We only ever intended doing just one special Maritime Memories Voyage, but they really have been such a huge success and so many of you have contacted us to say that you would like to come on one. Our next Maritime Memories Voyage is in April 2008, taking us back to the UK from Manaus in the Amazon. This voyage is all but booked and consequently we’ve had to disappoint a lot of you who really wanted to join us but we did promise that we would do anther one in 2009 and here it is. So come and join us as once again we turn back the clock and step back in time to the golden age of shipping, and sail on what we believe will be a truly fantastic voyage. We set sail from Istanbul on a voyage back to the UK, taking in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean and some of the most fascinating ports of call in the world.

In my days at sea I never spent any time in the Black Sea so being able to visit ports like Sochi and Yalta will be of special interest. But when you look at the full itinerary for this Maritime Memory Voyage, there really are so many great ports of call ensuring there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

I know many of you would like to transit the Suez Canal to revive old memories. And if you’ve never sailed through the Canal then all I can say is that it’s something everyone should try to do at least once in their lifetime. So, you can join the ship in Safaga and enjoy both the Canal transit and the wonders of Egypt at the same time. Or, if you’re not able to sail all the way with us then join us in Athens for the shorter, yet equally adventurous and exciting, Maritime Memories voyage back to the UK.

These Maritime Memory Voyages all came about because so many of you wanted to do another trip back to sea but not aboard one of those modern floating blocks of flats but aboard a real ship. You wanted to experience life at sea as it used to be during the golden age of shipping, an age when the ship itself was the star attraction. An age when the ship-board experience was one full of excitement and adventure with not only fascinating ports of call to look forward to but also plenty of sea days to enjoy as well – something pretty rare in modern cruising. Well, that’s what we’ve done and so we can all once again enjoy ourselves as we sail through the rich blue oceans aboard a real ship with wide-open wooden decks and gleaming brass. (I’m not cleaning it on this trip thank goodness!) But yes, that’s how it used to be in the good old days. An age when you could just sit out ..on deck at night enjoying wonderful company and a drink or two beneath tropical starry skies, listening to the gentle sounds of the passing sea and reliving those wonderful memories of days gone by. Now that’s almost my idea of heaven!

Most of you know our ship; the 20,000 gross tons Discovery. Yes, she’s a real ship with what I call a real bridge and wheelhouse and with only 650 passengers aboard – not like those huge samey looking things they call ships today – there’s so much room and no endless queues of thousands of passengers to fight your way through.

The food aboard is second to none. (A bit better than the stuff they used to dish-up at my old Sea Training School!). And for that extra Maritime Memories touch, during the voyage there will be several special evenings when we will, with the use of rare old menus from the past, recreate the same gourmet food that was once served to the rich and famous aboard the great ocean liners of yesteryear.

In this computerised age where everything is seemingly manufactured, no other shipping company will go to the same great lengths to provide such a specialist service. Yes, this is a very special voyage and every time we set sail or enter port, our Captain gives the order to hoist the most magnificent display of old company house flags, and what a wonderful sight they make as they once again fly with pride.

There is so much to do aboard and there is never a dull moment. But for me, I enjoy nothing better than listening to your own wonderful stories and memories of the golden age of shipping. Oh, and by the way, we give you a special Maritime Memories Badge as well… just thought I’d throw that in!

You know, as an indicator of just how good these Maritime Memory Voyages are, many of our passengers have now been with us on every voyage we’ve done, which says an awful lot. And if you’re at all concerned whether your wife or partner will enjoy this voyage then worry not, for they have the best time of all and they’re the first on the phone to book again.

If you want to know more about Maritime Memories and this unique voyage then do call us on 01273 585391. But most important of all, come and join us and let’s all enjoy this opportunity whilst we still can, for it really is the holiday of a lifetime. And finally, as you will see from this brochure, we also have a very special low-fare deal for all our Maritime Memory passengers, which on top of everything else makes this the best value for money holiday of its kind. Now you can’t get much better than that can you!