What designation could be applied to a vessel that departed Victoria at 18:30 hrs. and arrived in Vancouver at 07:00 hrs. the next morning?
Eclipsing the gross tonnage of a huge chunk of the old CP, CN and others vessels, it would appear that at 90,901 gross tons the 'Queen Elizabeth' was updating a travelers' recollection of riding in grand style on a 'night boat'. Really?
If that was their schedule, I would be interested to see the route. They must have gone for an excursion south before heading to Vancouver. I believe the old CP vessels left somewhere around midnight and arrived seven or eightish, which is really slow... for the
Queen Elizabeth to do a direct Victoria to Vancouver crossing in twelve hours, they would have had to run her at about six knots the whole way. Hard to imagine.
I didn't think to ask anyone at Canada Place yesterday as there were lots of folks wandering about. Could probably have gotten a 'which route' answer out of the crowd somehow.
Very busy day yesterday as the
Radiance of the Seas was also in port.
My only disappointment seeing the
Queen Elizabeth docked stern first at Canada Place West was reading the port of registry which unfortunately did not read
'LIVERPOOL', rather it read, 'HAMILTON'. And NO 'Mildred, that's not the city in Ontario!
Alas, Cunard is registering their ships in Bermuda.
Strange as it may seem, even though 'HAL' is also part of the Carnival conglomerate, it is heartening to see that 'HAL's" vessels still proudly display '
ROTTERDAM'
as the port of ships' registry.
A couple of other viewer 'tidbits' if I may.
General overall appearance, (upkeep) of the wooden hand-rails lining the promenade decks of both vessels. the
'Q.E.'s' were well maintained, shining from stem to
stern. The rails on the
'R. of the Seas' were almost devoid of a paint finish, the rails basically showing white.
Ok, while I'm being picky: Very few rust spots visible on the undersides of the decks or anywhere else on the
Q.E. The hull too was without blemish.
The '
R. of the Seas' overall is in desperate need of external paint from top to bottom. I have no idea what companies' maintenance schedules look like but the
'Radiance' is, at this point, not showing as Radiant at all.
And now for you 'whistle' fans.
Going astern from Canada Place East, the
Radiance of Seas, blasted a tone so deep as it almost sounded like the sound was gagging on itself. (If that makes any
sense). The sound was deep and 'muffled' I suppose is where I'm at with that.
At precisely 1700, as the last of the
QE's bow lines were cast into the water, the Queen let loose with the most deep, clear magnificent blast I think I've ever heard
from a ship's whistle! Truly a sound that produces 'goose-bumps', as ships' whistles should.
With a bright blue sky, a tender breeze, float planes coming and going, the Sea Busses passing mid-harbor, the roar of a Heli-Jet, as it gained altitude from it's base,
a bit of snow on the mountain tops, the last remnants of Winter '18, topped off with numerous Canadian flags flying from the poles along the Canada Place promenade
offered the visual answer to a sentiment many of us share: This is why we live here and love sharing this place with the world.