Waverley Leaves Dry Dock on 10th May
With 2015/16 winter maintenance almost complete, Waverley left the Garvel dry dock at Greenock on 10th May.
Supporting the preservation and operation of paddle steamers Waverley and Kingswear Castle
With 2015/16 winter maintenance almost complete, Waverley left the Garvel dry dock at Greenock on 10th May.
The engine from Kingswear Castle’s sister Compton Castle has been moved from Blackgang Chine on the Isle of Wight to Kingswear for eventual display.
The PSPS (Scottish Branch) annual charter of Waverley will offer an evening cruise round Bute from Tighnabruaich, Largs and Millport (Keppel Pier) – a cruise which has never been offered before!
At a ceremony at Kingswear on 14 April, a Certificate conferring Honorary Membership of the Society to the Dartmouth Steam Railway and River Boat Company was presented.
The final section covering the Irish Sea was approved by the port authorities in mid-March and the whole season’s timetable may now be downloaded from the Waverley Excursions web site.
The Society is delighted to announce that it has recently acquired a large and significant collection of steamer postcards and photographs.
The Dartmouth Steam Railway and River Boat Company has published the 2016 timetable for the coal-fired paddle steamer Kingswear Castle, owned by the Society.
Altogether £33,700 has been raised for essential repairs to Paddle Steamer Waverley. To mark the 4oth anniversary of the paddler’s first voyage in her preservation era in 1975, the Society decided to launch an special appeal to fund some essential repairs to the steamer. *Two New Masts The mainmast is now due to be replaced during…
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Waverley Excursions Ltd. has once again kindly offered the following concessions to PSPS members for Waverley sailings during the 2016 season.
The branch’s festive cruise to the Kyle of Bute and Tighnabruaich on MV Clyde Clipper proved to be an enjoyable day despite the 24 mph south easterly.
Shop using Amazon and help your Society and our paddle steamers. It will not cost you any more and Amazon will pay the Society a small commission on everything you buy.
The draw was made at the Society’s Annual General Meeting at Kingswear on 24 October 2015 by the Society’s President and Founder, Professor Alan Robinson.
A report on Waverley’s final weekend of the 2015 season.
Some of the Society’s historical footage appears in this BBC TV programme. Director/producer Robin Toyne has contributed a couple of paragraphs for us.
The PSPS currently seeks to appoint a Society member as Publicity Officer to raise public awareness of the Society with the intention of increasing the Society’s membership.
John Megoran, PS Kingswear Castle’s skipper from 1985 to 2012 and a PSPS Trustee, was presented with a Transport Trust Lifetime Achievement Award by HRH Prince Michael of Kent.
The Heritage Lottery Fund announced that they are supporting the £5.5 million project to restore Maid of the Loch, Loch Lomond’s Paddle Steamer, to steam operation once more.
On Sunday 16th August the sun helped attracted good passenger loadings for her annual Glasgow to Tarbert Sunday run.
Once again Graham Shankland, accountant to Waverley Steam Navigation and Waverley Excursions Ltd, has prepared a summary financial statement for the last financial year.
Richard Clammer writes:- Dartmouth’s paddle steamer “Kingswear Castle” celebrates a significant anniversary this year. Thirty years ago, on 18 and 19 May 1985, the ship set out on her first full public excursions since she had left the River Dart many years before. The 1924-built paddler operated on the Dart until 1965 when, becoming too…
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Martin Longhurst has written an account of Waverley’s first Clyde weekend and the Western Isles sailings.
The beginning of Waverley’s 2015 season was marked by a reception on 21 May on the paddler at Pacific Quay to celebrate the 40th anniversary of her first passenger sailing in preservation.
A special commemorative Edition of Waverley Times is now on sale to mark 40 years of Waverley sailing in preservation.
On Thursday 21st May Iain Dewar handed over a £1 coin to Waverley Steam Navigation Company to finalise the sale of Balmoral.
The Society has been contacted by the operators of the Swedish Paddle Steamer Eric Nordevall II.
The current edition of Paddle Wheels reported that the famous Delta Queen had been bought by new owners intent on returning her to service. She actually left Chattanooga on 22nd March and at the time of writing is being propelled through Kentucky to a boatyard in Louisiana by a pusher tug. Expected to arrive on…
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Timetables covering the whole 2015 season are now available on the Waverley Excursions web site.
Paddle Wheels 218 (Winter 2014) included an article about PSPS strategies for use of funds. The article and the supporting paper can be downloaded here.
The Dartmouth Steam Railway and River Boat Company has published the Timetable and Fares for PS Kingswear Castle in 2015 and details may be found here.
Waverley Excursions Ltd. has once again kindly offered the following concessions to PSPS members for Waverley sailings during the 2015 season.