The
2011 Purser's Tale - Part 1
Tony Gamblin's Notes from on board
After an extended and delayed dry-docking
period (chiefly connected with the complete refurbishment of the Britannia
lounge bar following a £50,000 award by the National Lottery), Balmoral
eventually left Sharpness dry dock on the afternoon of Saturday 8th July. From
here she proceeded to Avonmouth docks for an overnight berth prior to entering
service at Penarth the next day. This first cruise (to the Rivers Avon, Wye and
Severn) was extremely well supported and completed in bright and sunny
conditions. This favourable weather continued for her trips to Minehead and
Porlock Bay on the Monday and Padstow on the Tuesday. Indeed, the ship arrived
into a very busy "Padstein" early- though the numbers carried was
somewhat of a disappointment compared to the previous year, with a distinct
absence of regulars and enthusiasts. This begs the question as to whether such
'Specials' will be repeated. On Wednesday 13th July Balmoral made her only
visits to Watchet scheduled for this season and then the next day sailed down
to Ilfracombe from the usual Up-Channel piers at Clevedon and Penarth - both
trips carrying respectable loads in pleasant summer weather conditions. The
good weather continued on the Friday (for series of cruises based on these two
piers and also featuring Weston) but by evening torrential rain had set in
along with increasing wind.
By the next morning the weather conditions had
deteriorated even further and with a dire forecast (which was affecting most of
the country) the vessel proceeded to the shelter of Avonmouth docks where she
remained for the next three days- with the loss of the remainder of her 'early'
Bristol Channel season. This included the only sailing this year from
Bridgwater (Dunball Wharf) - particularly upsetting for your scribe, being a
local lad and expecting to meet up with many family and friends on board. The
ship eventually locked out around 10.00 p.m. on Monday 18th July and after
anchoring overnight off Penarth departed early the next morning for her visits
to the South Coast and Thames. A call at Ilfracombe was made to take on fresh
water, before sheltering in Lundy Roads until 8.00 pm awaiting an improvement
in sea conditions. Lands End was rounded around 2.00 a.m. and the vessel
eventually anchored off Ramsgate before entering the Kent port early on the
morning of Thursday 21st July. She thus missed her South Coast cruise from
Bridport on the Wednesday and due to a series of operational problems
Thursday's sailing was also cancelled at the last minute- with Newhaven
passengers heading for Ramsgate by coach being turned back en-route!
Balmoral was eventually able to take up her
Thames schedule on Saturday 23rd July at Clacton, with passengers from Ipswich
and Harwich being conveyed there by coach. By this time the weather had settled
down to a pattern of bright and sunny conditions with calm seas and reasonable
passenger numbers were carried over three days of trips on the London River.
After an overnight light run to Great Yarmouth the ship carried almost 400
passengers from here and Southwold to London in
somewhat overcast conditions- the weather remaining much the same the next day
for a run from London to Rye. On Thursday 28th July- after overnighting
alongside at Rye-the motor ship returned to London in bright, warm and sunny
conditions with nearly 500 souls aboard. An added bonus was a rendezvous with
the P.S. Kingswear Castle at Southend.
There then followed another weekend of
excursions on the London River- with the cloudy and dull conditions of Friday (to
London from Southend, Tilbury and Woolwich) giving way to warm sunshine on the
Saturday (to London from Margate, Whitstable and Southend) and Sunday (from
London, Woolwich and Tilbury to Southend and Whitstable) with the ship
averaging nearly 500 passengers carried on each of the three days. On the first
day of August Balmoral sailed light to Great Yarmouth to take up her sailing
from here and Southwold the next day: unusually sea conditions were particularly
calm at the Suffolk pier but the numbers carried were a bit of a disappointment
given the good weather. Much more encouraging numbers turned out over the next
two days (from Tilbury, Southend and Clacton to Ipswich on the Wednesday and
returning via the same piers to London the next day- though in persistent heavy
rain. The ship then sailed light to Tilbury for an overnight berth before
setting off early the next morning for the Isle of Wight to take up her short
series of cruises on the South Coast of England. Thus once again the Thames has
proved to be a successful cruising area for the ship: only one day of inclement
weather over the 13 days of scheduled sailings (of which one was lost and one
amended). This compares well with the 16 days of uninterrupted sailings of the
previous memorable year- with average daily passenger numbers down less than 3%.
It will be interesting to see what happens next year with the Olympic Games
being held in the Capital!
Balmoral departed Tilbury early on the morning
of Friday 5th August and anchored that night off Yarmouth ready to take up her
short series of cruises on the South Coast of England. She departed the Isle of
Wight pier the next morning for
Portsmouth, Worthing and a cruise towards Beachy Head , under the
command of Captain Lars Vlaskamp (with the Dutch flag flying proudly in the the now traditional jack
staff position) and with Senior Master Andy O'Brian acting as Pilot. The
weather was not favourable, with light rain and increasing wind and sea
conditions causing the ship to run almost an hour late due to the number of
passengers (good) and the difficult berthing conditions (not so good) at
Worthing. The vessel then spent the
night alongside Yarmouth pier (another 'first'), running light to Portsmouth
the next day ready to take up Sunday's cruise. After carefully negotiating a
passage through hundreds of yachts (it was Cowes Week!!) the sailing was
terminated at Yarmouth due to wind and sea conditions- with the planned calls
at Bournemouth and Swanage and cruise to Lulworth Cove cancelled. After a night
alongside at Portsmouth the ship sailed light to Swanage ready for Monday's
sailing to Weymouth, Bridport and Lyme Bay but was forced to turn back off
Chesil Beach- once again due to sea conditions- and instead cruised eastwards
to Lulworth Cove in more sheltered conditions.
After taking on fresh water at Weymouth
Balmoral set off for Garlieston and after a rather 'bumpy' night (particularly
off Start Point) she called into Falmouth for bunkers and then rounded Lands End
the next morning- arriving at her anchorage off the Galloway port early on
Wednesday 9th August. Sea conditions led
to a cancellation of her sailing that day, however, so the next day's sailing
from Garlieston to Douglas (achieved in dull and cool conditions but with a
calmer sea) once again proved to be the season's only sailing in Scottish
waters. Similar conditions with the addition of some heavy rain prevailed the
next day for her excursion from Whitehaven to Douglas and the Calf of Man but
there was a marked improvement on the Saturday for another trip from the
Cumbrian port to the Isle of Man- though sea conditions prevented a
circumnavigation of the island. Instead she cruised the sheltered east side of
the island and it was encouraging to note that almost 1000 passengers were
carried over that day.
Balmoral then sailed overnight to North
Wales-anchoring in Red Wharf Bay to await her Menai Straits pilot who guided
the ship to Menai Bridge and Caernarfon piers. Some 620 passengers enjoyed a Sunday
cruise around the island of Anglesey in bright and sunny conditions before the
vessel once again set off on an overnight passage back to her 'home waters' of
the Bristol Channel. She locked into Avonmouth the following morning and made
preparations for her main summer season on the Channel. Her first trip was from
Lydney and Sharpness, with a good turnout of folk on what was a rather
unpleasant day weather-wise. Conditions improved markedly on the Wednesday for
a well-supported sailing from Briton Ferry and Porthcawl over to North Devon
and though there was some heavy rain the next morning it soon cleared for an
excursion from Minehead to Ilfracombe and Lundy. Sea conditions ruled out a
landing but a circumnavigation of the island was offered along with a coastal
cruise with exceptionally close views of Clovelly, Woolacombe and Combe Martin!
Over the weekend a series of trips were offered from Up-Channel ports, all of
which were very well supported : on the Friday from Newport, on the Saturday
from Bristol and Clevedon and on the Sunday from Clevedon- all calling at
Penarth en-route to Ilfracombe. In addition an afternoon cruise was operated
out of Ilfracombe on the Friday (again with close-up views of Combe Martin) and
that evening there was also a "Showboat" from Penarth and Clevedon.
On the Sunday the motor vessel made her first call of the season at Lundy
Island and landed almost 400 visitors in idyllic conditions.
On Monday 22nd August Balmoral sailed from
Porthcawl in warm and sunny weather, but with very few passengers. The
following day, however, she carried almost a full complement from Swansea to
Ilfracombe and with a very respectable loading out to Lundy- again in idyllic conditions.
On the next two days the ship operated out of Penarth and Clevedon to Bristol
and with cruises to the City Docks and Rivers Severn and Wye respectively-
again with good numbers of passengers (and torrential rain on the Wednesday
afternoon!). Friday 26th August was a very wet day and it became progressively
colder- putting a dampener on the annual 'pirates and princesses day’. Sea
conditions were also deteriorating and the ship was forced to turn back when on
light passage to Swansea the next morning, with the cancellation of the whole
day's programme. An improvement had set in by Sunday morning but worsening
conditions during the afternoon led to calls at Weston being ruled out:
passengers were coached to and from Clevedon, with the ship waiting at anchor
for their arrival (and a knock-on effect
being the cancellation of her evening trips).
Bank Holiday Monday dawned fair and passengers
turned out in good numbers for an excursion from Newport, Penarth and Clevedon
to Ilfracombe; particularly popular was the add-on of a steam train trip to
Minehead. The weather remained settled over the following days with the ship
sailing from Porthcawl to Ilfracombe and along Devon's Exmoor coast on the Tuesday
and from Lydney and Sharpness to Ilfracombe on the last day of the month. With
almost 600 passengers on board upon leaving Sharpness and a remarkably close-in
cruise along the Glamorgan Heritage Coast on the return leg August finished on
a ‘high’.