Waverley has done it again.

Bilgediver

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Given the choice of the Waverley or any of the dire, sad, undermanned and overworked coasters with six knackered Russians on board around our coasts, I’ll go for the Waverley. All she has done, in 45 years of operations, is clout a few piers and run aground once or twice. I’d call that a pretty good record.

View attachment 98275


Just letting off a bit of steam must have got a bit hot and bothered.
 

38mess

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Around 12 years ago she was in the roath basin Cardiff docks, she had just had a major overhaul I think. We were invited onboard as we were berthed nearby.
Lovely guys as crew, not sure if they were volunteers, but they seemed knowledgeable.
I was astonished when I was told that the paddles were joined and couldn't operate independently.
Anyway I had a good look over and was impressed at the quality of the work.
She was sailing on the next tide so I hung around to watch.
At sailing time a small launch pushed the bow out to line her up with the open lock gates, off she went very quickly, and promptly scraped the lock walls on the way out. Quite a lot of damage done I believe.
Apparently these boat are really difficult to manoeuvre.
 

JumbleDuck

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Glen Sannox back in Port Glasgow but with her bow to the west, presumably with her nose job complete. So Garvel dock is available.
If it's not booked, of course, though nothing with AIS on has gone in there. Waverley is still in Brodick and my money is still on the dry dock in Troon.
 

Kukri

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In this bit of old newsreel (from 3:23 to 4.08 - don’t bother with the rest of it) we see a paddle steamer trying and failing - twice - to get alongside Clacton Pier in the 1930s. It seems to me that she needs to keep speed up for handling - more so in the conditions- and then can’t stop quickly enough. So let’s not be too hard on the Waverley which had to stop in a dead end, so to speak, rather than go round and try again.

East Anglian Film Archive: Clacton Pier with Steamer, c.1930
 
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Frank Holden

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Three of my four last day jobs were twin screw plus bow thruster very high freeboard ro-ros... up to 20,000 GRT... on the overnight Bass Strait trade so a daily berthing before breakfast on limited caffeine... all weathers
The fourth was only single screw... a rather horrid DFDS ship built in Italy...
On the side ... in my last few working years I used to take the steam tug Wattle... circa 1935(?) .. out on weekends with day tippers...

Going into that berth? Not for me.... as stated in above post ...

My three rules of ship handling...
Never approach anything at a speed greater than that which you would like to hit it ...
A stopped ship is a drifting ship over which you have no control....
Make speed your friend...

Bit of a bugger trying to put them all together..

The dent on Waverley will buff right out.. scroll down to 1936 to see a real dent WAHINE 1913 - The New Zealand Maritime Record - NZNMM

Hands up every one on this thread with real ship handling experience?????
 
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