Titanic cruise delayed by high winds

Balmoral, which will retrace the voyage of the Titanic 100 years ago, forced to reduce speed en route to IrelandA cruise ship retracing the route taken by the Titanic on its doomed maiden voyage has hit a stormy patch, with high winds blowing the tightly packed itinerary off course.When it set sail on Sunday afternoonyesterday afternoon, those aboard the Titanic memorial cruise were at pains to point out that although the 12-night trip was retracing the route of the doomed Titanic 100 years ago, it was categorically not re-enacting it. The ship was due to deliver all 1,300 passengers on to dry land in New York on 19 April.But MS Balmoral, the cruise liner chosen for the centenary trip, was delayed on its first day at sea when strong winds forced the captain to slow down en route to Ireland on Monday.The ship had been due to arrive in Cobh, on the southern Irish coast, at 2.30pm, which 100 years ago was the Titanic's final port of call. Passengers ? hundreds of whom are descendents of Titanic survivors and victims ? were due to disembark and explore the streets of the small town, taking a heritage tour to see "locations and incidents directly connected to the Titanic".But a civic reception planned to welcome them into the town was postponed on Monday afternoon with the news that the ship was running behind schedule due to bad weather.Rachel O'Reilly, a spokeswoman for the cruise operators, Miles Morgan Travel, confirmed that the ship was running late. "But I have spoken to Miles Morgan himself, who is on board, and he tells me the ship will categorically not be delayed leaving Cobh this evening," she said. "Some of the lectures have been jiggled around and all of the passengers are very happy," she added.The TitanicCruisesHelen Piddguardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

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