From
the Purser's Office - July 2012
Tony
Gamblin's Notes from on board
Pictures by Dave Bassett and Martin Longhurst
Balmoral departed
Avonmouth on the last day of June bound for the South Coast of England. After an
extremely uncomfortable passage along the north Cornish coast she eventually
rounded Land’s End late the following morning and tied up in Swanage that
evening- where she remained until the following evening as Monday was a
scheduled off-service day. She spent the night at Ryde Pier before moving over
to Portsmouth to embark almost 500 passengers for a special cruise to view all
seven P & O liners (Ventura, Arcadia, Aurora, Oriana,
Azura, Adonia and Oceana) in Southampton together to mark the 175th
anniversary of the company. Despite the damp and murky conditions a fine view
of the ships was had as Balmoral made two trips past them up and down
Southampton Water. A further 300 people then took an evening cruise for a grandstand view of
the liners setting off in line, with the Princess Royal in her role as Master
of the Corporation of Trinity House reviewing the fleet from THV Patricia
anchored nearby. A fly-past by the Red Arrows was cancelled, presumably due to
the low cloud and limited visibility.
The AIS plot of Balmoral’s course
on 3 July showing the seven P&O liners sailing away to the south east.
The weather was
little better the next day with the result that Balmoral’s cruise from Worthing
to Yarmouth IOW and Swanage was poorly supported. Passengers were returned to
Portsmouth and after taking on fresh water the ship sailed to Ramsgate to begin
her annual programme of cruises on the Thames. She anchored off Deal early the
next morning and entered the Kentish port around lunchtime. At last it was a
clear, warm and sunny day for a cruise to London and Balmoral made her first
calls at the newly restored Town Pier at Gravesend. This is to be her main base
on the London River and the advantages became clear on the following
off-service day. Calls at Tilbury landing stage will now no longer take place,
though P.S. Waverley will probably continue to use it occasionally.
On Saturday 7th
July the ship cruised from London to Whitstable via Woolwich, Gravesend and
Southend in generally dull and cool conditions while on the Sunday she operated
in reverse from Southend to the Pool of London. By this time the rain had
returned, though nothing like on the scale of that experienced during the
previous night. More rain resulted in low numbers turning out for Monday’s trip
from Gravesend to Ipswich though it did brighten up in the afternoon, as it did
for the return voyage to London the next day- though there was a spectacular
downpour on going through Tower Bridge!! On Wednesday there was a wild squall
while the ship was at Southend with a terrific downpour with hailstones while
at Clacton: only 12 passengers presented themselves at Southend compared to
just 20 the day before.
Steaming away from Tower Pier on
7 July (DB)
The new pontoon at Gravesend Town
Pier (ML)
The new generator at the stern
(now painted brown) to be moved to the Engine Room for 2013 (ML)
At Whitstable Harbour (DB)
Leaving Town Pier for London (ML)
The Pier from the land side – the
entrance is through the Restaurant (ML)
Entering the Upper Pool at the
end of 7 July’s cruise (DB)
The London skyline on 19 July
(DB)
By Thursday 12th
July conditions had improved considerably and over 300 people were carried from
Great Yarmouth and Southwold to London-though heavy,
steady rain set in for the afternoon and evening. It remained bright and sunny
the next day for a cruise from London to Ipswich, but it was not to last: there was a terrific downpour early on the
Saturday morning and it continued to rain steadily throughout the day as the
ship returned back up the London River, only improving in the evening. Bright
and sunny weather prevailed on the Sunday and good numbers turned out for a
trip from Margate, Whitstable, Southend and Gravesend to the Pool of London:
the “dampener” this day was not the weather but the fact that Southend
passengers had to wait 2 1/2 hours for their coach return as they were severely
let down by the contracted coach company.
With a Force 8 gale
warning in place, Monday 16th July’s cruise to Ramsgate and the
White Cliffs of Dover was cancelled. The ship anchored off Deal that evening in
the hope of operating the annual trip from Rye to London the next day but she
was forced to turn near Dungeness the next morning en route to the Sussex port
as sea conditions ruled out a sailing with passengers. The ship returned to
Gravesend where she remained until 19th July, Wednesday being a
scheduled off-service day. For once it remained sunny with just a few spots of
rain for Thursday’s trip Up-River to the Pool of London, unusually under the
command of Capt. Andy O’ Brian. On completion of this cruise she set out
light-ship to Southampton, arriving early on the Friday morning. She was
berthed very close to the ‘other’ Balmoral and a possibly unique photo-opportunity
presented itself that evening as the Fred Olsen liner sailed past en route for
the Baltic Cities and Norway! Saturday’s
sailing was a charter around the Isle of Wight. This was to view the J-Class
yachts taking part in a re-enactment of the 1851 One Hundred Sovereigns Race:
the sun shone and though there was something of a lack of wind (apparently yachties like this!) a good time was had by all.
With excellent
weather forecast to continue throughout the following week it was a great
disappointment to learn that Capt. O’ Brian had to return directly to P.S.
Waverley through lack of a Master - with Capt. Clark off sick and numerous
alternatives having been explored without success. The knock-on effect upon
Balmoral was considerable. Sunday’s cruise (to Worthing and the Sussex Coast)
was cancelled; on Monday (a scheduled off-service day) the vessel sailed to
Weymouth under the command of relief Master Capt. Lowe ready for Tuesday’s
sailing from West Bay (Bridport) to the Isle of Wight
coast - though the Yarmouth calls were missed for operational reasons, as was
the whole of Wednesday’s schedule. The ship spent Tuesday night in Swanage
before moving to Southampton for bunkers and to ready herself for a cruise from
Portsmouth and Yarmouth to Bournemouth, Swanage and off Lulworth
Cove, by which time Capt. O’Brian had returned to his command.
Balmoral turns off Lulworth Cove on 26 July
On Friday 27th
July Balmoral sailed from Portsmouth and Yarmouth around the Isle of Wight -
though passenger numbers were disappointingly low, especially as the settled warm
and sunny weather persisted. After an overnight stop in Yarmouth, IOW the ship made her way to Weymouth where she was to take
part in a fortnight of special trips during the Olympic period under the “Bayside Excursions” banner.
Webmaster’s
Note: Owing to personnel changes within WEL, Tony is transferring to PS
Waverley so this will probably be his last Balmoral report for 2012.