QE2 visits the Tyne

lmccauley · 17-09-2007, 1:57 PM

The QE2 is making a trip round the UK for its 40th Anniversary, and was due to call into the Tyne on Sunday.

After waiting in the wind and rain for an hour and a half at the Spanish Battery while the QE2 made two aborted attempts to enter the Port of Tyne, we retired to the pub to warm up, then started to head home. We were waiting on the metro platform when we got a phone call saying that it was going to make one last attempt. So we dashed to Knotts Flats in time to see it sail in. These are the pictures I took.

I've put the full resolution pictures up on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lpmcc/s...7602037752120/

Cold and tired of waiting

Freaky music boat

QE2 passing through the mouth of the Tyne

Manoeuvring in the Tyne

Three of them got published on the local BBC website

http://www.bbc.co.uk/tyne/content/im...llery.shtml?10
http://www.bbc.co.uk/tyne/content/im...llery.shtml?11
http://www.bbc.co.uk/tyne/content/im...llery.shtml?22

allymac123 · 17-09-2007, 4:27 PM

The light is stunning on the 3rd one and the 4th is pretty special too with those clouds and the way the boat appears to be on land.

Why did it not succeed in its first two attempts?

lmccauley · 17-09-2007, 5:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by allymac123

The light is stunning on the 3rd one and the 4th is pretty special too with those clouds and the way the boat appears to be on land.

Why did it not succeed in its first two attempts?

Thanks. It was due to the strong winds. They waited till about 7pm, when the wind died a bit and the sun was starting to dip low, giving the lovely glow on #3. The final shot was getting quite dark, and I ended up with ISO800, f/4.8 and only 1/160 at 170mm (effectively 255mm) - I was pleased it wasn't blurry with me stood on a grassy slope, hand-held in the wind!