Perhaps making up for the near famine of the previous day, I made sure to take part in the gastronomic overindulgence, that is so much a part of life on the QE2. Breakfast in the Mauretania Restaurant consisted of a wonderful plate of Eggs Benedict. Luncheon followed shortly thereafter with a succulent beef tri tip, and an excellent fruit meringue dessert. The formal dinner that evening started with a duck salad followed by pea soup and a wonderful fish entree of Barramundi with a souffle for dessert. In between meals there were a number of lectures in the Theatre including informative talks about the upcoming ports. For me, the best part of a cruise is enjoying the ocean, walking the decks or simply reading a book in a comfortable deck chair. Those things would become part of the daily routine aboard this great ship. A classical piano concert would round out this first day onboard, before reaching tomorrow's port of call, Hobart Tasmania.
Every stop on this cruise would be the final time that the QUEEN ELIZABETH 2 would be paying a visit, so whenever possible a large number of sightseers turned out. The island state of Tasmania provided a nice welcome with a children's choir singing on the dockside. Passengers disembarked for their various tours of the picturesque countryside. At 6:00pm the ship set sail again with much long whistle blowing as bagpipers played Auld Lang Syne on the dock. Dozens of small sailboats accompanied the ship and several dashed dangerously close under her bow. The vintage wooden vessel CARTELA of 1912 provided an lovely escort and was a wonderful vantage point for her passengers bidding their farewells to the QE2.
Leaving the Tasmanian coastline behind the ship set a northwesterly course towards our next port, Melbourne. I was looking forward to crossing the Bass Strait and later, the Great Australian Bight, as these waters south of Australia have the reputation of being some of the roughest in the world. I would be disappointed as the seas remained calm, with at most a moderate chop.
For the first leg of the trip, the QUEEN ELIZABETH 2 is in the capable command of Captain Ian McNaught. Of necessity, he was a no-show at his own cocktail party, trying to grab some sleep before picking up the Melbourne pilot at 2am.
I would love to fully describe all of the enjoyable activities that can be found ashore in each of the ports, but space limitations simply do not permit that indulgence. Suffice it to say all had their unique attributes that were varied and enjoyable. Onboard the ship itself, the most notable thing about our stay in Melbourne is that it was the only time on the entire voyage that a tie was not required for dinner. Formal dress on a vessel like the QE2 may seem like a wonderful concept, but believe me, it gets old when it is required every night, especially after a long day ashore or at the beach. Melbourne was also one of the few ports where there was another passenger ship docked. Across the berth was the large ferry SPIRIT OF TASMANIA I, which departed prior to our midnight sailing.
After another sunny day at sea, our next port was Adelaide. We spent the day sightseeing with wonderful friends I had made years ago aboard the FAIR PRINCESS; that ship itself, a former Cunarder, the CARINTHIA.
When we returned to the pier, it seemed like the entire city had turned out to watch the QE2 depart. There are many Australian citizens aboard for this segment who seem to be having a wonderful time waving goodbye to their countrymen, usually with tiny Aussie flags.
Another day at sea provided time to take care of some business, such as booking all of our shore excursions, checking email at the Computer Centre and doing some shopping. That evening there was another cocktail party for repeat passengers, some of whom had cruised with Cunard for thousands of days. The Queens Lounge was also the location for the first of several formal balls to be held onboard. Tonight's was the Black and White Officer's Ball.
The next day we arrived at Albany, a small port on the southwestern tip of Australia. This would be both the maiden and farewell call of the QE2 at this small town which is growing in popularity as a tourist destination. The turquoise waters and the rugged coastline here are spectacular. This pioneering call proved popular enough that Cunard is including Albany on future World Cruises of the QUEEN VICTORIA. Once again, more people than seemed possible lined the cliffs and shores to witness the ship's departure.
But the biggest sendoff of all awaited us at Fremantle, the last Australian port. All day we toured far north of Perth, up to Yanchep National Park and the massive white sand dunes at Lancelin. It was too much fun sandboarding on the dunes followed by a very long drive back to Fremantle. Our tour bus was late in returning from that days shore excursion, delaying the departure time by nearly 1 1/2 hours. By that point, hundreds of people were lining the decks on the QE2 and thousands were watching from every available vantage point ashore.
Fireboats sprayed their water cannons while overhead a plane towed a banner bidding farewell and news helicopters buzzed everywhere. Hundreds of pleasure boats of every description accompanied the ship out of the harbor, only turning back when it was well out to sea. Without a doubt, it was the most spectacular sendoff of the entire World Cruise. As the QUEEN ELIZABETH 2 literally sailed off into the sunset, the Australian portion of her long career came to an end.
The next four days would be spent crossing the Indian Ocean, and each day would get progressively hotter as the latitudes became smaller. For most of this stretch, we ran at an average speed of 24.7 knots; Fast for most ships but a leisurely pace for the QE2. For passengers, life onboard slowed down a bit as well. After the hectic succession of ports in Australia, the long stretch at sea provided a welcome respite. Sleeping in late then reading the ship's newspaper that was slipped under the door each morning, became another part of the routine. It was a bit depressing to read the financial news, as every day the U.S. dollar sank lower against foreign currencies. Never good news, but especially not when you're traveling.

The hot weather was conducive to spending a great deal more time around the outdoor pool on One Deck. If you ever want to locate me on a cruise ship, go all the way to the stern and in the closest chair to the aft flagstaff that's where you'll find me. After numerous dips in the pool and a soak in the Jacuzzi it was time to go inside and dress for dinner. In the evening the mood was sublime as we sipped Oranji Martinis in the Crystal Bar while watching the most spectacular sunset I have ever seen anywhere in the world. The next day after a very tasty salmon omelet for breakfast, I had the pleasure of a brief meeting with Captain Ian McNaught who was signing memorabilia from the voyage. His love for the QE2 was evident in his comments and the inscription he wrote in one of my brochures. After good-naturedly dismissing a picture of the new QUEEN VICTORIA, he wrote above a photograph of the QE2, "A real passenger liner!" The weather became too hot to resume sunbathing by the pool so we relocated to the wooden deck chairs on the shady, starboard side of the Boat Deck. The "Port side Out, Starboard side Home" origins of the word Posh are clearly understandable in these latitudes.
On March 8th we sighted land for the first time in three days as we sailed through Indonesian waters. Off the port side was the cone-shaped volcanic island of Krakatoa. I truly felt like I had reached the ends of the earth, finally reaching a place I thought was too far away to ever hope to see. Shortly after, the QE2 passed through the four mile wide, Selat Sunda, the passage between the islands of Java and Sumatra. For the first time I noticed that the security staff had deployed LARAD (Long Range Acoustical Devices) along both sides of the Boat Deck and at the stern. When activated, these mechanisms emit a sound so intense that it should drive off would be attackers, be they pirates or terrorists.
The following day was Sunday, March 9th. At noon, as the ship left the Java Sea and entered the South China Sea, King Neptune and his court came aboard to preside over one of the most venerable of shipboard traditions, the "Crossing The Line" ceremony at the equator.
Passengers and crew alike had to face a colorful collection of characters including the Judge, the Butcher, creatures from the deep, and perhaps most frightening, a transvestite nurse carrying a large gutted fish which was placed on the head of each participant.
The "Pollywogs" (first time crossers) were then drenched in a variety of disgusting concoctions and covered in spaghetti, before they gladly leaped into the pool to clean up. As a "Shellback" on my fourth crossing of the line, I was safe from this good-natured purgatory. After it was over, the pool was drained and the poor deck hands had to scrub up the mess in the intense heat.
At 8:10pm that evening, we finally reached the actual equator, crossing at latitude 0.00 degrees and longitude 106 degrees east. A bottle of champagne and a five course dinner in the restaurant completed our celebration of this singular achievement. Nearing the westernmost point of the cruise, we set the clocks back an hour before going to bed.