THE QE2has paid its final visit to Cobh before sailing off into the sunset to become a floating hotel.
Hundreds of people gathered along the quayside and up on the high road to watch the 40-year-old Cunard Line ship as it rounded Roches Point yesterday and made its way up the harbour before berthing in the historic harbour town shortly after 3pm.
The QE2may not be the world's biggest liner but, at some 293 metres (960ft) long and 70,000 tonnes, it still took four tugs to nudge the ship in close to the pontoon on the quayside so that lines could be attached.
Port of Cork commercial manager Capt Michael McCarthy said that the QE2, which has sailed 5.6 million nautical miles since being commissioned in 1969, had come to Cobh a day earlier than planned after bad weather prevented it from berthing in Cherbourg.
He said Cobh was savouring the chance to pay a final farewell.
"It's her fifth time coming to Cork harbour but previously she moored off Whitegate and at the deepwater berth at Ringaskiddy," Capt McCarthy said, "but since we invested €8 million in extending the berth here in Cobh, we can take longer ships with deeper draughts."
Chairman of Cobh Tourism Hendrick Verwey said the QE2coming a day earlier had added to the excitement while also giving people a greater opportunity to see the liner.
To mark the QE2's final visit to Cobh, the port of Cork is launching its new multimedia experience Exiles at the Cobh Cruise Terminal today.
