The Waverley this Saturday

NUTMEG

NUTMEG

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www.theblindsailor.co.uk
Anyone else doing the trip from Ipswich, Harwich to London this coming weekend?

We are booked on it with some mates but can not find an itinerary :-)
 
Last edited:
Hi,

Not planning to do that trip, but yesterday she was chartered by SYH to do a trip for all the staff, shareholders and associated businesses to celebrate the 50th. anniversary of Suffolk Yacht Harbour Limited. The Weather was kind and we had a great day out. First we went up to Ipswich and as the river narrowed above Cliff Quay I started to worry about how he would turn (like most paddle steamers, both paddles are mounted directly on the crankshaft, so both go ahead or both go astern, and there's no prop wash over the rudder), but then a little tug appeared to push her bow round and in 5 minutes we were headed back down river. We made a trip up the Wallet to the Blackwater and back to Harwich, arriving at 17.00 on the dot as scheduled, having been suitably wined and dined en route.

Everybody have spoken to was very happy with the day, except Ollie's 10 day old son, who seemed happy but has yet to start speaking for himself. As I said - a great day out. Hope you and your mates enjoy your trip as much as we did.

Peter.
 
PeterWright said:
Hi,

Not planning to do that trip, but yesterday she was chartered by SYH to do a trip for all the staff, shareholders and associated businesses to celebrate the 50th. anniversary of Suffolk Yacht Harbour Limited. The Weather was kind and we had a great day out. First we went up to Ipswich and as the river narrowed above Cliff Quay I started to worry about how he would turn (like most paddle steamers, both paddles are mounted directly on the crankshaft, so both go ahead or both go astern, and there's no prop wash over the rudder), but then a little tug appeared to push her bow round and in 5 minutes we were headed back down river. We made a trip up the Wallet to the Blackwater and back to Harwich, arriving at 17.00 on the dot as scheduled, having been suitably wined and dined en route.

Everybody have spoken to was very happy with the day, except Ollie's 10 day old son, who seemed happy but has yet to start speaking for himself. As I said - a great day out. Hope you and your mates enjoy your trip as much as we did.

Peter.
Click to expand...

We saw you:

Waverley DSCN1088.jpg

Waverley DSCN1089.jpg

A splendid sight, the Waverley passing Wolverstone on Tuesday.
 
A magnificent vessel and a superb day. I was not on her, but she was moored next to me on Halfpenny pier overnight and we left at about the same time on Tuesday morning. I was heading for Brightlingsea so saw her later going down the wallet (I did wonder how she managed to be behind me when she left first!) I said to my crew how lucky I thought the passengers were to have a flat calm sea and beautiful sunshine so late in September.
IMG_20170926_085131259_HDR[1].jpg
 
Hi Scala,

Still steam powered - a triple expansion engine amidships with the crankshaft taking up the full width of her fairly narrow beam and a big paddle wheel on each end enclosed in those big sponsons (you can see the port one in Oldgeezer's photo). Firing is by an automated system burning gas oil, which minimises smoke and saves lots of hard labour with shovels. She burns about 600 litres per hour or 900 when flat out! Acceleration is amazing - to spring off Halfpenny pier took about 1/4 of a turn of the paddles astern then switching to ahead she was up to 5 knots in one turn of the paddles ahead, still accelerating. She stops pretty rapidly if the paddles are stopped, and even more so with a touch of astern.

Hi Oldgeezer,

Another lovely pic, thanks! No SYH pennant flying, so I guess this was Monday evening or earlier Tuesday morning.

Peter
 
PeterWright said:
Hi,

Not planning to do that trip, but yesterday she was chartered by SYH to do a trip for all the staff, shareholders and associated businesses to celebrate the 50th. anniversary of Suffolk Yacht Harbour Limited. The Weather was kind and we had a great day out. First we went up to Ipswich and as the river narrowed above Cliff Quay I started to worry about how he would turn (like most paddle steamers, both paddles are mounted directly on the crankshaft, so both go ahead or both go astern, and there's no prop wash over the rudder), but then a little tug appeared to push her bow round and in 5 minutes we were headed back down river. We made a trip up the Wallet to the Blackwater and back to Harwich, arriving at 17.00 on the dot as scheduled, having been suitably wined and dined en route.

Everybody have spoken to was very happy with the day, except Ollie's 10 day old son, who seemed happy but has yet to start speaking for himself. As I said - a great day out. Hope you and your mates enjoy your trip as much as we did.

Peter.
Click to expand...
So that is where my berthing fee goes ;-)
 
DavidofMersea said:
She was dumped in a derelict marina on the IoW in the 70's
Click to expand...

No - that was the Medway Queen and the marina was Island Harbour which was in good health at the end of the 80s when I was there. Medway Queen was about 3/4 the size of the Waverley and is now closer to it's old home in Gillingham I think.
 
I used to get an annual trip with my mother from Herne Bay to Southend and back on the dear old Mudway Queen.
She ended up in a creek behind Kingsnorth Power Station on the Medway for years and rotted away until the hull was beyond restoration. However funds were granted by the Lottery and a new hull was built from scratch down in Bristol and fitted out with much of the rest of the old ship, work still in progress in her new home at Gillingham Pier, just upstream from the marina.
Sadly though I don't consider her to be the old ship somehow, and even more sadly there seems no prospect of her ever being licensed to carry passengers.
 
Scala said:
I reckon it was 1974/5 I was on her.
Click to expand...

In 74 my father took the family up to the Clyde mostly to spend a few days on the Waverley. He'd helped found the Paddlesteam Preservation society a few years before but they apparently never thought there would be enough of them to fund buying one. I can't remember whether the trip was part of seeing whether the Waverley would be a good buy or whether they'd already bought it and this was her first season - and being kept locally.
 
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