Introduction

Each year, Whitstable receives an honoured maritime guest in the form of The Waverley - the last sea going paddle steamer in the world.

As you may know, the vessel operates pleasure cruises around the coast of Britain and visits Whitstable on a handful of occasions during the summer months. On 2nd October 2004, we were the proud owners of tickets for a trip up the Thames from the harbour! The excursion left town at 3.30 pm and arrived at Tower Bridge in darkness at 8.30 pm. The return journey was made by coach.  

This article traces the journey and includes some 20 photos of both the ship and the landmarks passed en route to the Pool of London. It all started at the harbour's West quay. The captain had parked the ship neatly and some rather large passengers were causing a slight list to the straboard side as they mounted the gangplank.... 

Well, it was soon after dinner.... and, anyway, the list was hardly noticeable from the quayside.....

.... and even less noticeable from the upper deck....

On the stroke of 3.30 pm, the ship backed out of the harbour.... 

....  reversed across the front of  Reeves Beach....

.... and made headway out of the harbour channel.....

After a quick glance westward towards Tankerton Slopes,......

.... we were on our way into the Thames Estuary with the harbour becoming an increasingly distant memory....

To begin with, it was familiar territory for a Whitstable Native... with the Red Sands Forts to starboard... and the coastline of Sheppey on the port side. 

However, the Waverley was surprisingly swift and, soon, we were passing the Isle of Grain and crossing the mouth of the Medway as the Autumn sun weaved patterns on a silver sea..... 

This was uncharted territory for a Man of Kent.... with Essex looming to the right  Our first port of call was coming up... the very tip of Southend pier....

Mind you... our flag was a shock. Wasn't that the Cross of St. Andrew on our pointed bit (bow)? It must have been a flag of convenience... or something to do with the fact that The Waverley originates from Scotland and is registered in Glasgow. However, the Red Duster was flying at the back (stern) and, so, all was well!

As for Southend itself, we didn't actually get that close as, despite the ravages of time and tide, the pier had retained its full 7,000 ft length along with its famous tramway. Curiously, Southend lifeboat station balanced precariously at the end the structure.

After a short delay, we were on our way west again but, as the ship entered the mouth of the Thames, light was fading. This was not the most attractive stretch of water in the world but the refineries and chemical plants of Canvey Island to the north provided a dour but interesting skyline....

Ahead of our disconcerting flag, the sun was setting .....

... and, the flimsy silhouette of the Queen Elizabeth II bridge was about to tower above us at Dartford...

But not all scenes were anticipated. There were surprises like this one....

Remember dear old Radio Caroline - the pirate radio station that brought the sounds of the sixties to the shores of North Kent from a small ship in the North Sea? (For details, visit the web site www.radiocaroline.co.uk Suddenly, our trip on the Waverley was combining history and modern day life in a cocktail that both fascinated and enthralled.

It was now time for an evening meal - good old English seafaring fare from the Waverley's utilitarian restaurant. After finishing my chilli con carne and rice, I returned to the deck to join the many other replete passengers. In fact, by then, we were so replete that the cap'n wisely requested that we spread ourselves around the deck rather than occupy one side of the vessel. I suppose, with a paddle each side of the slender hull, any substantial list would have caused us to go round in circles and become a hazard to shipping in the approaches to London docks. Besides, we still had a many things to see.

The Thames Barrier appeared like Chinese Lanterns strung from the inky depths of the banks. 

.... quickly followed by the multi-coloured, patchwork quilt of  Canary Wharf rising like a mini-Manhatten from the ashes of London's docklands......

This was one of the most spectacular scenes that we encountered on the Thames. With the river looping frantically around the capital's celebrated commercial hub, the buildings remained on the starboard side for an eternity as passengers enjoyed a panorama of some 270 degrees.

Close by, the straightlaced frontage of the British Maritime Museum provided a sobering touch at Greenwich.......

By now, a fine drizzle was spattering the camera lens and a wet chill had eaten into fingers and toes. Nevertheless, the deck became increasingly crammed as the chilli ran out below and yet more of London's sights were unveiled aloft.

However, amidst the splendour, the unlit Millennium Dome sat like a forlorn hermit crab that had lost its legs and was destined for nowhere.... barely visible and hardly photographable. Sadly, it was a structure built to be forgotten before it had time to be remembered. So gloomy was the scene that our automatic camera stubbornly refused to record our passing.

The same cannot be said of the sight that finally loomed from behind a bend in the river..... Tower Bridge. 

The Waverley paused momentarily for "the man in the bridge" to do the biz..... and a ripple of applause spread through the ship as the bridge opened.... for us... and just for us. Daft it might sound but spontaneous it was.

Of course, as a commuter for over 20 years, I had seen this particular landmark from Cannon Street station on so many occasions and I had driven across it a few times. However, passing under it at night provided a totally different insight into the magnitude and splendour of the architecture.  

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