On Friday, August 11th, we awoke to see that our ship, the Queen Mary 2, had come into port overnight. What a thrilling sight!
We checked out of our hotel and walked our luggage down the streets of Southampton to the Mayflower Cruise Terminal, named for the historic Mayflower, which departed on August 16, 1620 from Southampton on her journey to the New World.
After waiting in lines with other passengers, and going through the embarkation process, we settled in on board.
Our room. The little desk at right was where I painted scenes in my travel journal.
By evening, the ship was ready to sail from the port, and David and I knew where we wanted to spend this stage of our journey -- the deck 11 observation area directly below the bridge.
I spent the evening with a pencil in my hand, sketching the landscape and birds as quickly as I could.
Leaving the port of Southampton
The Hamble Sea Scouts were out sailing in the Solent, the water between the mainland and the Isle of Wight, as we passed.
The harbor pilot had to navigate around a variety of sailboats, jetskis, and other leisure watercraft, as well as "The Brambles," a shallow bit of water opposite the Isle of Wight. Our pilot expertly zig-zagged to get through this narrow bit of sea lane open to big ships.
We also saw this drone, and later found the footage of our ship's departure on YouTube:
A castle on shore near Southampton.
One of the two Solent Forts, originally built to protect the port area from attack, and now rented out for events with luxury accommodations.
As the sun set, we entered the English Channel. Looking back towards the Isle of Wight and sunset.
We were glad to have spent our evening watching the adventure begin!
The dramatic scenery made for some amazing photographs. Feel free to use any of these images for your creative practice.
Happy painting & sketching!
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