Back to Titanic II

February 26th 2013…Titanic II

 

 

 

 

The launch of the project Titanic II was the most well planned event I have ever been to. It was on the Intrepid, floating in the Hudson River on the West side of Manhattan. An excellent place to launch another boat, rescheduled from October due to the devastation of Hurricane Sandy.

We were invited guests on a VIP table. It was a great honour and when that happens you have to get fancy….We both spent some time finding the right attire.

 

IMG_2569

The obligatory picture before the event

 

Not sure what my malfunction was at the point of capture but  I promise I loosened up when the time was right 😛

See!

Martini's at The Waldorf.. as one does

Martini’s at The Waldorf.. as one does

 

We arrived to the sound of a four piece band playing classical tunes… I guess they were the ones going down with the ship. I asked the Irish band playing inside which it would be and they agreed it was the guys out front.

Music to sink by.....hopefully not this time

Music to sink by…..hopefully not this time

 

A few further steps in we were met by the NYPD marching Bagpipes band…..

That sure gets you in the mood, right?! Nothing like bagpipes to get you ready for a drink!

Once inside we began the evening with hors d’oeuvres and drinks for some fancy mingling and seeking out friends we knew. As I mentioned,  60 minutes were following Clive Palmer and presenting a story and we discovered it was in fact Australian 60 minutes, Simon never said and I had just assumed. (It was a thing but I was actually right) um doesn’t matter, moving on…

We met and chatted with Ray Martin, Australian Celebrity Journalist and traded phone numbers. He texted these photos this morning and promised to catch up next trip!

He probably will, he’s that kind of guy 🙂

Ray Martin and I

Ray Martin and I

Living it up with the celebs

Living it up with the celebs

All of this excitement and not even inside the function room yet. The atmosphere was electric. So many people dressed in their ball gowns waiting for something special.

Upon entering the area it was quickly apparent it was going to be special, a full orchestra was playing on stage, while ushers showed us to our seats.

The evening began with the standard formalities followed quickly by entertaining acts, one after the other. There were skits about being on a ship, all in period dress, they did the hokey pokey in life preservers but called it  the ‘Life vest party’ and pulled random guests from the crowd and wrapped them in those cumbersome life preservers.

Life preservers

The volunteers

 

Then the Captain came on and sang….. all the while the food kept coming, and coming and coming…. but that’s for another day.

There were skits of the first class passengers and that of the working class maids, all quite hilarious..

 

 

Of course these events are nothing if not fund raisers and the obligatory auction was set. Two large framed blueprint overlays of the original and new design on the Titanic were on offer. They sold for $12,000. The money going to a worthy cause, the Spousal Fund of the NYPD and FDNY, for the families of fallen officers and fire fighters.

Dinner continued, and the wine was like a steady stream…

Clive came on and lead us through his dream and his inspiration for the project and we were treated to a slideshow of the project, from the shipyards of China to Jack and Rose and that Grand Staircase.

 

 

During the 10 minute slideshow, after Clive spoke, a haunting rendition of Our Hearts will Go On was played on the violin.

And then it was sung…… A very moving part of the evening.

The Unsinkable Molly Brown’s great, great, grand daughter was there, along with other descendants of survivors and those who perished in the North Atlantic on that fateful April night.

After the presentation, the fun really began with great entertainment from Glenn Shorrock, an Australian rock legend and the Bella Electric Strings.

And still the food did come….11 courses takes a very long time!

By midnight we were Titaniced out and the evening came to an end, we left on the high of an elegant evening and rode home in style to our not so elegant lives, vowing to do more fun things like this in the future…….

And the food…. well that’s another story…..

 

 

 

Comments 12

  1. My Goodness, Molley, you are STUNNING!!! I just smiled through that whole post. thank you. Now… how do I get me and my family on that boat…. Dear heavenly Father…

    1. Post
      Author
    1. Post
      Author
  2. Oh, wow! That looks amazing! Ummm…how do you do those photo gallery thingies? That looks awesome too. 😉 I’m thinking Enchanted Seashells, her captain and all of us should take a cruise via tugboat. Those don’t sink, right?

    1. Post
      Author
  3. Wow. Just. No words.

    Okay, I have a few words. What a fantastic evening! You wrote it so well I felt like I was there with you guys. So much fun and so fancy!

    And dear Goddess You. Are. Beautiful. Gorgeous!! Coat looks nice 😉

    1. Post
      Author
  4. Wow, I’m so jealous. What a magnificent evening that must of been. I am obsessed with stories about the titanic. I read books about it, watch documentaries etc. Thanks for letting us experience this through your writing.

Leave a Reply to April Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *