delivered to the cabin each day, gave a note from the Navigator, which I found really interesting, so I copied the information for each of the 107 days. 

Would you like to join me in reliving the World Cruise sailing across the North and South Atlantic, Pacific, Indian Oceans?  Perhaps you sailed on a World Cruise on QE2 and can relate to some of the places I visited and can comment.  Also hoping that our crew members can add more details about Navigation notes. 

There were six sectors of the World Cruise.  I will be posting two or three Navigator notes every second day, which In hope you enjoy." 

Sector 1: Southampton to Fort Lauderdale

12 January 2024
Following departure from Southampton Docks yesterday afternoon, Queen Victoria undertook the three-hour transit of the River Solent under Southampton Pilotage. Passing the Nab Tower Queen Victoria disembarked her pilot and set a South Westerly course through the English Channel, Early this morning Queen Victoria passed 8 nautical miles South of Lizard Point, the most southerly point of England, before transiting the traffic lane which lies 9 nautical miles south of Bishop Rock in the Isles of Scilly. From here Queen Victoria will set a Westerly course across the North Atlantic Ocean.

13 January 2024
As we awake to our second day at sea Queen Victoria finds herself steaming West across the North Atlantic Ocean. Beneath us is the Porcupine Abyssal Plain with charted depths of up to 4900 meters or 16, 100 feet. Abyssal plains are flat or gently sloping areas, covering approximately 40% of world's ocean floor. At its deepest point the Atlantic Ocean reaches a depth of 8,605 metres (28,232 ft) in the Puerto Rico trench.

14 January 2024
Overnight Queen Victoria continued her South- Westerly course across the North Atlantic Ocean. This morning finds us crossing over the Mid Atlantic Ridge where the depth of water is reduced to less than 100 metres in places, some 700 nautical miles north of the Azores Islands of Graciosa

[June Ingram]

This is wonderful information, Lynda, and I very much look forward to each day's navigation info. It gives a wonderful added dimension to the world cruise.

[Rob Lightbody]

This is a lovely idea.

You take it for granted when on board, but can appreciate them more and read them properly here.  And you've got navigational notes for a trip around the world!

Did you keep a full set of daily programmes??  Would take up a lot of space!!

I wonder if anyone has full WC notes from a QE2 WC... Were the notes similar in those days?

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

Very much looking forward to following your world cruise and reading these navigational notes, shedding light on places that perhaps many of us also sailed across, and others that we would love to experience one day. Thank you for sharing these notes with us!

[Lynda Bradford]

This is a lovely idea.

You take it for granted when on board, but can appreciate them more and read them properly here.  And you've got navigational notes for a trip around the world!

Did you keep a full set of daily programmes??  Would take up a lot of space!!

I wonder if anyone has full WC notes from a QE2 WC... Were the notes similar in those days?

Regarding the programmes.  I had intended to keep them but then realised that they weighted quite a bit so I took a photo of the front of each programme.  I also recorded in a spreadsheet the entertainers on the ship.  Some we had seen on previous voyages. 

[cunardqueen]

Would you like to join me in reliving the World Cruise sailing across the North and South Atlantic, Pacific, Indian Oceans?   

YES  even the simple things like what you did , where you ate or what you ate .

I just took it as read that you would have kept a daily programme and menu from each day. But i guess a photo takes up less weight 

[Lynda Bradford]

Sector 1 (contd)]

15 January 2024
Queen Victoria will today continue a South Westerly heading across the North Atlantic Ocean, passing some 630 nautical miles southeast of Greenland this morning. We have in fact been making a series of small alterations of course throughout this sea passage as we follow a 'great circle' track. A great circle is the shortest distance between two points on the surface of the earth and is not actually a straight line. Due to curvature of the earth, Queen Victoria is following a gently curving track that if she continued indefinitely (assuming no land in the way) would eventually result in our arrival back in Southampton having travelled right around the world

16 January 2024
Following on our South Westerly course, today Queen Victoria will be passing 50 nautical miles southeast of the Titanic Wreck site, which on April 15th 2012 (100 years later) was automatically protected by UNESCO under the 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage, which protects cultural, historical, or archaeological objects that have been underwater for 100 years.
Despite this the wreck site has been under protection by the RMS titanic maritime memorial act since 1986, a year after the wrecks discovery.

17 January 2024
Approaching the end of her 3030 nautical miles transatlantic voyage, Queen Victoria will continue today heading south west towards Hamilton on the island of Bermuda.
Today Queen Victoria will be passing 700 miles south of St John's Newfoundland, which in 1901 Guglielmo Marconi received the first wireless transmission a name synonymous with radio operators and a system that we use daily onboard.

[Lynda Bradford]

QV World Cruise Notes from the Navigator Sector 1 (contd.)

18 January 2024: Bermuda
Temperature: high 16% low 15% degrees

A picturesque port tucked at the bottom of the Main Island peninsular, Hamilton is the capital city of Bermuda, a British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic made up of a group of small islands. First discovered in 1505 by Spanish sailor Juan de Bermu-dez, the namesake of Bermuda, the islands were claimed in England's name in 1609.

Bermuda is a wonderfully eclectic mix of crystal-clear waters, relaxing beaches, thrilling cuisine, dramatic scenery, and bustling hubs of business and commerce.

Bathed in warm sunlight, sprinkled with lush tropical flora and bays of pale pink sand, Hamilton is the perfect gateway to an unforgettable visit to Bermuda.

19 January 2024
After our departure from Hamilton, Queen Victoria sailed initially northerly courses to exit the coral reef system of Bermuda. Located at 32°N, Bermuda's coral reefs are unique as they are the most northern massive coral reefs in the Atlantic Ocean. As we clear the main island of Bermuda Queen Victoria altered her course round the south of the islands to then proceed across the north Atlantic Ocean on a west south-westerly heading.

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[Lynda Bradford]

QV World Cruise 2024 Notes from the Navigator Sector 1 (contd)

20 January 2024
Our second day at sea and Queen Victoria finds herself sailing west across the North Atlantic, closing on the American shores of Florida. We will cross over the Blake Plateau as we approach the US continental shelf where depths under keel will decrease from 5000 meters of ocean floor to just 600 meters off of the coast.
In the early hours of tomorrow morning we will be embarking our local pilot and navigating the 160 meters wide buoyed channel as we make our approaches into Port Canaveral.

21 January 2024: Port Canaveral
Weather: high 16 low 12 degrees
The second-busiest cruise port in the United States, Port Canaveral is a charming seafront destination, bustling with activity. Though often known as the gateway to Florida's famous theme parks, its raison d'être is the Kennedy Space Centre - in 1951 the US Army Corps created the inlet to allow goods to be shipped to what is NASA's primary base for space exploration. Given its monumental importance, visiting the Space Centre is highly recommended. Port Canaveral also has a plethora of excellent cafés, restaurants and bars, where you can enjoy an always-generous helping of food and a refreshing drink in the warm Florida sun. The famously sunny weather here makes the delightful coastal parks - many of which are covered with sand dunes.

22 January 2024: Port Everglades/Fort Lauderdale
Temperature: high 21 low 19 degrees (wet and windy conditions)
Port Everglades is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but they are distinct entities. Fort Lauderdale is a city, while Port Everglades is a seaport. The port is situated within the boundaries of Fort Lauderdale and is operated by the Broward County government.
Fort Lauderdale stands on South Florida's Gold Coast, a charming meeting of canals and beaches. There's also a chance to venture into Miami or experience the sawgrass expanse of the Everglades. Fort Lauderdale was named for the series of forts built on this stretch of swampy shore in the 1700s for protection against Seminole Indians. In the late 1800s, the boggy land was repurposed by digging out a series of canals to leave long strips of land in between. This created a greater habitable area as well as 300 miles of waterways. And so the 'Venice of America' was born. Today these man-made inlets have millionaire yachts moored beside luxury houses.

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[Lynda Bradford]

QV World Cruise 2024 - Notes from the Navigator
Sector 2: Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco

23 January 2024
Having completed all our departure formalities and let go of our lines, Queen Victoria has begun her voyage down deeper into the Caribbean Sea. Overnight Queen Victoria navigated the Straits of Florida where currents can reach up to 4 knots and is important as it is known as the start of the Gulf Stream, the main weather driver to what we experience back in the United Kingdom. We then proceed to sail along the north side of Cuba and through the Old Baha-man Channel. This passage at its narrowest spans only 12 miles wide and is enclosed by various coral reefs on either side that have challenged seafarers since 1500’s.

24 January 2024
For our second sea day Queen Victoria will steam a more southerly heading, having rounded the eastern edge of Cuba and through the Windward Passage. This is an area of sea that separates Cuba and Haiti, and is the direct shipping path between the Panama Canal and the eastern seaboard of the USA. Later we will alter to the southeast, having passed the islands of Jamaica and cleared the Haitian coast, as we cross the Caribbean Sea bound for Aruba.

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[June Ingram]

These navigational notes are wonderful, Lynda ! I have my globe right here and am following along. The navigational notes make a wonderful addition to the commentary about a voyage !

[Lynda Bradford]

QV World Cruise 2024: Notes from the Navigator (sector 2 contd)

25 January 2024: Oranjestad, Aruba
Temperature: High 27 low 26 degrees

Welcome to the cheerful city of Oranjestad. The colourful, Dutch colonial buildings that line the streets make a striking first impression against the uninterrupted blue of the sky. You'll hear a mélange of languages as you wander the city-an indication of Aruba's rich and eclectic culture. The diversity of the local population is also reflected in the menus of the many world-class restaurants. Opportunities abound for retail therapy and outdoor adventure but it's Aruba's beaches that make it a destination to which you'll want to return time and time again. Whether you prefer to lounge on soft sand, swim in clear, temperate waters, surf the waves or snorkel with marine creatures, the perfect beach is never far away. With so much to see and do, it won't take long for you to understand why Aruba is considered 'One Happy Island!

26 January 2024
Overnight Queen Victoria headed north westerly out to sea, before paralleling the Venezuelan coast and passing 35 miles north of Punta Gallinas, the most northern point of the Peninsula De Guajira. Thereafter, we altered our course to port to follow a more south westerly track, as we sail along the Colombian coastline out to port and closing on the shores of Panama for the remainder of the day.

Note: The photos from the tour of Aruba I hope show that Aruba is a pleasant little island that was worthwhile visiting. From the Casibari borders, the waves crashing against the rocks at the site of the natural bridge, the little church architecture of the little church and the architecture of Oranjestad. 

[Lynda Bradford]

These navigational notes are wonderful, Lynda ! I have my globe right here and am following along. The navigational notes make a wonderful addition to the commentary about a voyage !

Thanks June, it is good to know you are enjoying following my posts.  I enjoyed reading the navigator notes when on the ship and I am also enjoying posting them on the forum.

I hope forum members and guests are enjoying reading the topic.  Lots more posts to read as you follow my adventure. 

[Rob Lightbody]

I'm now wondering, were the navigational notes more detailed because it was the world cruise?  They seem more detailed than what I remember reading on our Cunard trips?

[Lynda Bradford]

QV World Cruise 2024: Notes from the Navigator (sector 2 contd)

27 January 2024
This morning Queen Victoria will alter onto a southerly course before embarking her Panama Canal Pilot and passing to the west of the port of Colon on our port side. Throughout today Queen Victoria will transit the many buoyed channels and narrow Gatun, Pedro Miguel and Miraflores Locks which make up the Panama Canal. Once clear of the Canal this evening we will disembark the local Pilot.

28 January 2024: Fuerte Amador, Panama
Fuerte Amador lies just southwest of Panama City, and so provides and ideal location for further exploration of the city and surround islands. The island of Culebra is the home of the Smithsonian Institute of Tropical Research.
The fast-growing city of Fuerte Amador lies at the Pacific end of the Panama Canal, on a peninsular jutting out from Balboa. It has a pleasing marina, with Panama City on the other side of Ancon Hill. Fuerte Amador is good for relaxation and shopping.

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Photos: Gatun lock and lake, Miraflores Lock, View of Panama City, Fuerte Amador