Current QE2 captain

[QE2 fan]

Do you any of you know who is the captain of the QE2 at the minute? I read that Cptn. Rynd is due back in December. Did Nick Bates ever come back?

 

Thanks.

[grifval5]

We have just done Med cruise 15th October, and Capt. Nick Bates was in charge.

[Spring]

Just came off the Nove 1st, New York to Southhampton and the Capt was Bernard Warner.

[rjms74]

Spring,

 

I note you were on the 1 Nov Transat. Crossing on QM2 - I am on the W/bound 20 Nov crossing next weekend - what sort of weather conditions did you experience?

 

Kind Regards,

 

 

RJMS74

[Spring]

NO rain untill we docked at Southampton. Temperatures were around 65F, with one day at 73F. The winds were from the Southwest so the deck wind where very low, 5 to 10 MPH. With your west bound it should be higher. The seas where very good, not more then 15 to 20 feet at the most. The ship rides very good. I am at add photos of the trip as we speak, it may take me a few more days to load all of them. If you need more info, just ask.

the photo are at

http://public.fotki.com/SpringTx/qm2/

[Calliope]

Don't expect a trip in early November to be a harbinger of a crossing in late November. You could be sorely dissappointed!

[cunardqueen]

Glad to hear that Capt Bates is back!!! there did seem to be some confussion earlier in the year.

[dougnewmanatsea]

Just came off the Nove 1st, New York to Southhampton and the Capt was Bernard Warner.

The OP was asking about the other QUEEN... You know, the small, old one ;) ...

 

Seriously, it seems that right now it is Capt. Bates and Capt. Rynd rotating on QE2, and Capt. Warner and Commodore Warwick on QM2.

 

Does anyone know who will replace the Commodore after his retirement?

[wotec]

Re: who is captain on QE2, it is Capt. Bates. We disembarked Nov 12 after 16 day Med Cruise. Capt Rynd will return for the beginning of the World Cruise. Capt. Bates will take over in one of the Japanese ports of call until QE2 goes in to drydock immediately after the World Cruise. QE2 looks better than ever and more improvements being made obviously when she is in drydock. It's a pleasure sailing with Capt. Bates. No news on our other favorite and equally poplular Capt. Ian McNaught. Both Bates and McNaught very popular with passengers, officers and crew. As previously discussed Capt McNaught is on one of the Princess ships. Can't remember which one...it's a joke on board that if you've been a passenger on a Princess ship, many seldom can tell you which one...they all look alike.

[rjms74]

Thanks Calliope & spring for your replies re weather for a Nov Transat. crossing - you were lucky Spring with your weather and your photos posted so far are great! I'll let you both know re weather for the 20 Nov upon my return in early December. My guess is it will be a mixture of rough & smooth! I cannot wait!

 

Kind Regards,

 

 

RJMS74

[Kindlychap]

Nick Bates returned to the ship in New York during Canadian Crossing - and was a breath of fresh air after the humourless Rynd.

 

With Rynd the traditional test of the Whistle at noon was gone - replaced by bells.

 

Berk!

[Calliope]

Eight bells at noon is the tradition; it predates the wail of the ship's horn by many years. The steam whistle was not invented until the 1840's, and the steam horn many years after that. I for one will look (Listen?) forward to the correct chiming of ship's bells on the hour and half hour if Capt. Rynd is master next time I'm on the QE2. Infact I had the urge while on the QM2 to ring the bell out forward on 7 Deck the proper way, but never succumbed.

 

It's quite easy to understand the ringing of ship's bells. At 2400, 0400, 0800, 1200, 1600, and, 2000 the ship's bell is rung eight times. It's done four rapid sets of two rings each. The next half hour the bell will be rung one tap. The next half hour on the hour two rapid taps, and the next half hour the bell will be rung two rapid taps followed by one more tap. This continues increasing the taps by one each half hour. An even number of taps is rung on the hour and an uneven number of taps on the half hour until eight bells are rung again.

[dougnewmanatsea]

if Capt. Rynd is master next time I'm on the QE2

I understand he will be.

 

He is a friend of a friend of mine and I am looking forward to meeting him.

[Kindlychap]

I got the distinct impression he wasn't liked by crew and fellow passengers. I cannot see the point of the 5 minutes past (or to? I can't recall) nine weather lecture when there is another at noon.

 

I gather from several I spoke to at dinner that a number of people had pointed out that the QE2, being a Cunarder, had her own traditions.

[Kindlychap]

I gather from several I spoke to at dinner that a number of people had pointed out that the QE2, being a Cunarder, had her own traditions.

 

 

Pointed out, that is, to him!

[Post Captain]

Eight bells at noon is the tradition; it predates the wail of the ship's horn by many years. The steam whistle was not invented until the 1840's, and the steam horn many years after that. I for one will look (Listen?) forward to the correct chiming of ship's bells on the hour and half hour if Capt. Rynd is master next time I'm on the QE2. Infact I had the urge while on the QM2 to ring the bell out forward on 7 Deck the proper way, but never succumbed.

 

It's quite easy to understand the ringing of ship's bells. At 2400, 0400, 0800, 1200, 1600, and, 2000 the ship's bell is rung eight times. It's done four rapid sets of two rings each. The next half hour the bell will be rung one tap. The next half hour on the hour two rapid taps, and the next half hour the bell will be rung two rapid taps followed by one more tap. This continues increasing the taps by one each half hour. An even number of taps is rung on the hour and an uneven number of taps on the half hour until eight bells are rung again.

If memory serves, the "eight bells" routine began in the Age of Sail. The captain might have had a chronometer, but the ship's time was kept largely by the hour glass, which was turned every half hour. (The term "hour glass" being a misnomer by half, I suppose. But never mind that.) So, at 0030, the sand runs out of the (half) hour glass; the bell is rung once & the glass is turned. When the sand runs out again at 0100, the bell is rung twice... And so on, until 0400, eight bells, when the process begins anew. The ship's watches (i.e., the time spent on duty--not wristwatches:)) ran in four-hour shifts, so at eight bells (whether 0400, 0800, 1200, etc etc), the watch was changed; a new officer of the deck took charge. Also, main meals were served at eight bells, were they not?

 

In short: sailors did not have their own (wrist)watches, & your average able-bodied scrub wasn't allowed a glimpse of the captain's precious chronometer (which was used mainly for navigational purposes--so that the captain knew exactly when it was noon, time to take the reading of the sun with the sextant, thus determining the ship's longitude east or west of the Prime Meridian)...

 

Gosh, that's more than you wanted to know, isn't it? Anyway, here's to hearing the QE2's bells & whistles both. (Perhaps the Winter Crossing Club could organize a bell-ringing ceremony this January!)

 

From the article about the QE2 in today's (11/18/05, or 18.11.05, if you prefer) Southampton Daily Echo, I gather Captain Bates is currently in command of the ship.

 

As long as I'm tapping away the keyboard here: Does anyone know if the officers still take the traditional noon reading & also check the ship's position by the stars at night, just to keep in practice? Of course navigation is all done by GPS now, but it would be comforting to think that these chaps are able to navigate the old-fashioned way, if only to uphold the traditions of the sea.

[travel-to-go]

OOh, Ooh,Teacher Pick me! I know the answer to that one!

 

Yes.

 

On our Christmas cruise last year, we had several star gazing lessons with navigational officers, late at night. These session were VERY popular! We have recommended they keep that little impromptu gift to us going! (i still have my "current" charts for each meeting that they print up for us just before the session.) Those questions were asked (since the fields are related) and they explained, that even with all of today's satellites and modern computer navigational aids and so on, a good navigational officer (or the Captain) had better well know where he is at all times! What if all else failed?You'd better remember (and KNOW to begin with) how to read a sextant, be guided by the stars and so on. When all systems fail is not the time to pull out the book by candlelight!

 

We had a marvelous time. There we were, necks craned upwards (some of us puilled out deck chairs) in our evening gowns and tuxes, on a top deck, gazing at the beautiful glorious sky! (Okay, I admit it, I took off my shoes!) Concierge class cabins have complimentary binoculars in them, plus I think we had also brought our own. Marc brought his GPS, too- Believe it or not, sometimes at sea, you can't pull the three satellits necessary to pull a fix. And of course there have been times reccently when there have been one or more at a given time which were out of commission. Sunspot activity can also create problems in all sorts of navigational systems.

 

So the answer is an unqualified yes. I have also loved listening to he Captain give the daily position reports at noon. I stand like a gopher, with my head out the door listening (if I haven't tuned the ships radio in time to pick it up and suddenly find it noon and I am unprepared!)

 

Karie in CT

[starbug]

Wow, I whish they had put the star gazing lessons on the Med cruise we have just been on, that would have been brilliant.

 

If anyone from Cunard reads these forums, please, please keep them going, as I'd love to come along, if we ever get to go on a Queen again.

[stephen@stoneyard.co.uk]

> Of course navigation is all done by GPS

 

My understanding is that GPS should not be relied on for navigation. Essentially ships, aircraft and cars should not be dependant on a system they do not control. The system is not as resilient or as accurate as many people expect. Aircraft use inertial navigation and ground based radio beacons. Ships use the sun, stars, compasses and lighthouses. Drivers use road signs and the advice of passengers. GPS is just another tool. The most widely used method of navigation is still eyesight. Interestingly the Concordes were never fitted with GPS. Periodically official bodies and experts issues dire warnings about the state of the GPS and the danger of becoming dependant on it.

 

Best wishes, Stephen.

[TJL]

Eight bells at noon is the tradition; it predates the wail of the ship's horn by many years. The steam whistle was not invented until the 1840's, and the steam horn many years after that. I for one will look (Listen?) forward to the correct chiming of ship's bells on the hour and half hour if Capt. Rynd is master next time I'm on the QE2. Infact I had the urge while on the QM2 to ring the bell out forward on 7 Deck the proper way, but never succumbed.

 

It's quite easy to understand the ringing of ship's bells. At 2400, 0400, 0800, 1200, 1600, and, 2000 the ship's bell is rung eight times. It's done four rapid sets of two rings each. The next half hour the bell will be rung one tap. The next half hour on the hour two rapid taps, and the next half hour the bell will be rung two rapid taps followed by one more tap. This continues increasing the taps by one each half hour. An even number of taps is rung on the hour and an uneven number of taps on the half hour until eight bells are rung again.

 

Hmmm, I was on the Canadian Crossing and all I can say is that they were jolly funny bells. Sounded like an old, stretched tape recording! I definitely prefer to hear the sound of that distinctive, authoritative horn at midday. Otherwise I thought Capt. Rynd was a friendly sort of chap and I always looked forward to his breakfast time weather report.

[MollyBrown]

What happened to Captain McNaught? Does anyone know? He loved QE2, and was so happy to be her Captain. He was an excellent Catain too. I'm annoyed that Princess Cruise Line would just come along and remove him willy nilly.

[travel-to-go]

> Of course navigation is all done by GPS

 

My understanding is that GPS should not be relied on for navigation. Essentially ships, aircraft and cars should not be dependant on a system they do not control. The system is not as resilient or as accurate as many people expect. Aircraft use inertial navigation and ground based radio beacons. Ships use the sun, stars, compasses and lighthouses. Drivers use road signs and the advice of passengers. GPS is just another tool. The most widely used method of navigation is still eyesight. Interestingly the Concordes were never fitted with GPS. Periodically official bodies and experts issues dire warnings about the state of the GPS and the danger of becoming dependant on it.

 

Best wishes, Stephen.

Speak for yourself. <G> I use an advanced aviation navigational technique called IFR = I Follow Rivers! (Alternately I Follow Roads) <G>

 

GPS devices sold for civilian use have a - how do I say this- certain amount of "inaccuracy" built in by design. By this, I mean, they are not as accurate as military-use GPS devices. (Say, accurate to 3 meters vs 9 meters- I can't remember the actual figures offhand) This is because they were originally intended for military-use and they didn't want civilians (and presumably, whoever "the enemy" might be) having access to devices as precise as those used by the military. Also, GPS must have "line-of-sight" access to the satellites. They often won't work in a car unless with external antenna on the roof, or at least on the dash. If you have satellite radio, you know that they don't work everywhere in the world (due to the positioning of those satellites) and you can lose the signal under tree canopy! I have been on ships which lost antennas. While a GPS antenna is less likely to get damaged than some other types of antennas, they still can be subject to the same bugaboos as anything else mechanical- loose cables, bolts comeing loose, corrosion on metal parts. etc. And satellites have occasionally been out of service also.

It was a long time before the FAA even allowed GPS to be used in aviation navigation. At first, only one device by one manufacturer was approved for use in navigation in "Instrument Flight Rules" (the real definition of IFR) when you might have no visual references- "Flying Blind", as it were, at least in visual terms. That's what your instruments are for!

So no, They do not depend on one form of navigation.

 

I suppose we could ask the Cruise Director, who by all accounts is just a marvelous intelligent man (The previous statement was facetious- based on previous reports that this particular CD is smarmy and egotistical and prefers not to mingle with passengers if at all possible) if he might get word to the Navigational staff that we would love to have a small informal "class" or demonstration of how to pick out the stars! Since QM2 has a planetarim, one might expect them to have star-gazing as part of the enrichment program. Notice which shoulder epaulet belongs to navigational officers, and when you see one at the Captain's cocktail party or the show when they introduce all of the officers, or just wandering about the ship, stop him or her (politely) and ask! It couldn't hurt, and they might be delighted that you have shown an intereset in one of their specialties!

[Post Captain]

OOh, Ooh,Teacher Pick me! I know the answer to that one!

 

Yes.

 

On our Christmas cruise last year, we had several star gazing lessons with navigational officers, late at night. These session were VERY popular! We have recommended they keep that little impromptu gift to us going! (i still have my "current" charts for each meeting that they print up for us just before the session.) Those questions were asked (since the fields are related) and they explained, that even with all of today's satellites and modern computer navigational aids and so on, a good navigational officer (or the Captain) had better well know where he is at all times! What if all else failed?You'd better remember (and KNOW to begin with) how to read a sextant, be guided by the stars and so on. When all systems fail is not the time to pull out the book by candlelight!

 

We had a marvelous time. There we were, necks craned upwards (some of us puilled out deck chairs) in our evening gowns and tuxes, on a top deck, gazing at the beautiful glorious sky! (Okay, I admit it, I took off my shoes!) Concierge class cabins have complimentary binoculars in them, plus I think we had also brought our own. Marc brought his GPS, too- Believe it or not, sometimes at sea, you can't pull the three satellits necessary to pull a fix. And of course there have been times reccently when there have been one or more at a given time which were out of commission. Sunspot activity can also create problems in all sorts of navigational systems.

 

So the answer is an unqualified yes. I have also loved listening to he Captain give the daily position reports at noon. I stand like a gopher, with my head out the door listening (if I haven't tuned the ships radio in time to pick it up and suddenly find it noon and I am unprepared!)

 

Karie in CT

Many thanks for your lucid & detailed answer, Karie--exactly what I wanted to know. You get top marks!

 

Yes indeed, that sounds like it was a lovely evening. I can't imagine officers on any other line taking the time & effort to conduct a midnight navigational session, or passengers most other lines caring to learn about the finer points of finding your way over the water from A to B. The evening gowns & tuxes make the scene all the more magical, I think.

 

On our upcoming QE2 winter transatlantic crossing, no doubt there might be a few gray days on which the officers might have to determine their position by dead reckoning. Hmmm... Now, I wonder if they ever toss the log over the side & count off the knots?...

 

Cheers,

John

[eroller]

There seems to be some posts missing from this thread. I know Stephen Card had one and I think there were some others too. I wonder what happened? I don't think any of them were offensive or broke any rules.

 

 

Ernie

[PRINSENDAM]

I understand he will be.

 

He is a friend of a friend of mine and I am looking forward to meeting him.

 

 

 

 

Doug,

 

I think my original post got wiped somehow.

 

Anyhow, just in case you didn't read it....

 

I spoke to Captain Rynd on Saturday and told him..... warned him ;) , that you will be on board for the January crossing. He looks forward to meeting you.... and I'm sure any other CC members.

 

I know you will enjoy the crossing... and the ship!

 

Stephen