The recent sinking of a passenger cruise liner hasn’t stopped Reefton woman Cathie Douglas from braving a world cruise which will attempt to recreate the Titanic’s ill-fated voyage. Despite having nightmares about a tsunami striking the ship, Cathie Douglas (62) is so fascinated by the maritime disaster that she booked her ticket on the now sold out Titanic Memorial Cruise as soon as they were announced three years ago.
More than 2000 passengers will sail on the cruise ship Balmoral as it retraces the maiden voyage of the Titanic 100 years ago, in which more than 1500 people died after the ship struck an iceberg. And while Cathie jokes she may not return from her ocean adventure, she explains that, after being diagnosed with cancer two years ago, she’s willing to take some risks during the rest of her life.
“I always wanted to do this and didn’t think I would get to do it, but I’ve been fine. “You’re a long time dead. I often say to people it might only be a one-way trip. And I dreamed I got hit by a tsunami. I’m resigned – if something does happen, then it’s fate. “But it won’t be like the old days. Look at what happened in the recent one with the Costa Concordia – it wasn’t women and children first, it was every man for himself.”
The attention to detail for the recreated Titanic voyage means first-class passengers will be offered the same 11-course meals, including roast squab and sautéed chicken Lyonnaise. Passengers will all have the opportunity to learn the dances of the era and can also dress according to 1912 fashions.
Cathie has had a blue satin coat dress designed for the occasion and is planning to add a few more old-fashioned skirts and tops for casual wear. She booked the cruise while living in Ireland with her late husband and has been paying the trip off for the past three years. It will cost $11,500, not including Cathie’s flight to the UK, where the cruise will depart from Southampton.
Cathie’s mother remembers her daughter talking about the Titanic since she was a little girl. “I went to a movie called A Night to Remember,” Cathie recalls. “It was a true story about one of the officers. I sort of liked the movie Titanic, but I prefer the other story. It would be amazing if A Night to Remember could have the special effects of Titanic.”
In a bizarre coincidence, Cathie has discovered she had a great-great-aunt in Ireland, who shared her name and was on the original Titanic voyage. She survived because she disembarked in Ireland before the ship started its crossing of the Atlantic. However, she died of natural causes a short time later.
“It made me all the more interested,” says Cathie, who became a member of the British Titanic Society and has also visited the dock in Belfast where the ship was built. So far, she has collected a telegram sent from the Titanic to another ship, a replica of a boarding pass and a number of paintings and photographs.
A memorial service will be held during the cruise to pay tribute to the people who died when the ship collided with an iceberg off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. Cathie will be sharing her cabin with three of her friends, who are all interested in a first-hand glimpse of the famous voyage.
“It’s a morbid sense of curiosity if anything,” she says. “It’s gong to be quite different and we’re all looking forward to it.”
There are reports Rod Stewart might be on board and the BBC will also be reporting live from the ship, whose interior is being given a Titanic makeover. “There are passengers from all over the world and it’s been booked up for sometime,” says Cathie. “I got a note to say that they had a waiting list for the waiting list.
“I think it will be fun. We’re all looking forward to dressing up and acting the part.”
