Three Days On Board Cunard's Queen Mary 2...

It was a three days I'll never forget - myself and Catherine Jones, the Liverpool Echo Arts Editor, were invited on board the Queen Mary 2 at Greenock near Glasgow to travel down to Cunard's spiritual home of Liverpool where the ocean liner was to meet her two sisters, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria, and perform a river dance together as part of Cunard's 175th birthday celebrations. Our task was to document life on board and, in particular, to track down Liverpudlians who had booked the cruise to witness the spectacle in their home town while on board. It was not too difficult to find them and on the morning of the arrival in Liverpool, they were the hardy ones lining the deck at 5.30am in the pouring rain. We heard some great stories, including one Liverpudlian who had emigrated to Perth in the 60s and made the trip back especially for the celebrations. 

Below are some of my favourite photos taken on the trip, from top, the Britannia Restaurant, a spare propellor on deck, a gentleman looking out towards Oban as he smokes his pipe, Liverpool pilot Capt. Chris Booker who guided the QM2 down the Mersey, the Royal Court Theatre, early morning scousers on deck on the day of arrival and a few pictures taken from shore on the day of the celebrations.