The
2010 Purser's Tale - Part 4
Tony Gamblin's Notes from on board
With high-pressure over the Bristol Channel,
September opened with clear, warm and sunny weather conditions as Balmoral
cruised from Swansea to Ilfracombe and Lundy Island with a very respectable
passenger loading. The next day she operated from Porthcawl
to Ilfracombe and after returning her day trip passengers to Swansea operated
an evening cruise to Penarth ready for almost a week of sailings starting at
up-channel piers. On Friday 3rd a good load was carried through Bristol City
Docks in warm and sunny conditions and though the following day was overcast it
remained dry and mild with even greater numbers carried on a 'three rivers and
five bridges' cruise: after calling at Bristol the ship proceeded to the River
Wye, turning upstream of the motorway bridge and then going astern almost to
the bridge at Chepstow (does this make it a 'six bridges' cruise?). Sunday 5th
September was wet and windy and this was reflected in the rather low passenger
numbers and with similar conditions prevailing the next day the return call at Watchet was abandoned - though with minimal inconvenience
to passengers. The following day the ship made her final call
of the season at Lundy Island - and the sun shone for most of the day. The next
day was also bright and sunny for the vessel's final trips from Porthcawl and Swansea to North Devon's premier resort.
Very high spring tides on Thursday 9th allowed
Balmoral to make calls at both Lydney and Sharpness
on the River Severn - with well over 400 passengers being embarked for either
Clevedon or Ilfracombe on what turned out to be a beautiful late summer day.
Unfavourable wind conditions, however, caused some disruption to the schedule
over the next few days. On the Friday her evening calls at both Weston and
Clevedon were abandoned and passengers for these piers were coached to and from
Portishead. The next day conditions were considerably worse and the vessel did
not make Ilfracombe - particularly disappointing as she was due to host an
'open ship' event as part of the resort's annual maritime festival. Newport
passengers heading for the Somerset CAMRA beer festival at Minehead station
were carried to Portishead and then onwards by coach and steam train - Balmoral
sailing lightship to Minehead to pick them up in the evening. On the Sunday the
weather had settled somewhat and Ilfracombe was reached - with the final trip
of the season from here being achieved in bright and sunny conditions.
Portishead was once again substituted for Clevedon in the evening, however.
Early the next morning the ship proceeded up
the River Parrett to operate a trip from Bridgwater but on reaching Penarth the
weather had deteriorated once again. All Clevedon calls for that day were
abandoned and the vessel was only able to make a one hour cruise from the Welsh
resort in very windy conditions, Bridgwater passengers being carried to
Portishead that evening for their homeward connection. With the wild conditions
continuing unabated the final trip of the season to Ilfracombe the next day was
cancelled. On Wednesday 15th September Balmoral made her last trip of the 2010
season: this was from Penarth and Portishead (substituted for Clevedon) to
Bristol, terminating at Cumberland Basin as there was a problem with using the
lock gates. The next day she made her way through the City Docks to her winter
lay-up berth at Princes Wharf.