The only specialised marine publication in Oceania that focuses on the maritime industry, from super yachts to small craft to large commercial ships, including coastal shipping, tugs, tow boats, barges, ferries, tourist, sport-fishing craft
Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/91629
LETTERS CONTINUED… likelihood of everyone from the minister down ducking for cover, and exposing the original designers and naval architects to disproportionate scrutiny is so often a real prospect. I say, just because the designers got it wrong in the first instance, perhaps like the Christchurch CBD, and that a viable solution has been staring everyone in the face, the ship owner too has a responsibility to all those on board his vessel to expedite that solution before any further lives are tragically lost. The last thing I want, as a naval architect, is to adduce evidence before some Coroner's court or Commission of Inquiry in the future that "I told you so…" M Laurence Withy, Lowry Bay FANTASTIC ASPASIA Dear Sir I was delighted to read David Field's article on his fishing experiences with my father Claude Atherton on the vessel Aspasia, when my father was a part-time commercial fisherman. We, as a family, spent our weekends around the Hauraki Gulf and of course lots of fishing. We loved it all and as soon as the fish box was full on a Sunday afternoon we were off to Motuihe for a swim and relaxation on the beach. The Sunday meal was fish, soup and the smokehouse fired up in the back yard. That was our life and we enjoyed every minute of it. As we grew in to adulthood, much later it led to extensive cruising and racing around the Pacific, with our growing family on own yacht. My sister Peggy also later in life and did a circumnavigation. We put it all down to our start on the waters in and around the Hauraki Gulf. Heather Lidgard, Auckland ASPASIA'S STORY Dear Sir Read the article about the little Aspasia. She arrived in Whangaroa harbour, my home town, in the early 1970's owned by Vic Speight. He was longlining with her. He fished her for a few years then brought the Faith. A chap Ralph from Russell brought her fishing from the Bay (of Islands) till quota came out in 1987. What happened to her after that I don't know. Fairly sure she was powered by three cylinder Ford. Keep up the good work. Jim Jose, Whangarei PLAUDITS! Dear Sir The latest Skipper just arrived and I see you have done it again. Congratulations to you both, I have always said the Mag was the best read in town, now it has the best journalist as well. Very good, fantastic in fact! Clive Atkinson, Greytown QEII MEMORIES Dear Sir Congratulations on the award; keep up the good work. Thoroughly enjoyed the articles on the old ML's, I had five enjoyable years on these. They were a very effective training ground for a young fella intending to go to sea. I have one little correction to an article under 'Oceans', page 68 in the last edition. The item about QEII becoming a hotel has one serious error in it. On November 11, 2008, Ian McNaught had the QEII doing 32.5 knots heading south immediately after leaving the Solent, where the ship had run aground on Brambles Bank only that morning, and he still had one engine shut down. So, he was actually using 105,000 of the 135,000 horsepower he had available to him. 9 MW was going to the ships hotel services so wasn't available for propulsion. International Paint A global company providing coatings and service to the marine industry within New Zealand and throughout the world Therefore, I do not believe the ship was under tow as was stated in the article! Not unless we have some invisible nuclear powered tugs on the planet. When QEII departed Southampton for the final time en-route to Dubai, she had the largest number of people on board since the Falklands War when she was a troopship. I have video footage taken from the bridge wing of the farewell ceremonies; very spectacular and noisy. Many crew members applied to have family on board for this last voyage and it wouldn't surprise me if the final head count was never correct. The vessel then did a Mediterranean cruise en-route to Dubai, where she arrived on November 28, 2008. Since that date, the nine main engines have been kept running on a rotational basis: one week on and eight weeks off, while the new owners figured out what they were going to do with her. VIP.PS43 For information on our range of Marine and Protective coatings, phone 0800 808 807 or visit www.international-marine.com International Paint 686 Rosebank Rd, Avondale, Auckland 4 Professional Skipper November/December 2012 My youngest son was amongst the last group to leave the ship in Dubai after the handover, and he brought home many photos of the already bare interior, along with items presented to the officers on this last voyage, including a solid glass block with the QEII 3-D laser etched inside it and the New Zealand flag she was flying on the last departure from Auckland in February 2008 signed by all the bridge team. My wife and I spent July 2008 aboard the ship compliments of Cunard. My youngest son was third officer at the time, so the ship's master kicked our son out of his cabin and gave it to us! Only eight feet from the wardroom bar to my bed, heaven! The experience of passing through the Straits of Gibraltar at 30 knots was memorable. The reason the ship was able to cover nearly six