Prelude to Cruise

Prelude to “Queen Elizabeth” World Cruise 2014.

Tuesday 7^th January 2014

The two gentlemen who are doing the cruise Mr. Alex Tweddle and Mr. Colin Mustard who normally meet at the ‘Melton Constable’ pub in Seaton Sluice, Northumberland. UK., were invited to a weigh-in.  The locals are running a book to see how much weight Colin will put on in the forthcoming four months.  The winner receives 50% while the other 50% will be donated to the ‘Macmillan Nurses’ cancer charity.

               Alex

                          

                                                                       Colin

                                                                                        

The official weights are:- Alex 13st 7lbs while Colin 17st 6lbs

Thursday 9^th January 2014

With the very wet weather within the South and West of the UK, a ‘Cross Country’ train had been pre-booked from Newcastle direct to Southampton.  Parts of Oxfordshire had been flooded and the direct train was terminating at Birmingham with an onward journey via London.  With the amount of luggage needed for a four month voyage the idea of having to cross London from Euston to Waterloo was not acceptable, therefore, the train journey was abandoned.

A hire car was picked up from ‘Enterprise Cars’ and I left home in Seaton Sluice at 15.15 and Whitley Bay at 15.30 with Colin on board, fully loaded with four suitcases, large hand bag and a banjo.

Route took us through the Tyne Tunnel, A1(M); M18; M1; M25; M3 and with dry conditions, no hold ups and dry conditions we travelled 350 miles arriving at the ‘Premier Inn’, West Quay, Southampton at 22.00.

After booking in, we shot across to the nearest pub, just inside the old city walls called, ‘The Titanic’.  Behind and above the bar was a mural of the North Atlantic showing the position of where the ‘Titanic’ sank.  A fitting reminder of what could happen, as we sank a couple of pints of ‘Old Speckled Hen’. Back in the hotel room, Colin had brought some miniature bottles of ‘Balvenie’ whiskey to sneak on board the cruise ship but we decided to sink them straight away and both had a good night’s sleep.