QE2 Story Newsletter July 2011

[Lynda Bradford]

Welcome to the QE2 Story’s July 2011 Newsletter

It has been another busy month for the forum, not quite breaking any records in June but still very busy with plenty of varied activity helping to taking the Forum forwards, so it's many thanks to everyone who has been involved, after all it is our wonderful members who make the Forum the success it is, keep it coming!


QE2 in Dubai DVD

Understandably interest remains particularly high in the ship's current situation in Dubai, especially following Rob's visit. Only a small handful of photos have been released since she arrived there more than 2.5 years ago so this is a unique opportunity to explore the ship from the comfort of your sofa.

In addition to the previously seen videos that Rob released on YouTube, the DVD will contain many hundreds of previously unreleased photos from all areas on board, these will be in the form of a series of animated slideshows that you can sit back and enjoy on your TV.

No matter what the future holds for QE2, the DVD will be a record of this fascinating period of her story and we would like to assure you Rob has been working hard to have the DVD ready for release as soon as possible, there is however a huge amount of work involved so it is not quite ready yet, but be assured it is on its way and will be well worth the wait!

Many thanks to all of you who have pre-ordered your copies of the DVD, it is encouraging to see the level of interest, and having an idea of numbers in advance helps us make decisions on its production, so if you are keen but have not yet ordered, you can do so easily at the “Coming soon - DVD containing video & exclusive photos from QE2 in Dubai” topic:

https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php/topic,3221.0.html

We anticipate the cost of the DVD to be around £15 plus post and packaging.  Members pre-ordering the DVD will help us to get the best price, particularly if we engage a company to reproduce the disk.  


Topic of the Month

Last month Lynda introduced 'Topic of the Month', kicking off with Restaurant Menu Covers and I will continue this month by drawing attention to the 'QE2 Models and Paintings'

This is a fascinating section, and one which is more interactive than most as it allows you to share, and the rest of us to appreciate your very own works, as well as those created by others and collected along the way.

There are some excellent works in there, and new contributions are coming in all the time, so why not have a look and see what our fellow Forum members have been getting up to in their spare time!

Maybe you will be inspired to attempt a painting, or a model? Perfect time to start planning for a winter project, and there are several good options there to choose from and several experienced model makers and artists to offer advice!

And for those out there who have models and paintings, or any other creative renditions of the Ship of Ships which have not yet been posted, how about getting photos up so we can all enjoy them too?
 
https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php/board,61.0.html

Whilst on the subject of models and paintings, has anyone got models or paintings of other liners? Or any other ships, maybe someone has done the Waverley? I'm sure there would be interest in those too, so how about getting them posted up in the Sea Shanties section for us all to enjoy....


Annual QE2 Story Forum Gathering at the Tall Ships Race in Greenock


Thank-you so much to everyone who attended the QE2 Story at the Tall Ships week-end helping to make this such an enjoyable occasion.  

On Friday evening QE2 story Forum members kicked off the event at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Glasgow where lots of treasures were on the table for us to look at and this certainly generated lots of conversation.  These treasures included some ultra-rare exclusives from Michael (Flagship) and a suitcase of QE2 treasures from John (Cunarder Man) including an amazing First Day Cover collection.  

There were a few sore heads on Saturday morning but these were soon cured by the time the Waverley set sail and coffee and bacon rolls were on offer.  Words cannot fully describe the experience of sailing down the Clyde on the Waverley but it is a memory to treasure.  

In Greenock we waved goodbye to the Waverley and hello to Shona and Alan (QE2 Whistle) who had arranged to meet us there.  As we made our way to the Tall Ships event at the James Watt Dock we could see, in the distance, the tall masts and the colourful flags blowing in the warm wind, as we walked with the crowds of people going to the event.  

Many people took the opportunity to go onboard the ships while others just wanted to savour the atmosphere and enjoyed exploring the site.  We were so lucky that we had sunshine and blue skies all day.  What a bonus!  It certainly was a lively and colourful occasion.  

At five o’clock Forum members met at the Tontine Hotel for a meal before joining the PS Waverley again, for the evening trip back to Glasgow.  

The day came to an end with drinks at the Crowne Plaza and more time to chat about how much we had enjoyed the day and all agreed that - a good time was had by all!

Maybe you would like to have a look at the photos members have posted.  

https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php/topic,3323.0.html


Introduce Yourself

I mentioned at the beginning how it is the members who make the Forum what it is. Picking up on that idea, we'd like to invite and encourage all who haven't yet done so, to write an introduction about themselves in our 'Introduce yourself and tell your QE2 story' section. There is a place for enthusiasts and passengers here:

https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php/board,4.0.html

And one for officers, crew and other staff here:

https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php/board,34.0.html

It's a great way to get to know each other a little through these introductions, so as well as writing your own, however long or short, we encourage you all to take some time to read through some of them and get a feel for who is here -- everyone has a unique experience of our ship and so there's always something new to hear!


Photo Competition & Calender

As many of you are aware, in May we launched the first part of the Photo Competition. And as we are now well into its third month running we can confirm the results of the May competition and offer congratulations to Ken (Highlander0108) and Kyle (Stowaway2k) for their joint win, see the results here:

https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php/topic,3305.0.html

After some initial confusion, we amended the way the competition works, and will continue to monitor it for any further improvement, thanks to all for bearing with us as we get it settled down!

If you have already seen the Photo of the Month competition, you are probably aware by now of our intention to produce a QE2 Story Calender with the winning photographs incorporated into it. For copyright reasons if the winning photograph any month is not an original work by whoever submits it, the highest voted original work would be used in the calender for that month instead.

Taking part is easy:

1. Have a look at the easy to follow instructions
https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php/topic,3312.0.html

2. Post your photo for July in the Forum Gallery.  Topic for July 2011 is “QE2 Food & Buffets”
https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=48

3. Vote for up to three photos from those that members have posted in the Forum Gallery Photo Album for the previous month i.e.  “June 2011- QE2 Interiors''.  Poll and voting instructions have been posted here:
https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php/topic,3304.0.html

We wish you all the best with your entries, and hope you will enjoy taking part, especially if one of your photos is chosen for The QE2 Story Calendar! And of course you can vote, even if you have not entered a picture.


PS Waverley – Clyde season now in full steam!

Last month we highlighted the Waverley's current situation, with soaring fuel bills she needs custom more than ever. This month the Clyde sailing season is in full swing, and those of us who were at the QE2 Story gathering, enjoyed our trips up and down the Clyde on the Waverley. For those of you in Scotland or the North of England, now is the time to give yourselves a treat and step into timelessness on board a real live sea going steam ship, complete with all the sights and sounds that only a steam ship can offer. And for those in the South of England, now is the time to plan ahead for September and October when the ship will be sailing on the South Coast and Thames.

The official website for the Waverley, complete with timetables and online booking is:

http://www.waverleyexcursions.co.uk

And an excellent fansite with many photos, voyage reports and news updates, well worth a look at:

http://www.pswaverley.org.uk

You can also read more in the “PS Waverley the world’s last ocean-going paddle steamer” topic.  

https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php/topic,397.80.html


Donations - Thank you!

Finally, we also would like to take this opportunity to extend a big thank you to all members who have contributed to the running costs of the Forum.  We are grateful for all donations no matter how small.

It is always our intention to keep the forum constantly improving, so we invite all our members to put forward any constructive suggestions and ideas, as some already have, to the Forum Team for consideration. Obviously we can't promise to implement everything suggested, but we do promise to consider all comments received!


Regards,

Andrew Collier, on behalf of
The QE2 Story Discussion Forum Team.  

https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php