On the evening of August 10, 2018, Cunard’s three queens—Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth—sailed from Southampton and were sent off by the Red Arrows, The Royal Air Force Aerobic Team with a display of a flying formation.
The sendoff marks the first time in Cunard’s history that guests had the opportunity to see the Red Arrows flying display while onboard.
Guests on board Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria will also be treated to a special commentary while the jets performed. Listeners in the United Kingdom were also able to tune into the commentary on Cowes radio – 87.7FM.
The Cunard fleet set sail from Southampton at 5:30p.m., heading for the Isle of Wright. The fleet also received a memorable and unique send off from the yachtsmen and spectators at Cowes and the Royal Yacht Squadron.
Friday was a day of celebration for the luxury cruise line in Southampton. In addition to the amazing display, Cunard is hosted five lucky children who won a competition to visit the three Queens and enjoy a ‘Captain for the Day’ experience. To win the competition they had to share with Cunard, in their own words, why they deserved to be a ‘Captain for the Day’ and they were judged on the creativity of their entry.
The children were given a tour of Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth, spending time with Captain and a visit to the Bridge. They also enjoyed lunch on board and finished their day with a trip round all three Queens in a speedboat.
The Red Arrows, officially known as the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, is the aerobatics display team of the Royal Air Force based at RAF Scampton. The team was formed in late 1964 as an all-RAF team, replacing a number of unofficial teams that had been sponsored by RAF commands.
The Red Arrows have a prominent place in British popular culture, with their aerobatic displays a fixture of British summer events. The badge of the Red Arrows shows the aircraft in their trademark diamond nine formation, with the motto Éclat, a French word meaning “brilliance” or “excellence”.
