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ALL ABOARD PADDLE STEAMER WAVERLEY
Passengers
join Waverley by gangways on to her promenade deck, where there are
fore and aft shelters. The aft shelter houses a small tea and coffee
servery and the purser's office is nearby. Above the aft deck shelter
is the observation deck, accessed by a stairway behind the deck
shelter. The bridge,which includes the wheelhouse and the captain's
accommodation behind, is above the forward saloon and is restricted to
crew access only. There are stairs (companionways) down to the main
deck level from both deck shelters. On the main deck there is a bar
forward and a restaurant aft. Amidships is the boiler room and the
engine room, The latter is open for the public to see the magnificent
steam engines in action. In the spaces close to the paddles can be
found male and fremale toilets. The Souvenir Shop is a kiosk close to
the entrance to the restaurant aft. On the port side of the entrance
are stairs to a second bar on the lower deck. other spaces are given
over to crew accommodation and storage. Now go for a photographic tour
of the
ship.
This
photo of Waverley in 2012 is by kind courtesy of Kenny Whyte
THE PROMENADE DECK and OBSERVATION DECK
Follow the link near the bottom of the page to go down to the Main Deck and the Lower Deck
Gangways are normally placed on the sponson above
the paddle box, but depending on the state of the tide, access may
be directly from the promenade deck. Passengers will join the ship
amidships, near the funnels. The brown vertical stack with grille
is one of the many air intakes to allow cooling air to get to the
main deck. A favoured place for some to sit is by the aft funnel
casing which houses the exhaust from the boiler below and can provide
welcome warmth on a chilly day.
The ship's captain on the starboard wing of the
bridge oversees passenger loading at Minehead in 2011. The bridge
is above the forward deck shelter and comprises the wheelhouse with
all the required navigational equipment and the captain's cabin
behind. Two lifeboats remain but the bulk of life-saving apparatus
is inflatable rafts (in foreground) as well as life jackets and
some remaining buoyant seating
The bridge deck is accessed by a stairway behind
the deck shelter. In recent years the stairway has been enclosed
by a metal "cage" with access controlled by a combination
lock. This is to comply with the latest security regulations applicable
to sea-going vessels
The forward deck shelter is fitted with comortable
double leather seating and traditional movable "Lloyd Loom"chairs.
The large observation windows make this the prime area for viewing
the passing scenery from inside the ship
The promemade deck ahead of the deck shelter is
open to the public for seating
The prow is reserved for use by the crew and
features a steam winch for ropes and anchor. There is also a stairway
(bottom right) to crew areas on the main deck
The aft deck shelter, with the observation deck
above appears to be either made of wood or wood-faced. In fact it
is painted in a woodgrain effect, called scumbling. This effect
was reintroduced after the Millenium Rebuild. In her first season
her deckhouses were brown, but for most of her life they had been
painted white. The window to the right ventilates the purser's office.
The white object to the left opens out to become life-saving rafts
At the forward end of the aft deck shelter behind
the funnels is the Purser's Office, where tickets can be bought
and vouchers exchanged. There are displays for important information
and for publicity brochures
The aft deck shelter now includes a small servery
for tea, coffee, soft drinks and light snacks
Behind the deck shelter are two ventilation hatches
to allow heat to escape from the engine room below. These are a
modern addition - and most welcome to the engineers. The brass plaque
commemorates the earlier PS Waverley of 1899 which was sunk during
the Dunkirk evacuations in 1940
The observation deck is accessed by a stairway
behind the aft deck shelter
The main deck seen from the observation deck above
the aft deck shelter. In this view taken in 2011, a good view is
afforded of passengers boarding at the isle of Bute resort, Rothesay
The observation deck is invariably packed on a
calm and hot day, but in wet and windy conditions it is the haunt
of only the hardiest of passengers.The amount of space available
has improved over the years, with the removal of the two lifebaots
and the relocation of what became a large storage area for life-saving
equipment
Like the forward end, there is plenty of outside
seating aft, with the stern reserved for rope handling and an auxiliary
tiller. The large wooden construction in the centre shields a stairway
down to crew quarters on the main deck. This view was taken in 2009,
with
Waverley having passed the island of Flat Holm in the Bristol Channel
Go
down to Waverley's Main Deck
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