| CUNARD |
| QUEEN VICTORIA |
FENCING WITH
QUEEN VICTORIA
RICHARD H. WAGNER
(Originally published on Inside Cruise)
QUEEN VICTORIA
RICHARD H. WAGNER
(Originally published on Inside Cruise)
The scene: A grand Victorian ball room. Outside
the large picture windows, Elisnore Castle looms in the
distance. Beneath the crystal chandeliers on the
polished wood dance floor, two lines of white clad
swordsmen confront each other and prepare to do
battle. Is this part of some swashbuckling epic starring
Errol Flynn or Johnny Depp? No, it is just a sea day
during a Baltic cruise on Cunard’s Queen Victoria.
At one time, the sports facilities on passenger ships
were essentially limited to shuffleboard and quoits.
However, in recent years the various cruise lines have
raced to put more and more different kinds of sports
facilities on their ships - - everything from such familiar
staples as gyms, jogging tracks and basketball courts to
rock climbing walls and boxing rings. Cunard, in
keeping with the atmosphere of sophistication and
elegance that it seeks to create on its ships, has opted
for fencing lessons on Queen Victoria. “You can’t do it
on any other ship. Even within the Cunard fleet, Queen
Victoria is the only ship at sea that has fencing,” points
out Kennedy Borthwick, Sports Director on the new
90,000 ton Cunarder.
To the surprise of some passengers, the classes on
Queen Victoria are actual beginner fencing lessons,
using real metal swords and supervised by instructors
qualified by the British Fencing Association, the
governing body for the Olympic sport of fencing in
Britain. The equipment is made by Leon Paul, which
has made fencing equipment not only for the BBC and
for the James Bond films but for Olympic athletes.
The classes are not held in the ship’s gym but rather in
the Queens Room, a two-deck high public room which
features the largest wooden dance floor afloat. “It is a
beautiful room, designed on Queen Victoria’s holiday
home on the Isle of Wight. [The pillars and walls are
decorated] to look like marble because that was the
style of the time. This is a Victorian style room. In the
Victorian times, they were doing foil fencing so [the
classes, which focus on foil fencing, are] quite in
keeping with the atmosphere.”
“The Queens Room is actually the perfect spot for us to
do it. It is a nice open space on the ship. It is quiet,
you are not going to get people walking onto the dance
floor. But, you have the balcony as well where people
can watch. One of the reasons I use a microphone is so
they can understand what is going on.”
Do not let the elegant surroundings lull you into thinking
this is not a real sport. As one quickly learns, fencing
is strenuous. “It is a great way to keep fit. You are
taking small steps all the time so it is exercising your
leg muscles. It is good for your posture and it is a good
mental workout as well. [Also] fencing is a good
social sport - - it is a great way to meet new friends.”
In order to provide more individualized instruction,
classes are limited to 12 passengers. They attract both
men and women of a variety of ages and sizes. As in
judo, a big person does not necessarily have the
advantage. “If your opponent is making a lunge, all you
have to do is make a small parry-riposte and you are
using your opponent’s strength against him.”
The course of instruction consists of two classes. In
order to ensure that the participants have the proper
foundation, passengers cannot take the second class
without taking the first. To this end, the time and date
of the first lesson appears in the Daily Program but the
second lesson is by invitation.
In the first class, the passengers begin by learning about
the equipment - - the mask, padding, glove and the foil.
Then, they are taught the necessary footwork including
the initial stance, how to move forward and back, and
how to lunge. Towards the end of the class, a few
minutes are given over to competitions.
The second lesson teaches how to parry a lunge, how
to follow a parry with an attack (a riposte), and how to
counter a riposte. After that, the passengers pair-up and
test their new found skills
It is somewhat daunting at first to have someone
approach you with a drawn sword even one that has a
protective button on the end. However, one quickly
becomes comfortable with it. According to the British
Fencing Association: “Fencing is one of the safest of
sports and, provided the correct equipment is used,
even minor injuries are uncommon. NOTE: Fencing
should never be tried unless supervised by a qualified
teacher and the correct clothing is worn and the correct
equipment is used.” Nonetheless, passengers must sign
a legal release before beginning the course.
The competitions during the classes I attended were
both vigorous and enthusiastic. I run regularly but the
quick, stop and start, short steps and the necessary arm
movements were a much more intense workout that left
my pulse racing. At the end of the 40 minute classes,
everyone seemed exhausted but exhilarated. “They do
enjoy doing it,” commented Borthwich.
the large picture windows, Elisnore Castle looms in the
distance. Beneath the crystal chandeliers on the
polished wood dance floor, two lines of white clad
swordsmen confront each other and prepare to do
battle. Is this part of some swashbuckling epic starring
Errol Flynn or Johnny Depp? No, it is just a sea day
during a Baltic cruise on Cunard’s Queen Victoria.
At one time, the sports facilities on passenger ships
were essentially limited to shuffleboard and quoits.
However, in recent years the various cruise lines have
raced to put more and more different kinds of sports
facilities on their ships - - everything from such familiar
staples as gyms, jogging tracks and basketball courts to
rock climbing walls and boxing rings. Cunard, in
keeping with the atmosphere of sophistication and
elegance that it seeks to create on its ships, has opted
for fencing lessons on Queen Victoria. “You can’t do it
on any other ship. Even within the Cunard fleet, Queen
Victoria is the only ship at sea that has fencing,” points
out Kennedy Borthwick, Sports Director on the new
90,000 ton Cunarder.
To the surprise of some passengers, the classes on
Queen Victoria are actual beginner fencing lessons,
using real metal swords and supervised by instructors
qualified by the British Fencing Association, the
governing body for the Olympic sport of fencing in
Britain. The equipment is made by Leon Paul, which
has made fencing equipment not only for the BBC and
for the James Bond films but for Olympic athletes.
The classes are not held in the ship’s gym but rather in
the Queens Room, a two-deck high public room which
features the largest wooden dance floor afloat. “It is a
beautiful room, designed on Queen Victoria’s holiday
home on the Isle of Wight. [The pillars and walls are
decorated] to look like marble because that was the
style of the time. This is a Victorian style room. In the
Victorian times, they were doing foil fencing so [the
classes, which focus on foil fencing, are] quite in
keeping with the atmosphere.”
“The Queens Room is actually the perfect spot for us to
do it. It is a nice open space on the ship. It is quiet,
you are not going to get people walking onto the dance
floor. But, you have the balcony as well where people
can watch. One of the reasons I use a microphone is so
they can understand what is going on.”
Do not let the elegant surroundings lull you into thinking
this is not a real sport. As one quickly learns, fencing
is strenuous. “It is a great way to keep fit. You are
taking small steps all the time so it is exercising your
leg muscles. It is good for your posture and it is a good
mental workout as well. [Also] fencing is a good
social sport - - it is a great way to meet new friends.”
In order to provide more individualized instruction,
classes are limited to 12 passengers. They attract both
men and women of a variety of ages and sizes. As in
judo, a big person does not necessarily have the
advantage. “If your opponent is making a lunge, all you
have to do is make a small parry-riposte and you are
using your opponent’s strength against him.”
The course of instruction consists of two classes. In
order to ensure that the participants have the proper
foundation, passengers cannot take the second class
without taking the first. To this end, the time and date
of the first lesson appears in the Daily Program but the
second lesson is by invitation.
In the first class, the passengers begin by learning about
the equipment - - the mask, padding, glove and the foil.
Then, they are taught the necessary footwork including
the initial stance, how to move forward and back, and
how to lunge. Towards the end of the class, a few
minutes are given over to competitions.
The second lesson teaches how to parry a lunge, how
to follow a parry with an attack (a riposte), and how to
counter a riposte. After that, the passengers pair-up and
test their new found skills
It is somewhat daunting at first to have someone
approach you with a drawn sword even one that has a
protective button on the end. However, one quickly
becomes comfortable with it. According to the British
Fencing Association: “Fencing is one of the safest of
sports and, provided the correct equipment is used,
even minor injuries are uncommon. NOTE: Fencing
should never be tried unless supervised by a qualified
teacher and the correct clothing is worn and the correct
equipment is used.” Nonetheless, passengers must sign
a legal release before beginning the course.
The competitions during the classes I attended were
both vigorous and enthusiastic. I run regularly but the
quick, stop and start, short steps and the necessary arm
movements were a much more intense workout that left
my pulse racing. At the end of the 40 minute classes,
everyone seemed exhausted but exhilarated. “They do
enjoy doing it,” commented Borthwich.
