shanemax
Active member
19.45 Friday. If anyone is interested there is a paddle steamer heading down the Orwell from Harwich.
Paddle steamer heading down the Orwell.
- Thread starter shanemax
- Start date
PaulRainbow
Well-known member
That will be the PS Waverley
dunedin
Well-known member
Correct. Your chance to go “doon the waater”
Timetable here https://waverleyexcursions.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/London-Thames-Timetable-2023.pdf
ex-Gladys
Well-known member
She's visiting and running various trips around the Thames Estuary. I'm aboard on 5th October... Ipswich up and back through Tower Bridge to Gravesend and coach back to Ipswich...
Bristolfashion
Well-known member
We saw her race thru the Kyles of Bute while we were anchored there as well as berth at Campbeltown. Magnificent.
dunedin
Well-known member
Be aware the Waverley is very tricky to steer, particularly berthing. No bow thrusters, the paddles no not operate independently, and she has very shallow draft with a very small rudder. So getting on and off piers needs speed and skilled handling of rope springs. Sometimes she has to leave going astern at high speed (look carefully at picture on timetable), and woe betide any small boat that gets in her way!
WF36
Well-known member
MoodySabre
Well-known member
I saw her the Kyles too. Often around here, using Southend Pier. Not going to be much turning space in the revised plan for Ipswich is there? Might need a little tug.
shanemax
Active member
shanemax
Active member
Loads of boats about today, perhaps to see the paddle steamer or grabbing the last of the sunny windy days.
shanemax
Active member
Good night picture.
shanemax
Active member
AntarcticPilot
Well-known member
Practically every pier she uses has been dinged by her at one time or another; she basically has no steerage until she's moving pretty fast, for the reasons given above.
It used to be a bit scary being on the pontoons in Rothesay Harbour when she was being turned in the harbour!
I understand that except for specialized vessels, paddle steamers never have the paddles operable separately, because it is possible for the torque of contra-rotating paddles to turn the vessel over. There's also a fairly obvious engineering reason - you'd need two separate steam engines, and if you watch engines like Waverley's operating, there simply wouldn't be space - the pistons operate directly on the shaft on which the paddles turn. As it's a compound engine, the pistons each operate at different steam pressures.
Something that's rarely mentioned is that she's exceptionally quiet, and it's easy to be taken by surprise as her colour scheme tends to blend with the shoreline! She's sneaked up on me a couple of times on the Clyde.
Leighb
Well-known member
I had a trip on her some years ago, Tower Pier to Southend and back. When we were approaching Soutend pier we were going so fast that I thought she must be having a trial run to judge conditions , but we just Stopped incredibly quickly. Reversing the paddles has a fantastic braking effect with no prop effect. Was very impressive.
dunedin
Well-known member
The issue comes when using piers not designed for the traditional paddle steamers. They tended to have plenty of space, often docking on a T (aka “hammerhead”) on end of a pier. Hence plenty of space to stop - or go round again.
Going onto piers intended / adapted for ro-ro ferries can end badly - literally as they end with hard concrete or metal, and no margin for error.
scottie
Well-known member
Paddles are extremely noisy on a calm day though
AntarcticPilot
Well-known member
Strangely, the noise doesn't carry far. On board, as you say, they are quite noisy, but you don't hear it at any distance.
oldgit
Well-known member
PS Wavelerly being assisted to turn by the "Nipashore" , just off Upnor on a visit to the Medway.
Seem to recall it was job to keep up with her once she got going again.
She is quite a big beast and on this occasion packed to the "gunnels" with passengers.
Seem to recall it was job to keep up with her once she got going again.
She is quite a big beast and on this occasion packed to the "gunnels" with passengers.
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Daydream believer
Well-known member
She passed me in the Swin Spitway a few years ago. Going quite a speed as well.
Bob@SYH
Member
We had an outing on the Waverley a few years back and always wondered myself why she didn't have independent paddles and assumed that it could be done with one engine and a clever arrangement of valves, but I guess not. Thanks for the info
