In the sixth and final installment of the Logbook series, Captain Inger Thorhauge shares her experiences on the Queen Anne: the successful completion of the ship's sea trials.
In the coming weeks, the captain will focus her attention on the final preparations for the Queen Anne's arrival in Southampton…
“The Queen Anne has just completed a unique voyage. For 16 days in February, it underwent its first sea trials. And I am pleased to report that it passed them successfully!
The complexity of the entire shipbuilding project, which has lasted several years, and the way in which the plans and concepts have come to life thanks to the expertise of our design teams and partner shipyards, culminated in our momentous journey from Venice to Palermo and back.
During the months of its refit, the Queen Anne remained at the shipyard of our builder, Fincantieri. Soon, with the tugboats removed, the Queen Anne sailed under its own power for the first time.
It was a very emotional milestone in the project, but we couldn't savor it for too long. We had a vast program of checking, testing, evaluating, and calibrating all the main systems ahead of us.
One of the main objectives was to see how the ship behaved in different situations, from full speed bow-to-stern, to tight turns, fast turns, slow turns, and sudden stops. These were very demanding tests, and the Queen Anne's performance in these extreme situations was truly impressive.
We also took the ship to the Palermo dry dock to have the hull painted, while continuing efforts to prepare our new Queen Anne for delivery.
Back in Marghera, further tests and inspections were carried out to complete the program.
We are now in the critical final phase of the work to complete and deliver the ship in April, and in the coming weeks, the Queen Anne crew will begin to assemble.
I'm eager to take the helm for the Queen Anne's historic maiden voyage under the Cunard flag. I know that first trip to our home port will be another busy and exciting time for everyone on board.
Until then, I bid you farewell, signing the last of my Captain's Logs from the shipyard. Sincerely, Inger Thorhauge”
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