TV series follows ship’s chaplain Colin on his round-the-world cruise

//TV series follows ship’s chaplain Colin on his round-the-world cruise

still_x.jpgTake a world cruise tonight, without leaving your sofa. BBC2 is showing the first episode of a six-part documentary filmed during a 112-night voyage earlier this year.
The series, The Cruise: A Life At Sea, focuses on ship’s chaplain, the Rev Colin Still, as he travels the globe on board Fred Olsen’s Balmoral.
The Rev Still, of The Mission to Seafarers, provides advice, solace, and support to more than 1,700 passengers and crew on the ship. He is called on to renew wedding vows, gives spiritual guidance, and in his spare time, escorts guests on shore excursions.
Tonight he is on hand when there is a medical emergency on the ship on the first leg of its journey from Southampton to 33 destinations in 20 countries.
Reverend Still, from Brighton, has cruised with Fred. Olsen several times, including to the Amazon and on a previous World Cruise. He is a long-standing Chaplain with The Mission to Seafarers, which provides counselling and support services to seafarers around the world.
He said: “I am delighted to have been a part of this new BBC programme. This job is a valuable piece of Christian ministry, listening to and supporting those who wanted to talk to me.
“I most enjoyed building a bond of trust with passengers and the crew on the long voyage, and I particularly enjoyed the marriage renewal ceremonies, as they are such happy occasions. In terms of the challenges I faced, the work takes a lot of creative energy, being on duty all the time.
“That said, this important work has given me the opportunity to see so much of the world; we passed through both the Panama and Suez canals, visited New Zealand and Australia, Singapore, and Sri Lanka. The Mission to Seafarers has seafarers’ rest and support centres in all of these places, so I valued meeting new faces in the global Mission family.”
The Cruise: A Life At Sea, BBC2, 8.30 pm tonight (Tuesday).

By | 2017-06-15T15:59:31+00:00 9 July 2013|Cruise News|3 Comments

About the Author:

John Honeywell is a travel writer specialising in cruise ships and cruise travel. Winner of CLIA UK's Contribution to Cruise award 2017.

3 Comments

  1. tom goodison 31 July 2013 at 4:12 pm - Reply

    what a dud cruising is an exciting and fun holiday. the floating vicar is the planet’s dullest man and the ship is furnished like a sub standard old people’s home. Avoid this dreadful programme

  2. Sue A 14 August 2013 at 8:52 am - Reply

    i think this was the worst ad for cruising that the Balmoral’s Owners could have feared. A floating residential home with the focus on the dreadful vicar. A complete waste of time which could have showed the crew; the kitchens; the shows; the different levels on the ship and that not everyone who goes on a cruise is full of illness and over 70. Such a shame and a wasted opportunity for what could have been an interesting doc’.

  3. Rev Ben Tapelu 12 March 2017 at 10:25 pm - Reply

    Great reading and thoughts of the committed Ministry by the ship’s Chaplain not only to Seafearers but most importantly the spiritual supports to everyone on board on those round the world cruises. The Lord continue to Bless your Ministry Chaplain and we on shores around the globe keep you in Prayers.

    God bless and happy sailing. I pray that may be one day God will call me to a Ministry like yours siling and helping travellers around the world of cruising. It’s not and easy calling as I was a Hospital Chaplain in NZ for five years.

    Best regards

    Rev Ben Tapelu

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