Mike Bowen With all The Latest From Irish-Australia
Surprise, Surprise and G’Day from Cunard’s Queen Victoria, sailing in the Mediterranean, from where I am sending you this week’s article.
I don’t want to confuse anyone, as I know you might have been expecting a G’Day from Downunder introduction.
It is well documented that water and I have never been friends. As a matter of fact it is also documented that I am so afraid of water, I hadn’t washed until I was a fourteen years old.
I hope this will help you to understand how difficult it was for me to consider taking a twenty one day cruise in the Mediterranean, surrounded by my worst nightmare and enemy, namely ‘water.’
Flying was never a problem for me but water is as attractive to me as an Elephant is attractive to a Connemara Donkey.
When I stepped down from my other profession as a financial adviser on January 4th I promised my wife that we would do something special to mark the occasion.
As I had longed to see Rome, Florence and Venice I thought, ‘now is as good a time as any to have a look at those places that I had only ever dreamed of as a child.’
I must have been having one of those days when body and mind were not in sync (you know, when your mind goes to Ga Ga land for a quiet spell) when we agreed to travel on Cunard’s Queen Victoria.
Considering the trip was still eight month months away, I thought that with a bit of luck God might give me a call before I get the chance of drowning somewhere in the Mediterranean.
On arrival at the dockside in Civitavecchia, Rome’s cruise liner berthing place, (with my knees still knocking with fear), the first thing I did was check the number of lifeboats, just in case, the inevitable happens.
Once on board this amazing Queen of the Seas I heard an Irish accent saying, “This is your Captain Tomas Connery speaking.” Instantly my fears fled away faster than a jet fighter.
I thought, “Ah ha, a fellow Irishman and someone I can trust with my life, just in case anything happens.” Soon after arriving on board and with the unpacking done, my wife and I checked out every nook, cranny and escape route.
Considering the number of interviews I have done over these many years, I had not actually interviewed a Sea Captain and what better than interviewing an Irish Captain on one of the most famous ships afloat.
To make this even more special the Deputy Captain is also Irish and to make this story even better again, the Third Officer is also Irish.
Let me tell you how proud and privileged I was to have met and spent time with these three brilliant successful Irish officers. They were most generous in giving me their time and background stories.
The Captain on board this magnificent ship is Waterford born Tomas Connery. The Deputy Captain is County Louth man Jonathan Ward and the Third Officer is Nuala O’Donnell from Donegal.
My first meeting was with Captain Tomas and Deputy Captain Jonathan in the Commodores Lounge on Deck 10 where I settled in and asked them how they rose to such prominent heights.
Q. You are a Wexford man?
A. Yes and no. My family moved to Wexford but my mom wanted me to be born in Munster, hence I was born in Cappoquin in County Waterford?
Q. Why did they want you to be born in Waterford?
A. Because both my parents were from Waterford.
Q. Do you still live in Waterford?
A. No, my wife, our young son Brendan and I live in Dublin.
Q. Was your dad a sailor?
A. No, he was an Agricultural Scientist, an area manager with Waterford Foods.
Q. Are you an only child?
A. No I am one of four; I have two sisters and a brother. I’m number three.
Q. Where did you go to school?
A. I went to New Ross Good Council College.
Q. When did you first sail?
A. When I was six weeks old my mom and dad took me on a sail from New Ross to Carrick-On-Suir and that’s where I must have got the bug for sailing.
Q. What was your first real taste for seafaring?
A. I sailed on the Asgard into Sydney in 1988 for the Australian Centenary Celebration and found that to be an amazing experience.
Q. Where did you do your training?
A. I did my navigation training in CIT in Bishopstown, Cork in 1999, then a year at sea then another year back at college and another year back at sea again.
Q. What was your first wage?
A. I was paid £23 Irish pounds a month, on The Arklow Manor.
Q. Have you sailed much out of Ireland?
A. Well if you call servicing the Irish lighthouses, then yes. I spent eighteen months working for Irish Lights.
Q. When did you get your qualification?
A. I received my qualification as officer of the watch in 2002.
Q. When and how did you join Cunard?
A. In 2003, I was interviewed by Chris Wells, who is now Captain of The Queen Mary
Q. What was you first post with Cunard?
A. I was First Officer Bridge team on the Queen Mary for four years.
Q. How come you moved to P&O for a further four years?
A. In 2005 the parent company merged Cunard and P&O so we were under the same umbrella sometimes. Some of the crews are moved from one to the other. I spent my time with P&O sailing out of Australia from Brisbane, Newcastle and Sydney as Chief Officer.
Q. In 2012 you were promoted?
A. Yes I became Deputy Captain of The Arcadia.
Q. What and when was your first command?
A. On April 4th 2017, two days before my birthday, I was given my first command as Captain of The Arcadia, sailing from Gibraltar.
Q. Was that a real buzz?
A. Sure, but it got even better sailing her into New York.
Q. Have you sailed on either of the other two Queens?
A. I spent six months on the QE2.
Q. When and how did you receive the news that you were to captain The Queen Victoria?
A. It was March 28th this year that I was given the privilege of captaining this great Lady of the Sea. My family and I were on holidays in South Africa.
Q. Where was your first voyage to?
A. My first voyage as Captain was from Hamburg to Southampton and the Canaries.
Q. Where do you go to when you have your twelve weeks off?
A. Back home to Dublin, for a lot of catch up time with family and friends.
Q. Is there a retirement time for Captains?
A. It’s 65. You have to have a medical test every two years but if you stay after 65, you have to have a medical every year thereafter.
Q. Any advice for those who would like to follow in your footsteps?
A. Make hard work and dedication your best friend and you will succeed.
Now its Deputy Captain Jonathan Ward’s turn to give us an insight into his journey from Dundalk to The Queen Victoria.
Q. You’re a County Louth Man?
A. Yes and no, I was born in County Down and raised in Dundalk.
Q. Do you still live in Dundalk?
A. No, I live in London now with my girlfriend.
Q. Are you an only child?
A. No, I have two sisters one older than me and the other younger.
Q. Where did you go to school?
A. I went to school at Dundalk Grammar.
Q. Why did you pick seafaring as a profession?
A. My dad was Chief Electrical Engineer to Cunard and was the first to be assigned to The Queen Mary 2
Q. Were there other members of your family seafarers?
A. Yes, I am the fourth generation in the family to be sailing with Cunard.
Q. Where did you do your training?
A. Like Tomas and Nula, I did my training in Cork at the Maritime College of Ireland.
Q. Why Cork to do your training?
A. Because they have amazing facilities there, such as simulators that rival the best in the world.
Q. When did you graduate?
A. I graduated in 2005 and was awarded Cadet of the Year, by The Irish Chamber of Shipping.
Q. Were you surprised to receive such an accolade?
A. I was gob-smacked and even more so when they invited mom, dad and I to an elaborate dinner for the presentation.
Q. What was your first job at sea?
A. I was a cadet on the QE2, that’s where I met Tomas.
Q. How did you progress to be Deputy Captain of The Queen Victoria?
A. From the first day you start, it’s a constant progression, of education, exams and time at sea.
Q. What’s the hardest part of the job?
A. Being away from home.
Q. What’s the most satisfying part of the job?
A. Being part of such a historical shipping line.
Q. What’s your favorite port of call?
A. New York.
Q. Where do you go to on holidays?
A. New York, there always plenty to do there, I also love hiking in County Kerry.
Q. How do you keep fit on board?
A. I go to the gym and I also swim.
Q. How do you fill in your time on board when off duty?
A. I play music and read.
Q. Do you follow Irish sport?
A. Yes, I support the Dundalk soccer team.
Q. What do you do when you go home for your twelve week break?
A. I play music and I am trying to improve my banjo playing. I also find time to do some hiking.
Q. Any desire to live back in Ireland?
A. I recently bought a farmhouse in Schull, in West Cork. It’s just magic, the house is facing the Atlantic Ocean. The perfect place to sit back, relax and maybe strum a Banjo.
Q. Do you have a ship in mind that you would like to Captain?
A. The Queen Mary 2 would be a great opportunity for me to showcase my skills.
Q. You’re from Donegal?
A. Yes I am.
Q. Are you an only child?
A. No I’m one of four.
Q. Are you from a seafaring family?
A. No, not really but my dad had a little boat and used to travel to all the surrounding islands.
Q. Where did you go to school?
A. I went to Ballinamore Secondary.
Q. Were you a sports person at school?
A. No, not really
Q. When did you decided to look at a career at sea?
A. I heard from someone who did a course on nautical science. So I went to do the same course in Cork, at the Martine College of Ireland in Ringaskiddy, down in Cork harbor.
Q. Did you have to move to Cork?
A. As it was a three year course, I spent the first year living in Ringaskiddy and then the next two living in Douglas, Cork and traveling to Ringaskiddy.
Q. Had you seen or known anything about the Queen Victoria at the time?
A. I saw her sail in to Cobh for the memorial of the Lusitania and then I said to myself, ‘that’s the ship I want to be on.’
Q. How long does it take to reach your qualification?
A. Three and a half years.
Q. What qualifications did you achieve?
A. I received a Bachelor of Science and qualified as an Officer of the Watch
Q. Was the college as good as you expected?
A. Yes and more, it was state of the art in every sense.
Q. What was your first job?
A. My first was as a cadet on P&O’s Ventura, from Southampton to the Canaries. I was then transferred to Cunard and back again for additional training.
Q. When did you join the Queen Victoria?
A. I joined in May this year and this will be home away from home for the next three years
Q. What is the shift time at sea?
A. We have twelve weeks on and twelve weeks off.
Q. What is the greatest potential hazard at sea? Someone told me that it was floating containers that fell off ships?
A. I haven’t seen any floating containers yet, but if a ship was to hit one they could cause serious damage. The weather is our main problem.
Q. Does the ship and crew become like family?
A. Yes it certainly does, after all it’s your home away from home and the crew become your friends.
Q. Where is your favorite place to visit?
A. Sydney, Australia, such an exciting place.
Q. Is Donegal still home?
A. Yes, it sure is.
Q. Where to from here?
A. I would like to get a Chief Mate, Master’s Ticket, then Captain. I just love the Queen Victoria as a home and profession.
Q. Is there an opportunity for you to Captain one of Cunard’s Queens?
A. Cunard will be launching a new still new unnamed ship in 2020 and that would be the icing on the cake if that could be achievable. Cunard have one female Captain to date, so anything is posable.
Q. What would you like to say those who would like to look at a profession at sea?
A. Just put the work in, believe in yourself and you will achieve your ambition.
How about a short interview with myself, about my on board experience.
Q. Did I enjoy the voyage?
A. Absolutely, I give it a 100%.
Q. What’d did I think of the ship?
A. It’s a floating palace that anyone can travel on.
Q. How was the food and service?
A. Another 100%.
Q. Did I get bored at any time?
A. Not for one second.
Q. Will I travel on Cunard again?
A. You bet your ass I will.
I am very thankful to my new friends for sharing their journeys to date with me. This amazing team of Irish professionals, who excel at their work is a tribute to their dedication at keeping every cog on the wheel working to the maximum to ensure that all on board have a memorable voyage and reach their destinations safely.
Now that I seem to have harnessed my dread of water I do hope to meet with all three again on the other oceans of the world in the not too distant future and enjoy being safe in their hands.
Until I speak with you again from Downunder, Slainte from the Mediterranean and be good to those who love you.