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<!--#easybanner--> Waverley on the Thames Dateline 27 September 2000 |
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<!--#easybanner--> Waverley on the Thames Dateline 27 September 2000 |
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Monday's sail was curtailed at Tilbury, with Southend passengers coached back. This was to allow sufficient time for modifications to the lighting-up burners for Waverley's boilers to be made overnight.
The work was finished on time, and the paddler had to wait for the tide to rise at Margate before coming alongside the stone pier. Over 200 joined the ship under blue skies with a light southerly (offshore) breeze.
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Here she is approaching Whitstable Harbour, her next port of call. |
| Another 200 or so joined the steamer from the East Quay, before she set off upstream to Tilbury, to pick up further passengers. The total on board was then just under 600 for the non-landing cruise to the Upper Pool. |  |
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On the downstream voyage, Waverley was lucky to avoid the rain! All passengers disembarked at Tilbury, as both Margate and Whitstable are only accessible at the top of the tide, which would have been too late for convenience. |
Wednesday's sailing was due to be from Tower Pier, Tilbury and Southend to Clacton. Unfortunately, the Clacton call fell victim to the lower than predicted tides and a cruise around the Forts, along the North Kent coast and up the River Medway was substituted. There was some delay from shipping movements downstream, causing a 30 minute delay by the time Waverley left Tilbury with 113 on board.
By now, a stiff southerly breeze had picked up and there was a lively sea running under Southend Pier. Combined with the strong wind on to the pier face, this meant there was an unacceptable risk of damage if she had gone alongside. Captain Gellatly steamed in a circle to allow an apology and explanation to be made to intending passengers waiting on the Pier. Now we steamed south, across the Thames Estuary to mouth of the River Medway at Sheerness.
| The Ever Ready was at Thamesport (in the Medway!) loading containers. |  |
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Waverley turned opposite the
former covered slipways of Chatham Dockyard, within sight
of P.S. Kingswear Castle and P.T. John H Amos. She was assisted round by the small workboat Freeboy. |
Leaving the Medway, we headed east past the masts of the war-time casualty, Richard Montgomery, and then headed on towards the Red Sands Towers. With several hours in hand, a revised lift time was requested from Tower Bridge. However, this was not possible so it was decided to terminate the sailing at Tilbury, and provide coach transport to the Tower.