Waverley Paddlestreamer - Whitstable to Tower Bridge 7 October

Above: After leaving Whitstable, the Waverley's first port of call is Southend where it docks at the very tip of the famous pier. The curious building on the right is one of Southend's two lifeboat stations. The other is shore based.  

Below: As the Waverley leaves Southend, we see the curious shape of the pier. Whilst much of the structure juts out at right angles to the shoreline, the end section is angled to form a "hook appearance". This facilitates docking.... and docking was one of the original reasons for the pier. Remember that the sea is shallow at Southend and, at low tide, it recedes by almost a mile. The pier enabled the town to receive visits from pleasure ships at all times and to compete with other estuary resorts such as Margate. The RNLI use the pier for similar reasons. They can launch their lifeboats at all times of the day.  

Above: It is difficult to show the entire pier from sea level. However, although somewhat fuzzy, this attempt gives some idea of its phenomenal length. It stretches some 7080 ft into the Thames estuary and is the longest structure of its kind in the world. 

Above and Below: The section of Thames between Southend and Woolwich is fascinating.... but, pretty, it ain't. We are now passing the industrial area of places such as Canvey Island with its refineries, petrochemical works and docks. 

Above : The Waverley produces a smooth ride.... thanks to its paddles and these immaculately maintained engines.

Above and Below: Although the countryside is relatively bleak at this point, there is much to see on the Thames itself with a variety of craft plying its trade on the waters. 

Above and Below: Dartford provides the first really spectacular scene... the Queen Elizabeth II suspension bridge. This carries the M25 orbital road over the important shipping lanes of London.

Above : Despite the nearby QEII bridge and various tunnels, the good folk of Woolwich still find it convenient to hop across the river by boat. Thus, the Woolwich Ferry still handles a fair bit of business. Of course, the ferry boats look nothing like the ones I remember from 55 years ago! 

Above : The Waverley passes through the Thames Flood Barrier. This comprises a series of turrets between which gates can be rotated into position when a flood threatens from the North Sea. The photo above shows the centre gate in its closed position. The other gates are open... which is just as well as the Waverley needs to make progress.

The barrier protects 125 square kilometres of low lying land in London and 1,250,000 Londoners. It also protects the UK's key centres of government and finance. Of course, it may not do Whitstable many favours during a storm surge as all that water has to go somewhere in the Thames estuary!!!