Azura, Black Watch (III) & Ventura
P&O's new White Sisters were both in port together for the first and only time this year on the 10th April 2010, also joined by pretty little Black Watch, who was starboard in QEII.  Ventura had become a subject of much frustration over the previous week.  It was listed on the movement she would be sailing at 7pm instead of 4.30pm.  She would also be starboard.  These seemed such a bad idea because 1) it would take twice as long to reach her sister in Ocean Dock, 2) the fireworks for the naming of Azura weren't scheduled until 8.20pm, by which time Ventura would be long gone and 3) there'd be no big crowds at that time of night , only ship nuts.  On the 6th the time was changed back to the original, which made more sense.  So on the 10th they would both have blast mania to a big crowd.  Black Watch arrived first at 6.15am followed by Ventura fifteen minutes later.  I'd already planned to go over for pics of Azura's Southampton bum and Black Watch but since Fay was coming over from the Island, I caught the slightly earlier ferry.  As I walked down the pier on a gorgeous spring day wearing a T-shirt and summer jacket (wow!), I spotted Ventura was the right way round - yay!  Home sooner!
I caught the 2.20pm ferry and, as I waited at the front of the queue, the new crew came down and boarded Hotspur - another yay!  This was becoming a great day.  Meanwhile as we waited, Fay's Red Funnel passed.  When we cast off, we crossed right over until we were almost dead on with Black Watch's gorgeous rear, following Fay across the blue to Southampton.
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			(C) Copyright Patricia Dempsey 10th April 2010 Not to be reproduced without permission