Queen Mary 2 Maiden Voyage - 17 January 2004

Early morning, no wake, the net off the pool ... must be a port day. It would be tempting to swim, but we are in for a memorable occasion.

First sign of the generous welcome given us by the people of Las Palmas: a mural made of color salts.

I didn't plan much for this day, having felt the first stirrings of a cold that I had so far successfully avoided. My cabinmates had rented cars, or were seeking cigars, but I took a stroll around deck before going ashore, getting a feel for QM2's cruise ship spaces:

(above) Vast windscreen, fine teak deck, and plastic chairs.
(below) the Boardwalk Cafe area, never again to be so quiet a spot.

Finally I did get ashore, and admired these dancers. The line of people in the background were applauding individual passengers who walked through the security gates, shouting warm welcomes.

This was Saturday, the day of both our arrival and Cabalgata de los Reyes (Procession of the three Kings), a preliminary event to Carnival.

The ship drew the eye and lens.

That was my day in Las Palmas; I went back to the ship to take a nap.

The tender platform, semi-retracted.

With most passengers gone a concentrated cleaning was possible. Here at stairtower A elevators a crew is hard at work.

A nap soon put me to rights. By late afternoon the mural was done.

My one foray into forbidden territory: deck space aft for the crew.

Deck 7, where cushions have found their way onto the deck chairs.

A ladder to the bow area bears an encouraging sign for the ship explorer. I can't wait until they remove the inconvenience of not being able to clamber over the whaleback!

Queen Mary 2's yard number, bestowed on prop blades and disco.

The energy on the ship's decks mounted as it became clear how many people were crammed into the pier area.

Passengers and shoresiders shouted messages to one another, singing along with a band and circle of dancers down below, an infectious celebration of life and connection from perfect strangers who had welcomed us like friends, and now were sending us off like we were family.

Despite memorable welcomes and departures in Funchal and Tenerife, in neither of those earlier ports had people be able to get so close to the ship. Here we were celebrating and being celebrated in mutual affection; the gentleman with the flag created a sensation by shouting "¡Viva Las Palmas!".

The colors of Spain stream from a hull hole cabin. Strongly evocative of newsreel images, of the days when ships were the way we went, the scene was overwhelming; some passengers wept.

In happy desperation for streamers one passenger was so transported from decorum as to throw rolls of toilet paper.

We begin to move. In one of the few jarring notes of this harmony the ship's tannoy blared "Rule Britannia" as the space of water widened between us.

Mad scramble up to "Deck 14".

The platform above Sun Deck was a key spot for sailaway fireworks.

Blurry recollections of the best port departure of the trip. Southampton's had been moving in many ways, but it had been expected, as QM2's home port; Las Palmas was such an unexpected shower of warmth it will remain a standout for a long time to come.

Tomorrow: sea day