Waverley on the South Coast: 27 September 2005
by Martin Longhurst
After spending her off-service day at Southampton on Monday 19 September 2005, Waverley sailed light on Tuesday to Swanage to take up her scheduled sailing to Bournemouth and Ryde for a Portsmouth Harbour cruise. Then on to Weymouth for bunkers and the night alongside. Wednesday took the paddler to Swanage, Bournemouth and Yarmouth for a Solent cruise then light back to Southampton ready for the night.
Thursday saw the start of the move to the Thames. The steamer left Southampton at 08.30 for Portsmouth, Worthing and Dover. Originally it had been planned to call at Eastbourne and to terminate at Folkestone, but unfortunately the operators of both ports subsequently decided that the calls would not be possible.
A hovercraft for Ryde passes astern as Gosport disappears into the mist
The weather was glorious, although very misty to start with. Visibility had
improved by the time Worthing came in sight and the sun had brought out a crowd
of over 300 to join the 250 or so already on board.
Approaching Worthing Pier
Tony Horn, the well-known marine artist, was persuaded to give a commentary along the Sussex coast. Brighton, Rottingdean, Newhaven, Seaford, Cuckmere Haven, the Seven Sisters, Burling Gap and Beachey Head fell behind the steamer.
The lighthouse at the foot of Beachey Head
Eastbourne Pier
Captain Colledge took the paddler into Eastbourne Bay, causing the Pier Master to ring up to emphasise that the Pier was closed. Then onwards past Pevensey, Hastings and Dungeness. Gradually Folkestone came into sight and beyond that Dover and the White Cliffs.
The Dover pilot boat Diplomat approaches (Mike Richardson)
Two of Waverley's crew (in yellow jackets) went ashore to catch the lines
Entering Dover's Western Entrance at dusk
Disembarkation commences
The steamer berthed on Prince of Wales Pier, just to the east
of the Hoverspeed Terminal. 11 coaches were provided to take the passengers
home, while a few went home by train or stayed locally for the following day's
sail.
This was originally planned to start from Folkestone, so three coaches were laid
on to cater for those choosing to do the round trip from there. Departure
coincided with low water so Ian McMillan had built a small landing platform on
the Upper Deck.
Pride of Burgundy leads Waverley out of Dover Harbour
The steamer left Dover Harbour by the Eastern Entrance under blue skies and with the lightest breeze. Views were had of Deal, Richborough Power Station, Ramsgate (where Trans-Europa Ferries' Oleander was in harbour), Broadstairs and Margate. Further west the detached Pier Head at Herne Bay was spotted.
Nautica at Tilbury
As we approached Tilbury the sky darkened considerably. As the cruise liner Nautica was berthed at the eastern end of the International Cruise Terminal, we had to stand off the berth until the Gravesend ferry Duchess M had cleared the Landing Stage at 15.15 before we could go alongside to pick up another 100 passengers. Shortly after that the promised band of rain reached us but fortunately, after an hour or so, this cleared up and a bright sunny evening ensued.
Originally the steamer had been timetabled to arrive at Tower Pier at 17.00 but the bridge lift for this time had been refused on account of traffic congestion. The earliest permissible time was 18.15. The paddler duly presented herself just a couple of minutes before this time and the warblers on the bridge sounded to warn people it was opening - but then nothing happened!
Tug Revenge steadies the paddler as we wait in vain
Retreating to Greenwich (David Shirres)
Nothing continued to happen - neither river nor road traffic
could move. Fortunately our tug, Revenge, was already there - she was due to
turn Waverley after her 19.00 PSPS Charter departure - and she came and took a
head rope to steady the steamer while she had had no way on as it was slack
water. Some more attempts to open the Bridge were made and the operators could
be seen walking about on the bascules. Apparently there was an electrical
control failure. An hour passed and the decision was taken to give up waiting
and return downstream for Greenwich, the nearest available pier. Unfortunately
the adjacent St Katharine's Pier was being used by the public riverbus service
run by Thames Clippers until 20.40 so the paddler could not get permission to
berth there.
Having swung us downstream of Tower Bridge, Revenge preceded us to be ready to
swing us again at Greenwich to take the Pier against the tide, now ebbing. We
had to wait a few minutes for the fake paddler Elizabethan to clear before we
berthed ahead on another fake sternwheeler, Dixie Queen.
Revenge swings the paddler with the lights of the Royal Hospital and Dixie Queen beyond
Meanwhile, on Tower Pier, several hundred passengers were waiting to join the PSPS Charter, organised by London Branch Secretary Roddy McKee. Also nearby were about seven coaches waiting to take the Tilbury, Dover and Folkestone passengers back home. The solution was to offer seats on the long distance coaches to Charter passengers so they could join the ship at Greenwich to get a shortened cruise.
However, the extended closure of Tower Bridge had completely snarled up the traffic in the area and it took about an hour and a half to cover the few miles to Greenwich Pier, which is situated adjacent to the preserved tea clipper, Cutty Sark, about 60 minutes longer than the river voyage took.
Back at Greenwich, passengers wishing to make their own way home disembarked while those waiting for the coaches were advised to stay aboard so they could use the ship's facilities. Ian McMillan took charge of the shore operation, assisted by your reporter and three other senior PSPS members. For myself, I spent two happy hours standing on street corners looking for coaches!
Unfortunately two coaches for Dover had had to withdraw as
their drivers now had insufficient hours to complete the journey and two
replacement coaches had to be summoned from Uxbridge, causing an extended delay
for some.
Out on the Thames, the paddler did a round trip from Greenwich to Dagenham
(non-landing) for about half the booked passengers, who then joined further
coaches to return them to The Tower.
This yacht moored in The Upper Pool s rumoured to belong to Roman Abramovich - note the helicopter
Tied up at Clacton
The steamer spent the night alongside at Greenwich before establishing that the Bridge had been repaired so that she could proceed to Tower Pier to take her scheduled sailing to Tilbury, Southend and Clacton. Although the day started very sunny, it was unfortunately notable for the low numbers carried. Sunday's sailing started at Tower Pier for a single trip to Southend, a positioning trip used to take some one-way coach traffic. Then a round trip to the Pool of London with an intermediate call at Tilbury. In contrast to the previous day, the steamer was nearly full.
On Sunday's cruise
A sudden shower passed while we turned in the Pool
Off on the final leg from Tilbury to Southend