Curly’s Corner Shop, the blog!

Final visit for Cunard liner

I was up before the birds this morning to join the hundreds of well wishers who lined the banks of the River Tyne on the South Shields side to greet Cunard’s cruise liner the Queen Elizabeth ll as she made a final visit to the region. The regal cruiser is destined to become a floating hotel in the Gulf.

Arriving at the Pilot Jetty at 05:45 I found a small group of photographers already in place, expecting the ship to show on the horizon within the next half hour, however, just like her last visit, she kept us waiting before entering the harbour just after 07:00. By then I was surrounded by almost sixty people with over a hundred on The Groyne and many more lining The Lawe and River Drive. By now I was almost frozen, as my shoulder played temporary tripod for Shields Gazette Chief Photographer Tim Richardson, as we attempted to get good pictures of the ship with the first beams of weak sunlight glinting off her hull.

She was slowly manoeuvred up river by a small flotilla of Tyne Tugs passing larger crowds at the ferry landing and the Mill Dam before being delicately and precisely turned at Tyne Dock, and thankfully the gate to Readhead’s Landing was open to allow photographers to record the moment. By 08:30 she was safely moored at the Northumbria Quay, North Shields and starting to attract huge crowds of tourists on both banks of the river.

The QE ll will be leaving the Tyne this evening at around 10:00 pm and there will be a small fireworks display as she sails, best views will probably be from the head of the North Marine Park in South Shields.

Click the thumbnails to enlarge. You can watch a full slide show here.

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::