Bristol
Channel 2010 – Part 2
Report and pictures by Martin Longhurst
Waverley had a reasonable
week in the Channel being able to undertake all her sailings as planned, except
Thursday 11 June 2010 which had to be cancelled completely owing to strong
winds.
On Saturday she brought nearly 200 across from Penarth to Clevedon
arriving at 11.00. Passengers had the
option of time ashore in Clevedon or a coach to Weston-super-mare. These coaches then offered an excursion back
from Weston to join the steamer for her afternoon cruise circling the Holm
islands. While this was going on the paddler
swung at anchor in Walton Bay prior to sailing again at 13.30. Then she was off, with Steep Holm receiving
the first circumnavigation before she steamed north to round Flat Holm. Finally we steamed west before turning for
Penarth off Sully Island.
Waverley now made the second of four calls at Penarth before re-crossing
the Channel to Clevedon. Here she
picked up the band for the showboat evening circle cruise. Next to Knightstone Harbour, Weston to
retrieve the Penarth passengers who had taken the coach earlier and drop off the
excursionists from the Woodspring resort.
After backing away from her berth by the flats, the steamer headed for the
Principality one more for more Showboaters.
After taking water at Penarth, the final two legs of the day’s timetable
took the paddler to Clevedon and back.
All in all an elaborate schedule offering passengers many different
options!
Sunday was Lundy Church Service and it dawned bright, sunny and full of
promise. Waverley departed from Clevedon
at 8.30 for Penarth, Ilfracombe and Lundy.
Over 200 had boarded on the English side and they were joined by about
400 from the Welsh pier. Conditions on deck
had become somewhat blustery when Captain Andy O’Brian announced that Swansea Coastguard
had provided a weather forecast suggesting that there would be a force 6 northerly
wind at the time of Waverley’s second call at Ilfracombe. This may have prevented the call which raised
the possibility of stranding passengers at Ilfracombe and of having to coach
them home and having to carry passengers from Ilfracombe up channel and bussing
them back! Consequently he had decided
to take all the passengers on to Lundy.
So we all had about two and a half hours ashore on the mystic isle
during which the weather saw fit to send along a misty shower. We then enjoyed a beautiful spell of warm
sunshine. As we passed Ilfracombe there
was a gentle breeze from the south rather than the forecast strong
northerly. Arrival back at Penarth was
about 40 minutes ahead of schedule but it now transpired that the bad weather
had appeared at Clevedon resulting in a metre’s swell rendering a landing there
too hazardous. So five coaches had to be
summoned to take us back to the English side.
So the combination of the weather forecasters and the actual weather had
caused quite a bit of disruption and disappointment on an apparently perfectly
fine day.