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On July 15, 2007 the flagship of the Cunard shipping line, the very "British" Queen, the QE2 paid her final cruise visit to Crete by calling for a day in the outer anchorage of the port of Agios Nikolaos, Lasithi, in the Gulf of Mirabello (also referred to as Mirambelou or Merembellou).
Picture of QE2 in the Gulf of Mirabello, Mirambelou by Kind Permission of Jan Anthony, Limnes, Crete. Copyright: Jan Anthony, 2007. All Rights Reserved.
Crete's Perfect Weather
It was a perfect day , weatherwise for the hundreds of passengers who were ferried ship-to-shore on a number of hired tenders including tender No 12 from the QE2 itself to the quayside in the port of Agios Nikolaos.
Observers believe that the Queen Elizabeth 2 anchored offshore in the waters of the Gulf of Mirabello, (Mirambelou/Merembellou) as a security measure rather than the more obvious suggestion that the water was not deep enough alongside the quays which has welcomed a number of large modern cruise ships in the past few years.
The QE2 left Southampton on July 8 taking in the ports of call of Malaga and Messina before arriving in sunny Crete. The QE2 departed Agios Nikolaos to Piraeus (for Athens), Marmaris, Valletta and Gibraltar before sailing home to Southampton.
QE2's Tender No 12 in Bay of Mirambelou
Copyright 2007 Brits in Crete member L M J Bennett
Personal View of QE2's Last Visit to Crete
"I lived in Southampton for 32 years and this ship was a big part of my life for that time. I moved back to Scotland 3 years ago and didn't think I'd see the QE2 again so it was with the greatest thrill and surprise that I looked out from my (Agios Nikolaos) hotel balcony and there it was! I just couldn't believe what I was seeing."
Linda Bennett, Freelance Editor and member of the BritsinCrete Forum. July 30, 2007.
BiC thanks Linda for giving us kind permission to use her picture.
Not the Last Visit However to Greece
This will not be the last time QE2 visits Greece however as there are several more cruises during the rest of 2007 calling at Corfu and Rhodes.
Retirement of the QE2
In June 2007, the Cunard Line announced the sad news for ship aficionados of the sale of QE2 to Istithmar, the investment arm of the United Arab Emirates owned, 'Dubai World' organisation in October 2008 for US$100 million (75 million Euros). The new owners will turn the legendary liner into a deluxe tourist destination at the unique real estate and tourist development built, known as The Palm Jumeirah in Dubai. This development, also owned by Dubai World, is the largest man-made island in the world today. It is being developed by another company in the group, Nakheel.
QE2 will be delivered to Dubai World in November 2008, when the vessel will be refurbished. From 2009, the transformed QE2 will be berthed at a specially-constructed pier to create a luxury floating hotel.
QE2 has flown the British Flag for 40 years
The ship, which was launched by Her Majesty The Queen in September 1967, 40 years ago this year, is the longest-serving ship in Cunard's 168-year history. Since she came into service in 1969, she has undertaken 25 world cruises, has crossed the Atlantic more than 800 times and has carried more than 2.5 million passengers.
QE2 - One of the Wonders of Maritime World
Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, chairman of Dubai World calls QE2 "one of the wonders of the maritime world" and expects the ship to become one of the must-see experiences of Dubai and of the Middle East. With lots of 'TLC', it looks Istithmar's refurbishment of the QE2 is to re-create the ship's original interior décor and fittings with the addition of an onboard museum to celebrate the rich history of the ship.
Before all that happens, cruise liner fans with deep pockets are able to book four farewell voyages in 2008 - the British Isles voyage and two Transatlantic Crossings (bidding farewell to New York) and the QE2's final voyage to Dubai.
As to cost - the 10 day "British Isles" Farewell Cruise starts from US$2,455 for a grade stateroom up to US$5,695 for a Grand Suite. As for the final voyage of all, you are looking at almost double those fares.
QE2 - Part of the Cunard Tradition
When QE2 bows out eventually there will still be the Queen Mary 2 and the Queen Victoria, the latter being launched on December 10, 2007 to carry on the 160 years of Cunard Line tradition - a tradition that boasts the most famous liners in the world. Cunard is also one of the world's most well known brand names with a classic British heritage. Sadly the line is no longer British owned but by an American parent company - Carnival Lines. Cunard is listed on the London Stock Exchange and trades under the name of Carnival plc (LSE:CCL).
It was just so special that Agios Nikolaos and Crete paid farewell to the QE2 having graced our shores for the last time, for one glorious day, July 15, 2007.
© Gerald Brown July 2007
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Cunard Line's
BookClub Choice -
"The Island"
The Cunard Book Club - the on-board activity for thought- provoking literary discussions among guests on QE2 voyages features the Cretan story: "The Island" by Victoria Hislop for cruises between July 24 and September 23, 2007.
Appropriately, Victoria and her husband, Ian (Editor of Private Eye magazine) are well known in and around Agios Nikolaos and Elounda where they have a home.
"The Island", set in and around Elounda finds the main character, Alexis Fielding longing to find out about her mother's past and which turns out to be a life-changing event. But Sofia has never spoken of it. All she admits to is growing up in a small Cretan village before moving to London.
When Alexis decides to visit Crete, however, Sofia gives her daughter a letter to take to an old friend, and promises that through her she will learn more.
Arriving in Plaka, Alexis is astonished to see that it lays a stone's throw from the tiny, deserted island of Spinalonga - Greece's former leper colony.
Then she finds Fortini, and at last hears the story that Sofia has buried all her life: the tale of her great-grandmother Eleni and her daughters and a family rent by tragedy, war and passion. She discovers how intimately she is connected with the island, and how secrecy holds them all in its powerful grip.
This book is a moving story of a family's struggle with illness and the prejudices that come with the illness.
Victoria Hislop is a British author; educated at Oxford, and worked in publishing as a journalist before becoming an author. Her first novel " The Island " is a bestseller in the UK. Her UK home is in Kent.
Ramblings and reviews of The Island can be read in the BritsinCrete Forum.
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