I nearly missed this today as I had an eye on http://www.shipAIS.com which showed her at the south end of Cumbrae, and yes it was on regular updates.  To my surprise she was actually several miles to the north of this point.

I still  haven't found my slides of her launch - the hunt continues.

Be aware that AIS is not a truly "live" system, and information is only sniffed from the vessels when they are near a suitable receiver, and that the amateur AIS that you are looking at on the web as run by volunteers who have donated their facilities to set up receivers and pass the info to the shipAIS so it can be plotted in "almost" real time.

Unfortunately, although the chap that runs is able to hand out the kit on free loan (really) it still needs someone to devote their time and a PC and a network links and set up an aerial and... and...

I think they do a damn good job.

Anyway, the important thing is that if the ships aren't near a receiver in the system, then the info might be out of date, or absent altogether.

I thought this great pic from Zak deserved a special mention, as it captured the MV Balmoral listing heavily to port as all the passengers deserted the other side of the boat in order to get a better view of the QE2:



See more pics of the day in the QE2's Last Trip Home gallery.

Zak reaches the parts other photographers miss!!

Awe, but I thoroughly enjoyed tooting around all the pictures. What a beautiful ship the Queen Elizabeth is. A pity she has to go out east, but she is after all, a business venture. Her beauty is really brought home to us when we see the ocean-going tenement buildings that are masquerading these days as cruise ships. Again, great pictures!

I too don't think the new cruise ships have the lines of the older vessels.  To me a ship like the original Queen Mary has far more character to her than these giant ships you get now.

Although I was lucky enough to be on the Queen Mary, unfortunately not the Cunarder, but the old Caledonian Queen Mary II on its last year with Calmac.  Even that ship had a look of its own.

One of the amazing things about the QE2 is the pre computer hull design.  Granted that at full speed, and she is still the fastest liner in the world, she does create some wash but at the 16 knots she was doing  up the firth she hardly disturbed the water at all.

Glad you enjooyed the pictures.

It's unfortunate it's going out East in a way, but at least it will still be around, unlike the original Queen Elizabeth.  When you also consider she was one of the last of the big ships built in the old ways as well, its doubly impressive.