Time Change on East Bound Crossings

[RJChatsworth]

Sorry chengkp75, but I don’t understand.  If SS France only changed its clocks 60 mins a day, which I think you might be suggesting, after 4 days that would be 4 hours but the time difference is 6 hours between USA and France.  Have I got something wrong somewhere?

[chengkp75]

18 minutes ago, RJChatsworth said:

Sorry chengkp75, but I don’t understand.  If SS France only changed its clocks 60 mins a day, which I think you might be suggesting, after 4 days that would be 4 hours but the time difference is 6 hours between USA and France.  Have I got something wrong somewhere?

The poster who reported hearing about 4 15 minute time changes was not referring to the SS France, but the QM2.  As you note, if the France was doing a full speed crossing, 4 days 11 hours, then she would likely do one hour the first day, 2 hours on days 2 and 3, and one hour on day 4.  Like I said about the SL-7 container ships, which are rated at 33 knots, but set the record doing 35+ knots, they would set clocks 2 hours/day, as they did a 3 day 6 hour crossing.

[david,Mississauga]

2 hours ago, RJChatsworth said:

I think it was a QM-2 captain who mentioned a 15 minute change every 4 hours on SS France.  I don’t think chengkp75’s figures work out.  There is 6 hour time difference between New York and France, and the crossing was 4 and a bit days.  Changing the clock by 15 minutes, 4 times a day is miles out (kilometres in French!).

 

My recollection from our 1973 crossing on SS France from New York to Southampton was that the clocks were advanced by 15 minutes every six hours. It was four full days at sea to So'ton, so of course that would be only four hours.

 

I can't recall how the fifth hour was accounted for. It might have been a full hour advanced on the last night. Arrival in So'ton was at the civilised hour of 10:00 a.m. rather than before dawn as it is now. So advancing by a full hour wouldn't be hard on the passengers, although it would be more difficult for the crew.

 

On one of our QE2 e/b crossings in the 1980s, the clocks were advanced by two hours immediately after departing the Manhattan  pier. I had never experienced this before or since. We had barely finished unpacking when we had to go to dinner.  A number of people were late for the first sitting of dinner.

[RJChatsworth]

The fifth hour was probably because there is a 5 hour difference between the UK and USA. Your SS France experience was interesting.

[david,Mississauga]

35 minutes ago, RJChatsworth said:

The fifth hour was probably because there is a 5 hour difference between the UK and USA. Your SS France experience was interesting.

 

Indeed, I can't recall how that fifth hour was lost. It couldn't have been part of the "every six hours cycle" which of course would have been for the four days at sea.  My souvenirs from that crossing are limited to the ticket, menus and a deck plan. I wish I had saved some of the daily programmes.

[nybumpkin]

On 12/13/2021 at 3:52 PM, chengkp75 said:

Most cruise ships (and cargo ships as well), will retard the clocks (westbound) at night, to give the crew one more hour of rest.  Eastbound, the advancing of clocks is usually done during the "work day", so that it doesn't take away an hour of crew rest.  This is of great concern, since the hours of work and rest the crew have, and how it is partitioned during a 24 hour period, is spelled out in law.

Your post reminds me of oldest son's last Sea Year voyage at KP in August 2011 on a heavy lift ship - EB from Albany NY with a load of turbines for India, then from India to Long Beach, ending in October. They had very little port time, and just about every day they lost an hour. Once in Long Beach, he and his sea partner caught a redeye from LAX to LGA, found a ride back to campus, and promptly fell asleep.

 

Our QM2 experience in 2019 was the time changed at noon on the EB crossing every day except the first and last. We were seated at dinner with a couple who had signed up for the ship's choir - and their rehearsals were at 1 in the afternoon. So every day, they had to make sure they had lunch early - otherwise they missed out on lunch since noon instantly became 1 pm.

Edited December 15, 2021 by nybumpkin

[TheOldBear]

2 hours ago, nybumpkin said:

Your post reminds me of oldest son's last Sea Year voyage at KP in August 2011 on a heavy lift ship - EB from Albany NY with a load of turbines for India, then from India to Long Beach, ending in October. They had very little port time, and just about every day they lost an hour. Once in Long Beach, he and his sea partner caught a redeye from LAX to LGA, found a ride back to campus, and promptly fell asleep.

 

Our QM2 experience in 2019 was the time changed at noon on the EB crossing every day except the first and last. We were seated at dinner with a couple who had signed up for the ship's choir - and their rehearsals were at 1 in the afternoon. So every day, they had to make sure they had lunch early - otherwise they missed out on lunch since noon instantly became 1 pm.

We didn’t mind the afternoon rehearsal, we always book a late seating and that leaves time for tea after the rehearsal.

[nybumpkin]

3 minutes ago, TheOldBear said:

We didn’t mind the afternoon rehearsal, we always book a late seating and that leaves time for tea after the rehearsal.

DH signed up for the choir on our WB return. Very manageable, and gave me some afternoon reading time. And the performance at the end of the cruise was a lot of fun.

[TheOldBear]

11 hours ago, nybumpkin said:

DH signed up for the choir on our WB return. Very manageable, and gave me some afternoon reading time. And the performance at the end of the cruise was a lot of fun.

In 2017, 2019 and again next fall we are on the 'National Symphony Orchestra' special event cruise - the passenger chorus is on stage with the orchestra for the second concert night - "Last Night of the Proms"

[RJChatsworth]

TheOldBear - we have been on a couple of crossings as well with Conductor Anthony Inglis and the NSO and it has been brilliant.  He was on a recent QE cruise we were on and he was talking about his life - no NSO.  

 

 

[david,Mississauga]

On 12/14/2021 at 3:05 PM, david,Mississauga said:

 

My recollection from our 1973 crossing on SS France from New York to Southampton was that the clocks were advanced by 15 minutes every six hours. It was four full days at sea to So'ton, so of course that would be only four hours.

 

...

 

I have  found some daily programmes. My memory was incorrect. (Well, it was 48 years ago!) 

 

"Clocks are set ahead 15 minutes at a.m. 2:00, 6:00, 10:00 (one day it was 10:30) - p.m. 2:00, 6:00, 10:00."  This started at 10:00 p.m. on the departure day and ended at 2:00 a.m. on the day before arrival in Southampton.  

 

My apologies to RJChatsworth. What you were told was correct.

 

Somehow I was given two menus from the previous crossing (w/b) and it said the clocks were put back an hour every night at midnight.

Edited December 22, 2021 by david,Mississauga

[Tony & Trevor]

On a crossing sometime back sailing Eastwards we were informed by a very seasoned regular Cunard passenger that the clocks went forward at noon. He explained that Cunard didn't want the clocks to go forward at Midnight because many passengers might decide to go to bed early. This would cut the revenue from 'drinks' etc.

 

A very Merry Christmas.

Kind regards,

Tony