Supporting the preservation and operation of paddle steamers Waverley and Kingswear Castle
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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Waverley has taken her first voyage of 2023 where she made the journey from her Winter berth in Glasgow to the Garvel Dry Dock in Greenock. Waverley’s boilers were first fired up on Friday (10th March) and tested up to pressure on Tuesday (14th March). The following day her engine and paddles were turned for…
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Waverley’s Dry Dock 2023 Appeal reaches £150,000 as the first of the 2023 timetables are released.
An appeal has been launched to urgently raise the funds needed to afford Waverley’s upcoming dry dock in March and the start-up costs before she enters service. Paul Semple, Waverley’s General Manager, has made the following statement explaining the current situation: “Each year before Waverley can enter passenger service, she must be taken out the…
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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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Guy Hundy, who has died aged 79, was a long standing PSPS member, a trustee of the Paddle Steamer Kingswear Castle Trust and a regular contributor to Paddle Wheels. For an obituary on the KC website click here: Guy Hundy 1943 – 2022 – Kingswear Castle
Check out progress on KC’s major rebuild by clicking here: 24th December 2022: KC Rebuild Update – Kingswear Castle
The Lake Geneva paddle steamer Rhone is set to continue with her Sunday lunch cruises from Lausanne into the New Year and beyond. And the Italie is scheduled to replace Vevey on the lunch cruises from Geneva from 18th December. To have a look aboard and see more click here: 11th December 2022: PS Rhone…
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The Lake Geneva diesel electric paddler Helvetie was towed from Lausanne to Geneva by the Leman on 7th November 2022 to free up a berth in the Ouchy shipyard for the newly built Navibus which is nearing completion in the yard. After relatively little use in the previous decade, and in need of a major…
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It is with great sadness and regret that we announce the death of Myra Allen on 2 December 2022, after a long battle with Motor Neurone Disease.
KC and Waverley as well as other vessels featured in recent episodes of the Stormy Weather series on Times Radio. To tune in and hear the programme again click here: https://shows.acast.com/belle-books-and-stories/episodes/stormy-weather-kingswear-castle
Paul Semple, Waverley’s General Manager, drew the winning tickets from the drum at the Scottish Branch Meeting on Thursday 10 November 2022. The winners were: 1st Prize £1000 cash Alistair McDonald of Dunoon 2nd Prize Waverley British Sailing Pass for 2 Charlie Barbour of Inverness 3rd Prize Waverley Area Sailing Pass for 2 Peter Hyndman…
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Derek Gawn has sent in some more fascinating and unique pics of KC in her Isle of Wight years when she was in company with Medway Queen and Ryde. Take a look: 11th November 2022: KC 1969/70 Update – Kingswear Castle
Pining for a paddle steamer trip? Suffering from withdrawal symptoms as the long winter nights draw in because you can’t get aboard a paddle steamer? Can’t wait ’till next summer? Then help is at hand. Take yourself off to Dr Switzerland where no less than two paddlers are scheduled to be in service on Lake…
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Tune in on Friday 4th November from 8.30pm for a feature about KC on the Michael Portillo Show on Times Radio
Derek Gawn has sent in some fascinating pictures he took as a schoolboy in 1969 of KC making one of her very few trips under her own steam during her time on the Isle of Wight. For more pictures and other details check out the Kingswear Castle website: 11th November 2022: KC 1969/70 Update –…
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For an update on KC’s rebuild and to see all the excellent work being done in Dartmouth to give our ship an extended life check out the latest news on the KC website October 2022: KC Rebuild Update – Kingswear Castle
We have just received some very good news from the M.V. Balmoral Fund. “Balmoral”, which has recently used in the making of a feature film, is being allowed to remain at her current berth outside the M Shed Museum on Princes Wharf until the spring. This means that she will not be moored at The…
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Chris Smith, who has died of a heart attack aged 60, played a central role in the return to service of KC in the 1980s and her subsequent operation and continued restoration on the Medway during the ensuing years for more than a quarter of a century. For more details check out the KC website:…
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The society’s activities in and the financial results for 2021 are now available to download. These will be considered by our AGM on 22 October 2022, details of which may be found here. We apologise that the link published in Paddle Wheels is incorrect. Review of the Year2021 was severely disrupted by the Coronavirus pandemic,…
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Click on the link to see a tribute to the Queen from Kingswear Castle: The Queen – Kingswear Castle
Waverley returned to Swanage for the first time in four years around 12.30pm on Sunday 4th September during a cruise from Southampton and Yarmouth to view the Bournemouth Air Show. For more pics of this happy event check out a feature on the Kingswear Castle website: Waverley Returns To Swanage – Kingswear Castle
There are still some tickets available for the Rebuild Fund Raising Cruise aboard Dart Explorer on Saturday 13th August. For more details or to make a donation check out the Kingswear Castle website: KC Rebuild Fund Raising Cruise – Kingswear Castle
The SGV Company has appointed its first lady captain. For more details check out the news feature on the Kingswear Castle website: First Lady Paddle Steamer Captain – Kingswear Castle
A recording about paddle steamers for Times Radio was made aboard KC in the shipyard on 14th July. For more details check out the Paddle Steamer Kingswear Castle Trust website: 14th July 2022: Recording for Times Radio aboard KC – Kingswear Castle
The plan of campaign for KC’s major rebuild had been to undertake the work over three winters. However so far this winter and spring things have gone so well that a decision has now been taken to keep her in the shipyard over the summer and autumn and continue working on her making use of…
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Work is continuing apace on the first phase of KC’s major rebuild at Dartmouth. Renewal of the hull strake beneath the deck port side aft of the paddle box New plating inside aft saloon port side Scrap steel cut away from the hull and bulkheads Ships are built for a lifespan of about 25 years.…
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Now to take place at the Underfall Yard Visitor’s Centre, Cumberland Road, Bristol, BS1 6XG.
The draw took place at the end of the live YouTube broadcast on Friday 26 November 2021.
