Waiting at the quayside, QM2 towers over the surrounding buildings, her matt black hull level with the curvature of the terminal roof, and her glass-fronted balconies set high above the promenade deck. Fourteen decks above sea level, a rather squat funnel takes centre-stage, painted in the traditional bright Cunard red, and with just a wisp of smoke lazily drifting skywards. The waters of the harbour show barely a ripple, and are hard to reconcile with the waves the ship may face out at sea, which can easily break over the bow, seven decks high, and even threaten the rows of bright orange lifeboats set even higher still.