Do we under estimate the power of water? Most of us take it for granted. We drink it, we wash with it, we swim in it,
we sometimes abuse it, we nurture living things with it but do we really
understand the power of it? I am gaining
a better understanding day by day in my journey the true e energy and strength
behind water. We have had some very
bumpy rides on our first cruise to Liverpool and Belfast and we were only
cruising in Irish Sea but now we are in the Atlantic Ocean. The first two days on the Atlantic were
beyond bumpy. We were thrown from side
to side as we were walking from place to place.
When the ship tried to break through the waves it shuttered like an
earthquake, and at other times we rode over and dove down the other side. It was a nice addition to a formal dinner
where the glasses would rattle and you would quickly hold on to them to make sure
they would not fall and break. It truly
amazes me that water can leave our ship, such a large object, in the water at its
mercy just hoping for it to calm down.
Needless to say, to many it did not sit well personally and many decided
to stay in the comfort of their cabins.
Fortunately we were spared any affect and ventured out into the daily
rock and roll ride on the ship.
The ship we are on is a little bit smaller than the Titanic.
It is 720 feet long and 43,000 tons with the top speed of 18 knots. The Titanic
was 882 ½ feet long and 53,000 tons with the top speed 24 knots. We watch
on a daily basis on a monitor that provides the location of the ship in
relationship to the world map. There
sure is a lot of water out there and we are moving as fast as we can to the
memorial site.
The Captain of the Ship
We have found so many different opinions of Captain Smith, the
captain of Titanic. The opinion was totally different in Southampton,
Liverpool and Belfast. Many of the
passengers on board our cruise have their own. I cannot imagine the thoughts that
ran through his mind on the fateful night because of his responsibility for the
ship, Titanic, and its
passengers. I have been very impressed
with our captain of our ship. We
receive daily messages at 12:00 noon sharp providing location and remaining mileage
to the wreckage of Titanic. He also provides the current conditions and
forecast for the weather in our path ahead.
We had an unfortunate incident the evening on the second day when a
medical evacuation had to be performed with the Ireland Coast Guard. The ship had to be turned around in the bumpy
sea and return 20 plus miles in the direction we came to meet the helicopter. We could see the hovering helicopter when it
arrived a few hours later from our dinner table. While we were moving, the helicopter picked
up the patient and soon was on their way to Ireland. We turned around and the captain announced we
are back on course (we heard the next day that the patient was in the hospital
and doing much better). Once again, we
realized the captain’s role is critical, especially in the middle of the ocean!
Entertainment to pass
the time
There were various options on the Titanic to pass the time.
There was a Turkish bath, a swimming pool (25 cents) and gymnasium for
your daily recreation. In many cases
these options were class specific and sometimes gender specific. They could also stroll around deck to enjoy
the sea air. There were lounge areas for
reading and playing games or perhaps discussing the Titanic’s beauty and luxury.
Not only had the first class facilities been embellished for more
comfort and luxury, but for the third class passengers it was the first time
that meals were served and bedding was provided. It was truly a ship of dreams for everyone on
board!
Our ship has all of these options for your pleasure (and
more, i.e., communications are much better). Needless to say the costs have changed
tremendously for some of these options.
The discussions on this cruise have been quite the opposite from Titanic.
We are now discussing her 100 years ago from all different aspects. There are formal lectures and interest
corners where passengers can tell their stories and share their family memories
of Titanic.
I had the opportunity to share Margaret’s story with a
scheduled interest corner. It was held
in a lounge area and had been announced through the ships Daily Times the night
before. The room was packed and I was quite
overwhelmed with the turn out. It was standing room only. I think Margaret would of wondered what was
the reason for such a great interest. I
told her story as a survivor. Not a
famous survivor or a heroine but just a survivor. I started my discussion in first person
explaining that my story is just one story out of 2,000 stories. My portrayal went about 50 minutes and then
opened for questions. The audience had
many questions and I finally had to wrap up the presentation due to time
constrains. I thanked everyone and told
them it was an honor to tell her story. Afterwards,
I sat a good 45 minutes giving autographs and hearing personal stories from
people of their connection to her. I
know her spirit was in the room because the stories where unbelievable. She would have been very pleased. Looking at this picture you can see my red
hat in the middle.
Here are just a few of the other lecturers and stories that
have been told.
-
Susie Millar: The great granddaughter of a Titanic engineer, Tommy Millar
-
Alan Hustak: The Canadian Connection to Titanic
-
Phillip
Littlejohn: Story of Alexander
Littlejohn, Titanic
-
Senan Molony: The Irish aboard Titanic, the Mystery Ship
-
Peter Boyd: Titanic
the Ship of Luxury
The Dining Experience
The dining on Titanic
was of luxury and elegance for the first class passengers. The second and first class passengers had
their own dining saloons. The word
“saloon” comes from the French word “salon” which means a spacious and elegant
room where important people would meet.
Specific meals and entrées were served to all the classes from Titanic’s five kitchens.
Our Dining Experience
The food and service on our cruise has been fantastic. We have an assigned time to dine as they did
on Titanic and enjoy original menus
each day for our enjoyment. Each day
there is an entrée’ noted as a Titanic Dish
of the Day. Here are a few we had the
option to choose from:-
Vegetable Soup Puree- served in the third class anytime
-
Irish stew with Dumpling – served as main course in second class-
“a hearty meal and it will never cease to please”
-
Curried Chicken and Rice – served as a main course in the second
class
Having this ship experience periodically takes me back in
time with my thoughts of Margaret taking her daily walks about deck, enjoying
the fabulous meals, reading in her favorite spot on the ship, preparing herself
for her dinner evening and all the while still thinking of her ill grandson and
how the ship could not go fast enough to relieve her anxiety of his well-being. I am so proud that I could tell her story to
the other passengers on this ship. She
had a story to tell as do all the other passengers on the Ship of Dreams. Chasing Molly has been very rewarding to me
so far. I am getting closer.
We all have one thing in common on this cruise. We have a story to tell; we have an emotional
connection to our stories, passionate about the Titanic and most importantly want to pay our respects in a very
special way on April 14, 2012 at the memorial site in the Atlantic.
My next blog will be the Ship to Remember meeting the Ship
of Dreams 100 years later… 
Fascinating details. I love it. How great that you were able to share Margaret's story and hear some of the other marvelous stories of Titanic.
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