Mister Brisbane: Setting sail
Cruising has taken a bruising, but it'll be back!
The year is more than one-sixth complete. It’s autumn, even if it doesn’t seem like it. Covid-19 is still with us, but vaccination is offering a way back to normalcy. And I’ve just booked not one, but two, cruises for late this year. OK, now before you tell me everything that’s wrong with cruising, let me tell you everything that’s right about it.
First of all, assuming all goes to plan, I’ll be setting sail from Brisbane’s brand, spanking new international cruise terminal (artist’s concept above). I have booked a three-and-a-half day round trip to the Whitsundays in October, and an eight-day journey to the Pacific islands at Christmas time. I’ve put down deposits on the understanding that things might change and I will get a refund or future-cruise credit. The latter is fine with me because I love to cruise. By the time I have to pay in full, the situation will almost certainly be clearer.
So, what’s so good about cruising that I’ve done 15 of them in the past seven years? To me, as a single person, they are the perfect way to travel. It’s all the things you’ve herd before — great food, great amenities and shows, and you only have to unpack once as you go from destination to destination — but it’s also the opportunity to meet and mingle with people from around the world, and to visit places that may not have necessarily been on your bucket list.
The cruise companies have learned a lot from the Covid-19 experience. I think we’ll see a lot more “washy-washy” (cheerful crew members spraying disinfectant on people’s hands as they enter the dining room) and, I sincerely hope, an enforced insistence that people wash their hands after using the toilets; better crowd control at boarding and disembarking; physical-distancing rules; more doors that open without being touched; and more frequent disinfecting of surfaces. Cruise lines have already indicated that they will do many of these things, and at the moment are even saying that they will test people for Covid before embarkation. And I’m sure that they will act more quickly and decisively if and when another health issue is detected.
As “insurance” in case passengers are confined to quarters, I’ve booked an ocean-view cabin (i.e. one with a porthole) for the shorter, domestic cruise, and a balcony cabin for the longer, international voyage.
Tune in to the Mister Brisbane radio show on Reading Radio at 1296AM and on DAB+ in Brisbane at 6.30pm on Tuesday nights. It’s also available as a podcast. Just search for “Mister Brisbane” on your favourite player or follow this link.
FUNNY BUSINESS
On the subject of cruises, the Brisbane-based Sit Down Comedy Club has an exclusive deal with P&O Cruises to provide stand-up acts for its Australian sailings. And right now many of those comedians are missing the work, and the fun, of performing on ships.
Last year as the pandemic started to take its toll, I interviewed Brisbane standup comic Kat Davidson, who spoke about the lure of the ocean. “It’s in my blood, I miss it,” she told me. “I get to go to sea with the best of the best. I’m onboard with Dave Hughes and Pete Rowsthorn and Cal Wilson. I get to work with them, and I get to see them work. You raise your game when you’re among the best.”
Kat also said she was concerned about the plight of some crew members who, at the time, were stuck on ships, with no port willing to let them disembark, while their families struggled in countries hard-hit by the coronavirus. While many of them did get home, that struggle continues — and the crew members are keen to get back to work.
“There’s been bad press about cruising,” Davidson said, “and some of that has been difficult to swallow because it’s only coming from one side.”
Kat (pictured, below) has a gig alongside Damien Power at the Sit Down Comedy Club at Paddington Tavern on April 5, 6 and 7.
HAMMING IT UP
Before, as promised last week, I delve further into the history of Brisbane’s current radio stations, I want to write a little about amateur (“ham”) radio. My father was into it for a time and I remember seeing the card he used to post to confirm that he had received another amateur broadcast (although I have no idea where it is now). The last I heard of, or even thought about, ham radio was when I was visiting a museum in Philadelphia and there was a display of equipment and an enthusiast on hand to answer questions.
Ham radio is not to be confused with CB radio, which is a short-range service that was briefly popular in the 1970s and early 80s and is still used by people who drive long distances and/or in remote places. Proper amateur radio operation requires proficiency training and a licence. According to the Wireless Institute of Australia, there are about 3 million radio hobbyists around the world, and they chat to each other on some fairly sophisticated equipment. And the International Amateur Radio Union reckons hams not only communicate with each other across the globe, they’re also chatting to the crew on the International Space Station.
Sounds like something you’d like to do? A good starting point would be the Brisbane Amateur Radio Club, which is based at Rochedale.
RHONE ALONE
Do you remember Denim and Lace and Mean Pair of Jeans? If so, you’ll probably remember the man behind those songs, Marty Rhone. Haven’t heard much of him lately? Well, most recently he’s been in the United States performing the show he’s bringing to QPAC later this month — Sir Cliff & I, in which he performs his own songs and the smash hits of Cliff Richard, including Summer Holiday, The Young Ones, Devil Woman and Wired for Sound.
FEEDBACK
From Bernie: “Best Brissy band name for me was The Husbands of Susan Renouf.”
Any others?