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QUEEN MARY's Meet
Martin Cox's blog of the Cunard Line's QM2 meeting her namesake QUEEN MARY at Long Beach, CA
QUEEN MARY 2 enters Queen's Gate, at noon, Long Beach, February 23, 2006. Photo Martin Cox (c) 2006.
February 23, 2006:
Planning the day of the much heralded event of the meeting of the great ships, had for me, begun several days before. I had in my mind a photograph taken from just off the bow of the QUEEN MARY with QUEEN MARY 2 appearing behind her. To find the ideal place to set up the camera would depend on where the QM2 would come to rest in the harbour. It had been put about that QM2 would get about 1/3rd of a mile from the QM, as the depth of the harbour did not allow any closer visit. But the shape of the harbour and the location of various access points made choosing the right spot rather difficult, not to mention the tricky parking. Ken Marschall, had exactly the same thing in mind when he emailed a map with cleverly marked viewing spots and tangents with choices depending on the location of the arriving ship. Shawn Dake suggested taking a bicycle in the car to get through the huge crowds if one side of the harbour worked better than the other, this seemed a very good idea. A further email was received from Ken with some details of the event directly from the Captain Warwick himself, however the exact spot eluded us.
On the morning of the day the ships were to come in, I was about load my cameras and bicycle in to the car at my home near downtown Los Angeles, (about 25 miles from the QM) when I ran in to an old friend, John McKean, who, to my astonishment, said, "I have a sailboat but no one to go with, do you want to come?".
Casting off from Cabrillo Marina in San Pedro, we motored through the inner harbour, from Port of Los Angeles, towards Long Beach. At the opening in the sea wall, at Angels gate, the outline of the QM2 was visible on the horizon. This was my first glimpse of the ship, despite a few visits to my hometown of Southampton, I had always missed her by a day or two.
QUEEN MARY 2 Photo Martin Cox (c) 2006.
The ship was now looming above the top of the wall. We arrived at the entrance to the harbour just as the QM2 came through Queen's Gate, the waters were hectic with every type of water craft imaginable. A flotilla of boats, yachts, launches, tugs, two fire boats, even canoes, plus a phalanx of security vessels, while blimps hummed overhead and a cloud of helicopters buzzed the ship. As she proceeded cautiously towards her namesake, sky writing revealed the huge letters at 10,000 feet above the spectacle, "WELCOME QUEEN MARY 2".
QUEEN MARY with QUEEN MARY 2 Photo Martin Cox (c) 2006.
QUEEN MARY 2 positioned herself just aft of QUEEN MARY,Êsecurity asked us to move starboard of the ship. We kept moving towards the QM and as we reached her stern, the first greeting was saluted with 3 long blasts, which the QUEEN MARY returned in her baritone. I was in phone contact with Peter Knego, who was standing right on the prow of QM2 and another friend the photographer, Robert Flynt, who had driven in from Phoenix for this event, was on board QM, the aft decks of which looked like a picture from her troop carrying days, decks packed with bodies.
QUEEN MARY's decks packed with visitors. Photo Martin Cox (c) 2006.
QUEEN MARY with QUEEN MARY 2 Photo Martin Cox (c) 2006.
In an effort to get the shot I wanted, with both QUEENs together, I kept harping on the Skipper to go ever upstream, ahead of the old QM for my perfect view. Forward of the QM I still needed us to move upstream for the ideal spot, I asked our Skipper go another 150 feet. Alas, in doing so we suddenly stranded on a poorly marked shoal, and became completely stuck. Our rudder popped off, snapping its cotter pin and no boat pole or oar would get us off, nor the persuasions of the outboard motor. As we bummed on the bottom with each swell, it was clear we were headed for even shallower water. Eventually we were forced to call for help on the marine radio, rapidly bringing a bright yellow vessel with flashing lights to our rescue, and at enormous cost, towed us off the sand bar. During this kafuffle the QUEEN MARY 2 had rotated 360 degrees, and exchanged more blasts. Throughout our stranding, for whcih I felt rather guilty for precipitating, I continued to take the occasional snap while jabbing the sand bar with a pole or trying to rock us free. By now it was 1:30PM and the QUEEN MARY 2 was setting off for Ensenda, Mexico. We slowly lost sight of her as we proceeded back though the harbour. At the spot where QM2 had turned, the otherwise pale blue water was now the colour of pumpkin consume as the sandy bottom was stirred by her three working pods.
QUEEN MARY with QUEEN MARY 2 Photo Martin Cox (c) 2006.
Our rescue boat with QM2 leaving the harbour. Photo Martin Cox (c) 2006.
Today was an amazing event, perhaps one of the most notable ocean liner moments since the QUEEN MARY had arrived from Southampton in 1967, and for me brought back the memory of seeing the QUEEN MARY leave Britain to similar fanfare. - Martin Cox
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