Waverley met up with Shieldhall off Bournemouth on Sunday 3rd September and in the western approaches to the Solent the following day.
The Southampton based steamship Shieldhall had been staying in Poole for one week and was returning to her home port after visiting the Bournemouth Air Festival. Waverley was enjoying part of her three-week long sailing programme on the South Coast.
The two Scottish built ships put on a great show for their respective passengers with much sounding of steam whistles and sirens as they steamed alongside each other for about an hour. A number of other craft also joined in the parade with the weather providing ideal conditions for the planned rendezvous.
Paul Semple, General Manager of Waverley Excursions, said:
It was fantastic for Waverley to meet up with the Steamship Shieldhall off the Isle of Wight and for both ships to steam side by side with plenty of tooting! Bringing these two wonderful historic Clyde built ships together is something we can all be proud of. Those involved know only too well that maintaining and operating a historic vessel is not for the faint hearted but occasions such as this make it all worthwhile. I must congratulate the Shieldhall team for their achievement in keeping such a fine ship in steam and for their support in arranging such an event with Paddle Steamer Waverley.
Here are some pics taken on 4th September:
Shieldhall concludes her 2023 sailing programme over the weekend of 16/17th September in Southampton, with a Heritage Open Day and the Southampton Boat Show cruises. Tickets and more information can be found at www.ss-shieldhall.co.uk or by calling the Ticket Manager on 023 8155 0242.
Waverley is sailing on the south coast up to and including Wednesday 20th September after which she is offering sailings on the Thames until Sunday 8th October – for information and tickets, please visit www.waverleyexcursions.co.uk or call 0141 243 2224.
Kingswear Castle returned to service in 2023 after the first part of a major rebuild which is designed to set her up for the next 25 years running on the River Dart. The Paddle Steamer Kingswear Castle Trust is now fund raising for the second phase of the rebuild. You can read more about the rebuilds and how you can help if you can here.
John Megoran
