Hello all from Rick

[highlander0108]

Hello and welcome Rick,

Welcome aboard, I'm sure you'll enjoy your time here with us and find lots to keep you interested.
I'm pretty certain I've wandered through your flickr stream myself and so will go back for another look - I find it amazing to see how so many different aspects of life onboard ahve captured our attention and inspired some camera action! 

Ali

My last night onboard, I wandered around the entire ship in the wee hours of the morning capturing everything I could until I filled the memory card.  I will never forget sitting in the Lido for that pic and feeling the slight rumble of the props beneath me.  We were approaching Southampton and making only about 12 knots at the time.  In fact, I should have just have stayed up and seen us pull up to the pier, spin around, and get tied up.

[Kathy M.]

Rick - I just put my final QE2 photos up today - shots of her last day in Southampton with the poppies and the Harrier salute; I'm actually having my first get together next week - and I can't wait to see what people say about it - most of the people will say "oh, you really like cruise ships!" - and I will shudder!

[MI 1083]

Rick - I just put my final QE2 photos up today - shots of her last day in Southampton with the poppies and the Harrier salute; I'm actually having my first get together next week - and I can't wait to see what people say about it - most of the people will say "oh, you really like cruise ships!" - and I will shudder!

Kathy, oh yes, I get that all the time, the whole, "you must love cruise ships"  thing when people come into my home. I know the shudder feeling well.  They just don't get it, therefore I ended up sailing solo on the QE2.  So nice to log on here, where they do get i t.  When I shared my QE2 voyage photo album with co-workers, they would say -  "What, you took a pic of, what's this, a cabin doorknob?"      Oh well......

[MI 1083]

My last night onboard, I wandered around the entire ship in the wee hours of the morning capturing everything I could until I filled the memory card.  I will never forget sitting in the Lido for that pic and feeling the slight rumble of the props beneath me.  We were approaching Southampton and making only about 12 knots at the time.  In fact, I should have just have stayed up and seen us pull up to the pier, spin around, and get tied up.

Ken....ahhh....you just brought back a vivid memory for me.  The exhilirating feel of the powerful propulsion from the twin propellers.  When in the Lido, Pavillion or on the stern deck, you could often feel the vibrations and hear the heavy glass panes rattle in the superstructure wind screens back there.  Sometimes there was yet another sound and feeling, I think it was maybe the machinery operating the rudder.  From a mechanical standpoint, I am sure that was not a good thing but in looking back, I sure did love it!  You knew you were on the fastest Transatlantic liner in the world and she was churning through the waves as purposely built and intended.
Rick

[MI 1083]

Hi Rick and welcome to the site Isabel says that "you did not actually get to spend a lot of time on board..." Please tell us about the time that you did spend on board.  Why were you first caught by the magic of QE2?

Hi Malcolm,
Well my love affair with the Queen goes way back to the beginning.  Like I mentioned in my intro, the QE2 was a far away place to me.  Growing up and getting on with life, it just never seemed I would have the opportunity or the dispoable income to sail on her.  When I finally stepped into the Mid Ships Lobby for the firs time, I knew I had finally arrived although I had to pinch myself to believe it.  It was really that thrilling for me.  Due to the late arrival that morning in NYC, the boarding process was just a little hectic, trying to get everyone onboard.  I can remember as the Steward greeted me to escort me to my cabin, he mentioned the elevators were very busy, would I mind taking the stairs up the one deck.  When I saw for the first time the red carpeted Stairway D foyer, I said to the Steward, "Not a problem, all my life I have wanted to ascend THAT stairway!"  That moment more or less defined the entire voyage for me, the QE2 was even more impressive than I had ever anticipated.  Yeah, she was pushing 40 years old but oh how gracefully she had aged.  When you find yourself actually standing on the real thing after decades of studying sailing brochures and hobby books on the topic, it is overwhelming to say the least.  I knew I would have only those 6 days at sea on her and that would be it. So I had a lot to take in and try to see and do it all.  Regretfully, there were areas of the ship I never saw, like the Queens Grill or Signal Deck suites for example but I did manage to see as much of the old original liner that was intact.
Rick

[MI 1083]

Hello and welcome Rick,

Welcome aboard, I'm sure you'll enjoy your time here with us and find lots to keep you interested.
I'm pretty certain I've wandered through your flickr stream myself and so will go back for another look - I find it amazing to see how so many different aspects of life onboard ahve captured our attention and inspired some camera action! 

Ali

Greetings Ali, Yes I am having a great time on the Forum.  As far as all the different aspects of capture on the QE2, that is what Isabelles Flickr page is for!  The lady has just an amazing eye for detail and catches it perfectly every time with her camera.  I could literally re-live my voyage through many of her shots.  To look back and think of all the shots I missed, well, Isabelle got them!  Indeed, mine was the voyage of my lifetime for me, wish I had more photos to prove it to myself.  But that is also the fun of being here.  To relive it through others.
Rick

[Rob Lightbody]

Welcome aboard Rick!  Apologies for the brief welcome but I'm on holiday just now - hope you enjoy being on (the) board!