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QM2 gives dramatic help to lone sailor

Slow Foxtrot

By Slow Foxtrot,
in Cunard Line

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Slow Foxtrot

Slow Foxtrot

Posted
Posted

QM2 has just stopped in mid -Atlantic to give help to a lone sailor who is rowing in a 27 foot boat from Canada to France. QM2 supplied navigational equipment and supplies (which had been damaged or lost) to Mylene from Quebec who had already been at sea for some two months. Passengers were able to witness the transfer of equipment. There were three cheers from the passengers for this heroic lady.

 

Foxy

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SEFlyer

SEFlyer

Posted
Posted

Here is a brief report which I e-mailed to friends this morning on our re-supply mission:

 

 

We are in the mid-Atlantic on board Queen Mary 2. We are very slightly past the half-way point between New York and Southampton. I thought you might like to hear about our adventure this morning, being the biggest re-supply ship on the Atlantic.

 

There is a young Canadian woman called Mylene Paquette (http://www.mylenepaquette.com/en) who left Halifax on July 6 to row on her own across the Atlantic to France. She recently suffered some damage in a storm and needed a new satellite phone and a sea anchor. The latter apparently keeps her boat relatively stationary when she sleeps.

 

This information was relayed to the Queen Mary yesterday by phone from Quebec City. So the ship altered course a little to meet Mylene and prepared a package to drop overboard for her. There were 5 watertight containers dropped to her with a new phone, an anchor and some fresh fruit and vegetables and ‘toiletries’.

 

The Captain announced all this news this morning about an hour before we reached her position. He slowed the Queen Mary to a stop and used the thrusters to get within 100 metres of Mylene. The crew opened a bow door that usually only open in port to throw the supplies with a long rope and a buoy at the end. The ship then stood by while she rowed to the floating packages and picked them up.

 

There were hundreds of passengers, probably more than a thousand on the decks watching all this and cheering her. Before the package was dropped and after she picked it out of the water Mylene was up on her feet waving and waving a sign which I couldn’t read in the distance.

 

Her boat is 7 metres long. It is open in the middle where she rows but enclosed at each end. One end is covered in a solar panel. The other end has a small mast with a windmill on it. And, she is flying a nice looking Maple Leaf flag on the stern. The boat is bright yellow which makes it easy to spot on the sea.

 

The weather for all this was fine by North Atlantic standards. The sun was peeking through the clouds. The air temperature is 18 degrees and the water temperature is about 19 degrees (the Gulf Stream). The wind was light at 9 knots. And the sea swells were at 1.25 to 2.5 metres which is nothing on the Queen Mary but meant Mylene’s boat was riding up and down on swells a lot higher than the boat.

 

The Captain told us Mylene is 700 nautical miles from the nearest land. You’d have to look at a map to determine if that land is Newfoundland or the Azores. She’s only halfway from Halifax to France.

 

When she’d picked up the packages the Captain patched her VHS radio into the ships PA system and she gave the crew and passengers a short but nice bilingue Thank You/Merci speech and got huge cheers in reply.

 

If you are interested in seeing this I suggest trying the http://www.cunard.com site and try and navigate to their blog where I am sure they will post a report and pictures.

 

That’s our excitement for the day! Another reason why this is our favourite ship as we enjoy this wonderful crossing.

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skyhawk352

skyhawk352

Posted
Posted

To anyone onboard the QM2 currently,

 

I'd like to get a message to someone onboard the QM2 and I need some assistance. I was on the 10SEP sailing and wanted to send a letter of thanks to an employee. Too many people go thru life not realizing that the little things they do make a lasting impression. I tried to reach via email, but have been unable to obtain an email address. Is anyone willing to print up a letter to them if I send it via email and drop it off at the Purser's desk for me? It would mean a lot.

 

My email address is skyhawk352@aol.com

 

Karin.

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BlueRiband

BlueRiband

Posted
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Cunard has posted the mid-sea meet here.

 

"For me to see Queen Mary 2 in the middle of the Atlantic is something I would have never hoped for..."

 

She must be quite a sight out there. While nearing Bergen, Norway a tanker was running about a mile or so parallel to our starboard side and changed course to come closer. Probably the crew had grabbed their cameras to capture Queen Mary 2 at sea.

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seasidegal

seasidegal

Posted
Posted
Actually we gave 4 cheers. The Officer of the Watch started 3 and then Capt. Oprey asked for one more.

The starboard rail on the promenade deck was jam packed.

 

What a great experience to have while on a crossing.

 

So glad you were able to be part of it, lannp.:)

 

 

best regards,

seasidegal

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  • 4 weeks later...
CalvinRoy

CalvinRoy

Posted
Posted
Here is a brief report which I e-mailed to friends this morning on our re-supply mission:

 

 

We are in the mid-Atlantic on board Queen Mary 2. We are very slightly past the half-way point between New York and Southampton. I thought you might like to hear about our adventure this morning, being the biggest re-supply ship on the Atlantic.

 

There is a young Canadian woman called Mylene Paquette (http://www.mylenepaquette.com/en) who left Halifax on July 6 to row on her own across the Atlantic to France. She recently suffered some damage in a storm and needed a new satellite phone and a sea anchor. The latter apparently keeps her boat relatively stationary when she sleeps.

 

This information was relayed to the Queen Mary yesterday by phone from Quebec City. So the ship altered course a little to meet Mylene and prepared a package to drop overboard for her. There were 5 watertight containers dropped to her with a new phone, an anchor and some fresh fruit and vegetables and ‘toiletries’.

 

The Captain announced all this news this morning about an hour before we reached her position. He slowed the Queen Mary to a stop and used the thrusters to get within 100 metres of Mylene. The crew opened a bow door that usually only open in port to throw the supplies with a long rope and a buoy at the end. The ship then stood by while she rowed to the floating packages and picked them up.

 

There were hundreds of passengers, probably more than a thousand on the decks watching all this and cheering her. Before the package was dropped and after she picked it out of the water Mylene was up on her feet waving and waving a sign which I couldn’t read in the distance.

 

Her boat is 7 metres long. It is open in the middle where she rows but enclosed at each end. One end is covered in a solar panel. The other end has a small mast with a windmill on it. And, she is flying a nice looking Maple Leaf flag on the stern. The boat is bright yellow which makes it easy to spot on the sea.

 

The weather for all this was fine by North Atlantic standards. The sun was peeking through the clouds. The air temperature is 18 degrees and the water temperature is about 19 degrees (the Gulf Stream). The wind was light at 9 knots. And the sea swells were at 1.25 to 2.5 metres which is nothing on the Queen Mary but meant Mylene’s boat was riding up and down on swells a lot higher than the boat.

 

The Captain told us Mylene is 700 nautical miles from the nearest land. You’d have to look at a map to determine if that land is Newfoundland or the Azores. She’s only halfway from Halifax to France.

 

When she’d picked up the packages the Captain patched her VHS radio into the ships PA system and she gave the crew and passengers a short but nice bilingue Thank You/Merci speech and got huge cheers in reply.

 

If you are interested in seeing this I suggest trying the http://www.cunard.com site and try and navigate to their blog where I am sure they will post a report and pictures.

 

That’s our excitement for the day! Another reason why this is our favourite ship as we enjoy this wonderful crossing.

Thanks for sharing such a wonderful information..I will surely follow your blog and learn from your experiences

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NomDePlume

NomDePlume

Posted
Posted

Found this on her Facebook page, posted eight hours ago:

 

"Mylène will be facing strong wind conditions this weekend. She has been preparing for the past couple of days, which explains why she has opted for a South route. This will allow to avoid the depression which is North. Her land team will be in constant communication with her and her router will keep her informed of the progress of the current situation. - Land team"

 

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CalvinRoy

CalvinRoy

Posted
Posted
Here is a brief report which I e-mailed to friends this morning on our re-supply mission:

 

 

We are in the mid-Atlantic on board Queen Mary 2. We are very slightly past the half-way point between New York and Southampton. I thought you might like to hear about our adventure this morning, being the biggest re-supply ship on the Atlantic.

 

There is a young Canadian woman called Mylene Paquette (http://www.mylenepaquette.com/en) who left Halifax on July 6 to row on her own across the Atlantic to France. She recently suffered some damage in a storm and needed a new satellite phone and a sea anchor. The latter apparently keeps her boat relatively stationary when she sleeps.

 

This information was relayed to the Queen Mary yesterday by phone from Quebec City. So the ship altered course a little to meet Mylene and prepared a package to drop overboard for her. There were 5 watertight containers dropped to her with a new phone, an anchor and some fresh fruit and vegetables and ‘toiletries’.

 

The Captain announced all this news this morning about an hour before we reached her position. He slowed the Queen Mary to a stop and used the thrusters to get within 100 metres of Mylene. The crew opened a bow door that usually only open in port to throw the supplies with a long rope and a buoy at the end. The ship then stood by while she rowed to the floating packages and picked them up.

 

There were hundreds of passengers, probably more than a thousand on the decks watching all this and cheering her. Before the package was dropped and after she picked it out of the water Mylene was up on her feet waving and waving a sign which I couldn’t read in the distance.

 

Her boat is 7 metres long. It is open in the middle where she rows but enclosed at each end. One end is covered in peimar solar. The other end has a small mast with a windmill on it. And, she is flying a nice looking Maple Leaf flag on the stern. The boat is bright yellow which makes it easy to spot on the sea.

 

The weather for all this was fine by North Atlantic standards. The sun was peeking through the clouds. The air temperature is 18 degrees and the water temperature is about 19 degrees (the Gulf Stream). The wind was light at 9 knots. And the sea swells were at 1.25 to 2.5 metres which is nothing on the Queen Mary but meant Mylene’s boat was riding up and down on swells a lot higher than the boat.

 

The Captain told us Mylene is 700 nautical miles from the nearest land. You’d have to look at a map to determine if that land is Newfoundland or the Azores. She’s only halfway from Halifax to France.

 

When she’d picked up the packages the Captain patched her VHS radio into the ships PA system and she gave the crew and passengers a short but nice bilingue Thank You/Merci speech and got huge cheers in reply.

 

If you are interested in seeing this I suggest trying the http://www.cunard.com site and try and navigate to their blog where I am sure they will post a report and pictures.

 

That’s our excitement for the day! Another reason why this is our favourite ship as we enjoy this wonderful crossing.

 

Thanks for sharing such a wonderful information..I will surely follow your blog and learn from your experiences

Yes it was very nice update

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