I’ll be in this little widget.
As a few know I had to flog both our 5’s.
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That is going to be a very busy weekend, I am due in Castle Combe for a trackday on the Saturday, but with careful planning I should be able to manage it.
Before I commit is there any likely hood we will be meeting up for lunch and or dinner before / afterwards ?
Difficult to say. Thats up to others. For me it’s a 1 day return “sprint” so to speak. Missus does not like me out her sight for too long these days…hardly surprising. If you can fit in the Friday then great. if not, always next year. I plan to b e around… 
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Oakey doaks, I’ll sort out late night accomodation in Bristol and make it a sprint after the trip too. Hope to get a couple o days further north before hand. Fingers crossed your further plans come to fruition 
Departure is 10:00 and return at 18:00 so most likely to avail of the catering on board which would be an opportunity for a communal activity. Final logistics to be decided however it looks like we won’t be staying in central Glasgow for this one.
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Good news. There’s parking pretty much a minute or two’s walk to board, which is good for me as long distance is not great. And, the tickets are are a Billy Bargain at circa £40.00 quid. So I wont need my sticks. Cheap day out considering.
Points to note from personal previous experience shipmates:
Bring a thick weather proof mountain jacket. Even on a balmy(?) summer’s onshore day…you’ll get cut in half if we are into a head wind on open water. I think Waverly does it for a laugh…little minx
Bring Kleenex. The sound and feel of the mighty paddles at full chat (14knots or 16 mph!!) will bring tears to the eye when the orchestra of the triple expansion pistons pumping and hissing their best.
Anyway Rothsay 15th August tickets on sale now so I’ll be booking today. All the best Ship Mates. It’ll be a Club Lunch with a bit of a difference. What Waverley does not do is wallow about in swells…she is rock steady even in wavey days. You can always tell when there is a bit of a swell, as the blades dont slow…they just bite deeper. Guess thats 2,400 LbsFt of torque does!
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Is that a typo??!!
No, I’d have thought £40/45 a skull for a day’s sailing was a bargain but I appreciate opinions differ. Last time I was in her was about5 years back when she hit the dock in Arran and they were £35.50 so that’s not bad. She does get a hell of a lot in up keep to keep her pristine…an d suffice to say fuel & insurance costs etc have hammered everyone of late. But I know the origin of Blind Billy but in my house it just meant you got value for money if you played it smart!
I thought you we saying that parking was £40!! For the boat ride it is a bargain.
We have been on it twice and loved every minute. We did notice that a considerable volume of alcohol was consumed by quite a number of ‘guests’ but they remained ‘well behaved’.
Parking at the adjacent Premier Inn is £12 for the day which is okay for the location.
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Apologies. I can see now this accidental mistake.
No apology required.
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Oakley doaks me hearties all booked, just hope I can find a pair o sea legs before boarding.
First and last time I was aboard Waverely she was being reffited in Bristol Docks 20 if not 30 something years ago. Should be fun being on board with her moving under her own steam.
Look forward to meeting everyone on August 15th 
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Yes I had a few of those I don’t believe it moments struggling to find the correct date and departure point, the search button was not the most helpful 
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Whoopee! Ticket arrived today. Suddenly is real! SWMBO has insisted I go down afternoon before and bed myself down , and again at the end of Friday so I can chill a bit. I guess it’s sensible. I’m in no rush to be anywhere these days anyway. I’ll have a peek at the nearest places nearer the time… That’s all for now me shipmates. Hove too, splice the mainbrace, break out the Captain Morgans but dont get “involved” with any of those doxy quay side women…you dont know where they have been.
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I also plan on being in Glasgow the night before, could meet up then if you are up for it 
Could do…or knowing me I may be in my kip!! We will hook up by moby…I’ll PM my number in August. My son is likely running me down there & back so won’t have wheels. Need to get as close to gangway as possible. Not looked at it all yet…bags of time.
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For a wet afternoon over a coffee,
Waverley – Technical Details
Supporting the preservation and operation of paddle steamers Waverley and Kingswear Castle
Home » Our Ships » Paddle Steamer Waverley » Waverley – Technical Details
SHIPBUILDER
A. & J. Inglis of Pointhouse, Glasgow. Keel laid Thursday 27 December 1945
OFFICIAL NUMBER
69494
YARD NUMBER
1330P
COST
£107,725 in 1945 of which £15,125 was compensation from the Admiralty for the loss of the previous Waverley at Dunkirk – Adjusted for inflation this equates approximately £4.7m today.
ENGINE BUILDER
Rankin & Blackmore, Eagle Foundry, Greenock. Engine number 520
ENGINE TYPE
Triple expansion steam engine.
Maximum of 2,100 indicated horsepower (1,566kW) at 58rpm
Cylinders, 24″, 39″ and 66″ (61cm, 99cm and 168cm); typically operate at 130, 35 and 0psi (9, 2 and 0 Bar); stroke 66″ (168cm)
BOILER MAKERS
1946 – Coal fired, double-ended Scotch boiler (preserved at the Scottish Maritime Museum, Irvine)
1956 – Converted to oil firing
1981 – Re-boilered with a Babcock “Steambloc” Type TC50 boiler weighing approximately 51 tonnes
2000 – Re-boilered with a pair of Cochran Thermax boilers during Heritage Rebuild. Each boiler cost £220,000. Each holds 20 tonnes of water and can generate 5.5 tonnes of steam per hour at 180psi
2020 – Re-boilered with a new pair of Cochran boilers burning marine gas oil
MACHINERY
Including the main engine there are 11 steam engines on the ship including the winch, capstan, various pumps, reversing engine and steam tiller
2020 – Pair of diesel powered generators replaced by three Caterpillar generators (2x 129kW, 1x 80kW) (plus emergency generator aft)
PADDLE WHEELS
Each paddle wheel has eight timber paddle floats 11ft. by 3ft. (3.4m x 0.9m)
Floats diameter 13ft 10in (to float centres)
At 42rpm floats move at 30ft/sec whilst ship moves at 24ft/sec through the water
The main crankshaft is solidly attached to both paddle wheels so they cannot turn independently of each other
FUNNELS
Two of welded aluminium construction, 24 feet 8 inches (7.5m) in hight (including 3 foot / 0.9m high casing at base)
FUEL CONSUMPTION
0.7 tonnes (approximately 154 gallons or 700 litres) per hour of low-sulphur medium fuel oil at service speed of 14 knots
LAUNCHED
Wednesday 2nd October 1946 by Lady Matthews, the wife of the Chairman of the London & North Eastern Railway (LNER)
TRIALS
Monday 2nd to Thursday 5th June 1947, maximum speed obtained 18.37 knots (21 mph / 34 kph) at 56.5rpm
FIRST PASSENGER SAILING
Monday 16th June 1947
LENGTH OVERALL
239 feet, 11 inches (73.1 metres)
BEAM
57 feet, 3 inches (17.5 metres)
DRAUGHT
6 feet, 3 inches (1.9 metres)
GROSS TONNAGE
693 (328 net)
SERVICE SPEED
14.5 knots (17 mph / 27 kph) at 46rpm
PORT OF REGISTRY
Glasgow
MCA PASSENGER CERTIFICATES
Class III 740 (originally 829)
CALLSIGN
GRPM
IMO NUMBER
5386954
MMSI NUMBER
232001540
CREW
Nominally 20 fully certified crew who live on board the ship. Unlike heritage railways the need for current certification generally precludes the use of volunteers
OPERATIONAL OWNERS
1947 – London & North Eastern Railway
1948 – British Transport Commission
1951 – Caledonian Steam Packet Company Limited
1973 – Caledonian MacBrayne Limited
1974 to present day – Waverley Steam Navigation Company (since 1978 operated by Waverley Excursions
58 RPM eh? Racy lady! 
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Just an update on situation. I had a radium bone scan two weeks back, and I today received an interim call from one of the more junior ( though perfectly competent oncologists) to give me the results. It appears…to be confirmed by a High Heid Yin sort with whom I have an annual MOT face to face in 4 weeks, that the stage 4 skeleton cancer is on the run so to speak, with, and here is the unusual bit it seems, evidence of actually bone healing happening as opposed to what I was told to expectwhich was a further slow incremental spread. Basically, I’m not for The Big Oven this year! Nor the next couple or 4 if I can keep fighting it. So that’s basically that. I can enjoy the paddle without this filthy thing getting up to mischief…in the meantime. I t will come back some time…they always do…but for me not yet…I’m in the mending stage for a while anyhow.
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