Supporting the preservation and operation of paddle steamers Waverley and Kingswear Castle
10th September 2023 is the 63rd anniversary of the first ever PSPS charter, an evening cruise from Weymouth on Saturday 10th September 1960 aboard Cosens’s PS Consul. To find out more click here: 10th September 1960: PSPS Charter Consul – Kingswear Castle
8th September 2023 is the sixtieth anniversary of the last day in service of the paddle steamer Medway Queen. To find out more click here: 8th September 1963: Medway Queen – Kingswear Castle
Two distinguished visitors took the “Steam and Cruise” option for KC on 6th September. To find out more click here: Steam & Cruise on KC – Kingswear Castle
Waverley met up with Shieldhall off Bournemouth on Sunday 3rd September and in the western approaches to the Solent the following day. For more details and pics click here: Waverley Meets Shieldhall – Kingswear Castle
On this first Sunday in September 2023, Waverley called at Swanage at 12.30pm on her way to view the Bournemouth Air Festival and meet up with the steamship Shieldhall having set off from Southampton Docks at 9.30am and made a call on the way at Yarmouth at 10.45am. Here are some pics of this happy…
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Waverley is back on the South Coast offering sailings until Wednesday 20th September. Do take a trip on her while she is here if you can. And to get you in the mood check out a trip from Southampton round the Isle of Wight in 1934 aboard PS Lorna Doone: 26th July 1934: Lorna Doone…
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Latest news update: Check out the September Pictures of the Month on the KC website. And don’t forget. We are still fund raising for the second phase of KC’s major rebuild. Please help if you can: Weymouth Bank Holidays – Kingswear Castle Thank you.
KC ran another fund raising cruise from Dartmouth towards the Rebuild Appeal on Saturday 19th August. To have a look at some pics of the event check out the KC website: 19th August 2023: KC Fund Raising Cruise – Kingswear Castle
Fancy a day trip on PS Balmoral from Southampton to Bournemouth via Ventnor on Monday 14th August 1939? Take a look at how the day panned out: 14th August 1939: Balmoral – Kingswear Castle
To take a look at some pictures of KC sailing on her harbour cruises from Dartmouth on Sunday 13th August check out the KC website: KC Sunday 13th August – Kingswear Castle
KC made her visit to Totnes for some years on Monday 31st July. For more details take a look at the post on the KC website: 31st July 2023: KC to Totnes – Kingswear Castle
Although paddle steamer operator Cosens & Co of Weymouth had a pretty near monopoly on excursions to sea from Weymouth, if you exclude the motor boat trips from the beach and the harbour, they did not have the field entirely to themselves even amongst larger craft. To find out more check out the Pictures of…
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Kingswear Castle returned to service on Tuesday 25th July after the first part of her major rebuild. To find out more check out the Kingswear Castle website: 25th July 2023: KC Returns to Service – Kingswear Castle
Ship and boat preservation is usually a battle. The elements are hostile, design life short and officialdom reluctant to support. This latest book looks at the preservation story over 40 years of VIC 56, a wartime built steam coasting lighter based on the Clyde Puffer, which served the Royal Navy in Dockyards and depots around…
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The MCA conducted running trials with KC last week for the revalidation of her Passenger Certificate. For more details and pics check out the KC website: 14th July 2023: KC Running Trials with MCA – Kingswear Castle
With KC afloat once again following the first and major part of her rebuild naval architect Geoff Wilford, accompanied by MCA surveyor Simon Judge, conducted a Heel Test to check the ship’s stability on Thursday 6th July. For more details and pictures of the day check out the KC website: 6th July 2023: KC Heel…
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Six of the seven operational paddle steamers on Lake Geneva were in service in June. To find out what they were all up to and how their business model works check out the June Pictures of the Month on the KC website: June 2023: Lake Geneva Paddle Steamers June 2023 – Kingswear Castle
Waverley arrived at Cardiff Docks on 1st June in readiness for more than two weeks of sailings on the Bristol Channel starting with a cruise from Penarth and Clevedon on Friday 2nd June. Here she is arriving at Clevedon Pier shortly before 11am She had left Penarth at 9.45am. Captain Dominic McCall on the starboard…
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What sort of paddle steamer rides were available from Bournemouth seventy years ago in June 1953. To find out take a look at the June Pictures of the Month on the Kingswear Castle website: June 2023: June 1953 Bournemouth – Kingswear Castle
To take a look at more rebuild pics of KC click here: 23rd May 2023: More KC Rebuild Pics – Kingswear Castle
The Dartmouth Steam Railway and River Boat Company, which has just signed an extended agreement to take KC on charter for a further 25 years, celebrated its 50th Anniversary on Friday 19th May with a special excursion for invited guests on the train from Paignton to Kingswear followed by a trip on the river. For…
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The shipyard which maintains, refurbishes and rebuilds the Dresden paddle steamers held an open day on Saturday 15th April. To find out how the day went click here: May 2023: Dresden Shipyard Visit – Kingswear Castle
KC was in steam for trials last week. To find out more and see how you can help us complete her rebuild take a look at our latest Rebuild Update: http://www.kingswearcastle.org/news/9th-april-2023-kc-rebuild-appeal-update/
The 2023 Audio Award of the Independent Publishers Guild Awards has been won by the Scottish-based publishing group Belle Media for their 2022 radio series Stormy Weather which was recorded aboard Kingswear Castle, Waverley, Medway Queen, Balmoral and TS Queen Mary and included interviews with key figures from the ships. To find out more check out…
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The shipyard at Dresden will be open to the public for tours on Saturday 15th April. The trips will start from Dresden at either 9.30am or 2pm aboard one of the paddle steamer fleet which will take people on the 10km trip southwards to Laubergast. There will then be a guided tour of the shipyard…
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Ever wondered what leavers to push or which wheels to turn to make a paddle steamer engine go? To find out take a look at the April Pictures of the Month on the Kingswear Castle website: London Belle – Kingswear Castle
Fancy a trip aboard Princess Elizabeth around the Isle of Wight just after the war?
Ever wondered how long a paddle steamer galley flue lasts before disintegrating? To find out take a look at the February Pictures of the Month on the KC website: Galley Flues – Kingswear Castle
We are delighted to announce that this week the Paddle Steamer Kingswear Castle Trust has signed an extended contract with the Dartmouth Steam Railway and River Boat Company ensuring that Kingswear Castle will be operating from her base at Dartmouth on the River Dart for a further 25 years. A spokesperson for the Paddle Steamer…
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Kingswear Castle ran on the Medway and Thames from 1985 to 2012 from her then base at the Historic Dockyard Chatham. To see how we did it and attracted passengers up the gangway click here: 12th January 1989: SEETB Excursions Fair – Kingswear Castle
