To begin, we have an extensive interview with Stephen Payne. Mr. Payne is the naval architect who designed Queen Mary 2 for Cunard Line. QM2 is a unique ship. She was built to do regularly-scheduled transatlantic crossings. This meant that she had to have the strength and power to cope with the uncertain weather of the North Atlantic, arrive as scheduled and be comfortable for her passengers. No one had designed such a ship, i.e., an ocean liner, in more than 30 years when Payne was given the task of designing QM2.
In addition, QM2 had to be able to do cruises as well as transatlantic crossings and do them as well as any contemporary cruise ship. Thus, Payne also had to incorporate into his design all of the new thinking and technology of a modern cruise ship.
Finally, the ship had to be superlative. She was following in the wake of a line of great ships that included Mauretania, Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth and QE2.
I have sailed on Queen Mary 2 many times and can say that Mr. Payne’s design clearly accomplished these objectives. The ship is impressive to behold and her ability to handle seemingly any weather condition is amazing. Also, she can more than hold her own cruising as I’ve seen her do in the Caribbean, the Norwegian fjords and around Britain.
Beyond the success of his design, Mr. Payne has an interesting life story. It is one that supports the theory that you can live your dream if you remain faithful to it.
I’ve divided our interview with Stephen Payne into three parts. Part one is a profile of his career and is posted at http://www.beyondships2.com/qm2-stephen-payne-interview-part-one.html In Part Two he discusses designing QM2 - - the concept and why things are the way they are on the ship. It is at http://www.beyondships2.com/qm2-stephen-payne-interview-part-two.html Finally, in Part Three, he discusses the future of QM2 and of passenger ships in general. http://www.beyondships2.com/qm2-stephen-payne-interview-part-three.html
The next item we have this week is a new photo essay on Cunard’s latest ship, the new Queen Elizabeth. I encountered her at the beginning of her 2012 world cruise as she made a swing down through the Caribbean. The weather cooperated and yielded a good light for photo taking. http://www.beyondships.com/QE-photo-Caribbean.html
Leaving Cunard aside, we have a cruise destination photo guide of St. John in the US Virgin Islands. The smallest of the three main U.S. Virgin Islands, St. John is also the least commercially developed. Most of the island is a national park. Consequently, its beautiful white sand beaches and its lush green mountainsides are largely unspoiled. Our photo guide begins at http://www.beyondships.com/Ports-StJohnUSVI.html
Finding a cruise that goes directly to St. John may be difficult. The island has no cruise terminal or pier. However, it is plainly visible from St. Thomas and it is a short ferry ride between the two islands. In fact, most of the ships that call in St. Thomas offer shore excursions to St. John.
So, while we are on the topic of St. Thomas, we have expanded our cruise destination photo guide of that port to include some more of the attractions in Charlotte Amalie such as Blackbeard’s Castle, the 99 Steps and the Synagogue. The St. Thomas guide begins at http://www.beyondships.com/Ports-StThomas.html
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