Waverley

The weather was calm enough for the paddle steamer Waverley to make a pickup stop from the end of the pier today (a few days back it had to be cancelled). The ship has just a few more days operating cruises from the Thames and up the Essex coast and from what I could see, it was full this afternoon. Tomorrow, the route takes them under Tower Bridge, which will have to open for it to pass.

The ship looks older than it is, it was built in 1947, after the original was sunk during the Dunkirk evacuation of 1940. It weighs in at 693 tonnes, is 73 metres long and has a 9 metre beam, is powered by steam and uses it's two 18 feet paddles to manoeuvre. Apparently, it spent it's early life only ever travelling between Craigendorran & Arrochar in West Scotland.

In 1974 it was sold for £1, as it was being withdrawn from service but needed a major renovation. Nearly 30 years and about £6 million later, it was back in service, but this time owned by the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society, plying it's cruises from the Thames, the Clyde and the Bristol Channel.

Emma and I watched it's progress first on the web, and when it was close, we went down to the very end of the pier (the bit where there are just a few chains to stop little girls falling off), and captured a nice posse of pictures. This one seems to capture the overall feel for blipland.