Here's the view from Mayflower park last night. Southampton council laid on a very well organised even for the locals with catering, funfair and giant TV screen relaying the continuous live coverage from the local TV channel.
Not all the camera shake is down to hypothermia - it was a very emotional event with 10's of thousands of people cramming the seafront to get a last glimpse of the ship that had become such a permanent part of their live. Apologies for publishing what is quite the worse picture ever to appear on Mayhem, but it's all I've got!
They brought the ship back upriver to stop alongside the park, towering over us and yet still maybe 1/4 mile away. She is truly a huge ship and all the more vast with her thousands of brilliant lights in the pitch black (and completely freezing) night. I was able to talk to my flying partner John who has been a QE2 regular and was on the invitation list for this final voyage, but with no chance of seeing him on the rail or him seeing me in the vast crown. It did sound as if they were having a good time on board, however.
There was a tremendous firework display, during which the ship nearly dissapeared in smoke. There was tremendous sounding of her sirens, an address from the Captain, playing of 'Hearts of Oak', etc and then she moved off down river, very slowly at first, to the strains of 'Sailing'.
So here's the last view that I, and most others, will ever have of her as the heads out to Lisbon and her new home. Bon voyage, beautiful lady.