How a tiny advert sparked a 2,000-night adventure at sea
One small advert led to 2,000 nights of cruising for Joy Howe. Lesley Bellew learns about her travels.
Joy Howe has spent 2,000 nights – almost five-and-a-half years – sailing with Saga Cruises after a small ad in this paper inspired her to book her first cruise. Tucked away at the bottom of the front page, the advert included a freephone number, which Joy called to find a “pleasant, helpful voice” who helped her book.
Joy was widowed suddenly in 1996. Her husband Michael died while serving in the Royal Navy, aged 51, and while Joy had been used to spending long periods of time at home while he was on duty, she was not prepared for such a sudden departure.
She says: “I was 49 and my married life had revolved around Michael, our daughter Anna, and the services; we lived in 16 homes in 26 years. I’d always undertaken voluntary work as that was more suited to a flexible lifestyle.
“When I lost Michael I involved myself more with several service charities, as well as the War Widows’ Association, plus pastoral work with the terminally ill.
“After a year, Anna and her husband insisted I took a break.”
“If you don’t take a holiday, we will book one for you,” Anna told her. Joy, who has two grandsons, Alexander, 19, and Allaster, 16, said: “That was enough of a threat. A hotel stay did not appeal, but going to sea did. I wanted to do something different to when Michael was alive. As he spent so long at sea he would never have considered a cruise.
“Brochures were read through until, one weekend, I saw that small but significant ad at the bottom of the Daily Telegraph front page.”
Joy, 71, from Malvern in Worcestershire, said: “I booked a Caribbean cruise and approached it with a heavy heart. But as soon as I stepped on board Saga Rose at Southampton the crew made me feel so welcome I needn’t have feared a thing. They were so warm and friendly that halfway through the voyage I booked another cruise, staying on the ship to sail the Med.
“That was in April 1998, and last year I completed 2,000 nights on 96 cruises. I’ve sailed to far-flung destinations and coastlines closer to home, enjoying some amazing experiences. On a world cruise in 2012, I visited the Peace Memorial Park in Nagasaki, Japan, near where the atomic bomb fell in 1945. It was very moving and I saw signs of hope, peace and rebuilding.
“We also called at Mumbai, India, where I visited St Jude’s Childcare Centre for youngsters with life-threatening illnesses. It was humbling to see the dedicated team there at work.
“The Gallipoli Remembered Voyage, in April 2015, was poignant, too. I laid a wreath on behalf of war widows worldwide. It was ANZAC Day and 80 veterans from Australia and New Zealand joined us to share stories of the Gallipoli Campaign.”
The focal point of Joy’s cruising day is the evening, and dining with like-minded people, many of whom have become friends: “I love formal evenings, dressing for dinner and dining at the Captain’s Table.”
She adds, “I have now travelled the world, but probably would never have done so without finding that advert and the courage to pick up the phone. The rest is history.”