February 13th - At Sea

Our Captain told us a great story…..

He was bringing the Queen Elizabeth 2 into the port of New York for the Millennium celebration. The harbor was overfilled with vessels from all over the world. QE2 was going into her usual berth but, because of the glut of ships, there was a large Japanese warship wedged into the neighboring berth. This didn’t leave much room for maneuvering and there was a strong wind which complicated things even more. As she was just about to complete her tricky docking maneuver, one of the tugs assisting her broke down. They all held their breath on the Bridge as they watched QE2’s bow swing over and make contact with the warship, leaving a small blemish on the gunmetal grey. The Captain and a party of his senior officers straightened their lapels and immediately set off for the warship to offer their apologies. Arriving at the neighboring ship, they were shown into the presence of the senior officer in command, who happened to be a Japanese Admiral. He was a little intimidating as he sternly stood in full Admiral regalia complete with a couple of serious-looking swords hanging from his belt. His face was expressionless as the QE2 officers fell over themselves making profuse apologies. They finished and there was absolute silence in the room. Then a smile started to spread slowly across the Admiral’s face as he offered a small bow and responded in perfect English, “It’s an honor to be kissed by a Queen!”