The Paddle Steamer

I had yesterday off work to go on a day trip with my husband (G), on the world's last sea going paddle steamer the 'Waverley'

After a poor start, partly due to the weather, and partly due to 500 expectant passengers congrugated at the port in Dover with no sign of a vessel to board, we were told that due to unforseen weather conditions, we would be taken by coach to Whitstable, an hours journey away, and that we would board the boat there. A large number of the crowd, including me and G, felt cheated by this as, being local to Dover, we wanted to see the famous cliffs from the sea and sail around the Foreland Point.

Once onboard however, we were captivated by the beauty, and enchantment of this very rare and unusual craft. It was as if we had stepped into a different world. The deck boards were glistening as the rain fell softly upon them, the paddle turned, gently at first, then faster, producing a sound I had never heard before. It was similar to the 'chug-chug, chug-chug' of a steam train but with much less motion. In fact, the motion was hardly noticeable for the entire trip which lasted about 7 hours.

We began by sailing down the Medway River from Whitstable to the Medway Towns, and although there was not a great deal to see, there was a completely calming, peaceful feel to the journey. When we had travelled as far as we were to go down the river we had a tug boat to turn us 180º to go back to the sea and on to the River Thames. It was quite a site to see this small, insignificant boat 'tug' us round in the water. The passengers were all leaning over the side of the boat in an effort to get a better view, and an even better photograph. Some could be overheard taking verbal bets on whether the rope was going to snap!

On board the ship we visited the Tea Room for a drink of something hot to warm ourselves. As yet the weather hadn't improved by any amount worth talking about and we were pretty chilled. It was cosy in the Tea Room. Lots of people sat around, happily chatting and drinking tea's and coffee's and looking through the misty wet windows at the grey sights outside. Some of the older passengers definitely looked like they were set to stay in their warm, cosy little seats for the duration.

With tea in hand, we walked along the boat and as I peered through the tiny, round, glass porthole I could see the paddle crashing through the water, powering us in our chosen direction, white surf-like water rushing and gushing and gurgling as it fell from the individual paddles back into the vast mass of water below.

"Oh look, you can see the wheel through here" I said to G. Well... he just fell about laughing.

"It's not a wheel darling, why do you think it's called a paddle boat? God am I going to get some mileage out of this one!"

We moved on a little, G still chuckling to himself and trying to hide the fact. We stopped to look at the engine room. The sides of the 'room' were cut away so that it was open plan and you could look across and down on the powerful, thrusting crankshafts. (I'm still talking engine parts here girls, stay with it). It was quite mesmorising to watch. The continuous, even movement as the parts moved back and forth, back and forth and round and round. Not wishing to have the 'wheel' incident held over me for too long, even if the evil glint in his eye does make him look damn sexy, I thought maybe he would forget it if we talked about the engine a bit, it's one of the things that makes him tick, being a mechanic by trade, he is always fascinated by different kinds of engines. (I know, it's a man thing!)

"That's the biggest piston I've ever seen" I said, with a similar mischievious grin! There was a pause, followed by another pause, followed by:

"urm.. I can't let you get away with that darling (grinning now from ear to ear), it's not a piston it's a crank shaft, and that bit there is the connecting rod" he said, pointing to the shiny steel pole that was equal in girth to a telegraph pole (wait, maybe I should go and check with him what metal it was) . "That's the piston rod and the piston...well that's the bit you can't see, but it's on the other end of the piston rod" he concluded, with a cheesy grin and a wink.

The trip up the Thames was fantastic. The weather was beginning to clear, and there was patchy sunshine in places. Whilst all the softies remained under cover we stood out on deck as far forward as we were allowed and this gave us a magical, panoramic view of both sides of the river as we sailed towards London.

Going under the QE2 bridge which carries vehicles from Essex back into Kent gave a completely different aspect to that which I am used to. I have travelled by car over that bridge many, many times and looked down onto the calm waters below. From the river looking upwards it seemed to reach up to the skies, a view that is well worth seeing.

The most interesting part of the journey of course was further up the Thames, as we came into London. Canary Wharf, with it's oh so distinctive pointed roof, stood tall and proud and was visible for miles before we reached it. The Millennium Dome, an interesting building for sure, but so under utilised for the millions it cost to build (enough politics Ali, move on). The Greenwich Observatory, The Maritime Museum, The Cutty Sark, The Tower of London, and of course the finale, the most beautiful, most graceful bridge I have ever seen - Tower Bridge.

For those of you who don't know about Tower Bridge, building of the bridge began in 1884 and took 8 years, it is a road bridge that has the capabilities of being 'opened' to allow very large, tall ships and boats to pass up the river. It is an absolutely amazing site, and a feat of engineering to marvel at.

Our paddle steamer was one such vessel, and as we watched the bridge on our approach we saw the traffic cease to pass over it, then slowly, gracefully, she began to open. Each half of the bridge lifting upwards to create the space for us. We stopped the traffic in London. All the drivers had gotten out of their cars and stood at the edge of the towers to watch the bridge open. Then, just as we emerged the other side, there was an almighty cheer and round of aplause from all the spectators.

What a fitting end to a magical trip.

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