The following item was read over a St. John's radio station. The incident described took place at the official opening of the refinery at Come-By-Chance. In those days the author spent her summers on Red Island with her husband Denis and their daughter Krista. Reprinted by permission.

Glimpse of a Queen

by Lorna M. Ryan

October ninth, 1973, was an exciting day for all of Placentia Bay, and we on Red Island eagerly looked forward to seeing the great ship Queen Elizabeth II pass by us on her way to the opening ceremonies at Come-By-Chance.

I glanced out the bedroom window as soon as I got up in the morning, in case she was sailing by earlier than expected, but only the whitecaps winked at me from the empty sea. When our five-year-old came down for breakfast, I announced, "Krista, a BIG boat is going to pass by here today - the Queen Elizabeth Second!"

"Oh!" she said. "Will the Queen be on it?"

"Oh, no," I laughed, "The Queen won't be on it."

"Well then, will the king be on it?"

"No-o."

"Well, who'll be on it then?"

"Uh ... well ... Joey Smallwood will be."

Her two little eyes regarded me solemnly. "Who's he?"

I went about my morning's work, stopping every three minutes to run to the window for a look out. Still nothing. The red and white ship that had been installing and checking on the channel buoys steamed back and forth, like a suitor pacing the parlour floor. Then suddenly he began to race toward the open sea, as if to meet her, and I ran to an upstairs window for a better view.

There she was! Her prow just beginning to show around Red Point!

"She's coming! She's coming! Hurry Krista, get your coat!" I scooped up the camera and we tumbled out of the house. Shouting and waving to the men across the harbour, who had also been keeping an eye out for her all morning, we raced up the path to Lambe's Point. Hunched down among the rocks, out of the wind, we watched the stately progress of the great lady as she swept slowly past. Even from a distance of several miles, she was a magnificant sight - the largest and most beautiful vessel any of us on the island had ever seen. As she sailed through the dull haze in our end of the bay, and on toward the sunlight farther north, her upperworks gleamed whiter and whiter. All too soon she passed on and disappeared again, leaving us to return to our everyday routines.

The Queen's return the following evening just at dusk, was a truly magnificent spectacle. Under a full moon, she glided regally into view, every light ablaze - a royal lady, glittering with diamonds. Much nearer to us this time, she was a fairy palace floating serenely past, glorious and breathtaking. All around the harbour, from our various vantage points, we stood wonderingly in the gathering gloom and watched her slip away into the night.

The tankers to follow will be much larger, and possibly more impressive in their sheer bulk, but I wonder if any ship of such grace and beauty as the Queen will ever again grace the waters of our bay?