IT WAS the day the world's two most famous liners took a bow in front of an audience of thousands in their home port of Southampton.

Queen Mary 2, the biggest passenger ship ever built, and the legendary Queen Elizabeth 2 made a rare appearance side by side and received a standing ovation all along the waterfront.

The best seats in the house went to 50 lucky Daily Echo readers who won a competition in the newspaper to attend a champagne reception on a specially chartered boat to watch the sail-past of the two Cunard Queens.

As the 151,400-ton megaliner QM2, that entered service only last year, pulled away from the city's Western Docks she dwarfed the flotilla of pleasure craft, yachts, motor boats and even jet skis that followed in her wake as the massive vessel made her way past Mayflower Park packed with sightseers.

With the liner heading towards Town Quay, also lined with crowds of people, came the first in a series of deep reverberating blasts from QM2 that echoed across the docks and could be heard up to ten miles away.

Then it was the moment that everyone had waited for; QM2 gradually eased herself up to the Eastern Docks where her older sister, QE2 was berthed and the two Cunarders greeted each other with a fanfare of booming salutes from their whistles.

Champagne corks popped as Cunard's VIP guests wished the two liners bon voyage with a toast of bubbly.

"What an amazing sight, both ships together is just wonderful,'' said David Buckley from Woolston, who with his wife, Jenny were two of the Daily Echo winners.

"I used to work as a steward on the old Cunard liners Carmania, Franconia and the original Queen Mary but this is a sight I'll never forget. I am retiring next year and perhaps we might then take a trip on QM2.''

Also on board the Blue Funnel boat was television personality Sir Jimmy Savile, a veteran of many Cunard cruises, who summed up the sail-past in just one word: "Sensational.''

QM2 was beginning a six-day transatlantic passage to New York while QE2 was at the start of a cruise that will finish back in Southampton on Friday, April 29.