On Thursday 14th September the weather gods shone on seven of us (Tony & Pat, Andy & Vanessa, John & Alison and, organiser, Stephen D) plus Stephen’s friend George, and gave us blue skies and light winds for a trip on the PS Waverley, the world’s last seagoing paddle steamer.
To quote from a storyboard on the ship:
“In the aftermath of World War II, shipbuilding capacity and diesel engines were in desperately short supply. Faced with the urgent need to replace their wartime losses, the London & North Eastern Railway commissioned a replacement paddle steamer to an updated 1930s design – one of the last large paddle steamers built in Britain. Waverley was launched in 1946 and during her career she saw service on the Clyde, ferrying passengers to destinations such as Dunoon, Rothesay and Arrochar. She was withdrawn from service in 1973 and began life in preservation in 1974.”
A wealth of other information about the Waverley can be found here: http://paddlesteamers.info/waverley.htm
Our route was from Portsmouth with stops at Yarmouth and Swanage to view the Jurassic coast as far west as Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door, returning via Swanage and Yarmouth to Portsmouth.
From the outset it was a strange feeling being out on familiar waters but higher up than normal and travelling at 14kts, which seemed much faster than the 3-5kts we are used to. The Waverley has several indoor seating areas, some of which are bars/restaurants, but in view of the lovely weather we sat mainly on the observation deck.
With the limited manoeuvring ability of Waverley in the confines of Portsmouth Harbour a tug helped nudge the bow around to point out to the harbour entrance. Highlights along the route were the Needles and Old Harry Rocks, followed by a narrated tour along the Jurassic Coast from Durleston Castle to Durdle Door.
While we enjoyed glorious view from the Waverley there were many people ashore and afloat who were enjoying seeing Waverley itself. When we finally disembarked it was strange not having seen Waverley as others had seen it. Consequently, a few of us went to see Waverley the following day to view it from the land in all its glory.
Aboard the vessel it was fascinating to see the engine room, which viewable from a passageway, as well as the paddle wheels in action through a glass window porthole.
The crew were very adept at deploying throwing lines ashore during docking manoeuvres with the steam-powered winches being used to pull the Waverley into position alongside.
On the return leg near Cowes, we were treated to a gorgeous sunset. Some of us enjoyed fish and chips on board for dinner before arriving back at Portsmouth.
We were so fortunate to have such super weather for this trip. A similar trip a week later was cancelled due to unfavourable conditions. Many thanks to Stephen for suggesting this trip that will leave many happy memories for years to come
John C
