As a Cunard collector, historian and chairman of the Cunard Steamship Society it has long been a goal of mine to commission a painting depicting the birth of Cunard Line in 1840. Time and circumstance eventually brought me together with the renowned marine artist Robert Lloyd. For almost two years we would collaborate on this painting and the result was ‘Maiden Voyage’ – a beautiful rendition of RMS Britannia in Halifax, Nova Scotia July 17, 1840 following her maiden crossing from Liverpool England, and thus giving birth to Cunard Line as we know it today.

Halifax, Cunard’s ‘ancestral home’ prepares to celebrate

Planning for events to mark 175 years of Cunard history began in earnest with CSS Chairman undertaking to spearhead event planning Halifax, Nova Scotia, one of the five home ports along with Southampton, Liverpool, Boston and New York chosen as major venues for celebratory events in 2015.
Throughout the year many meetings were arranged with various ‘partners’ which in turn produced a vibrant, committed core group to plan and ultimately implement events on the Halifax waterfront to celebrate the 175th anniversary when QM2 was to be in port July 10, 2015.
The principal participants who worked together with Cunard Line on this initiative included the City of Halifax, Waterfront Development Corporation, Halifax Port Authority, Canadian Navy and Southwest Properties.

Late in October the author had an opportunity at the behest of Cunard UK to host Theresa Machan, Cruise Editor of The Telegraph while visiting Halifax with her husband Stephen aboard QM2. Not one, but two Langley’s helped provide a maritime welcome to Cunard’s birthplace…son Adam, who is Operations Manager for the Waterfront Development Corporation graciously provided an annotated on water tour of Halifax harbour to our British guests.

While QM2 was in port John and wife Judith had the good fortune and pleasure to meet up with a dear friend, and the ultimate ‘Captain’s Secretary’ – Christel Hansen. The time was short but catch-up on family and friends very special. Our meeting very appropriately took place in ‘Sir Samuel’s aboard QM2 following the customary acknowledgement of the founder’s portrait on display in the lobby just outside the lounge.

In response to a request from Cunard UK the author hosted Mike Pearse, transportation reporter with ITV News UK and filming of the arrival of QM2 in Halifax July 2, 2013. The roof garden of Halifax Seaport provided the ideal venue to capture QM2 on film as she came alongside the seawall. A tour about Cunard’s hometown was followed by more filming at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic to gather material in preparation for the 175th Anniversary celebrations planned for 2015.

The works of Charles Dickens remain a great draw to this very day. His famous first trip to North America in 1843 attracted great interest and not the least of which was Dickens account of his transatlantic crossing as a passenger aboard the Cunard paddle steamship RMS Britannia. January, the month inexplicably chosen by Dickens to cross was deemed an appropriate time for a presentation on that subject by the author to a large appreciative crowd gathered at Halifax’s Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.

The Charles Dickens talk was the subject of an interview with CSS Chairman at a Halifax television station

Canada’s goodwill sailing ambassador, the schooner Bluenose has been the subject of a major rebuilding effort and will be back sailing once again in 2013. A fall visit to Nova Scotia by ocean liner historian Bill Miller gave rise to a visit to the Stevens sail loft in Second Peninsula … and a tour of the just recently launched Bluenose as she lay alongside the wharf at Lunenburg Foundry.

 

 

Producer/Director Robert Neal Marshall (RNM Productions) was in Halifax during the Tall Ships Festival to gather material, visit sites and do some filming as part of a documentary on Haligonian Samuel Cunard – founder of Cunard Line. Stay tuned – more to come!