THINGS THAT FLOAT

 

 

                      A traditional British trawler departs Lowestoft in September 1962 - The swing-bridge over the main road through the town centre has been opened for its seaward passage

 

My transport interests are very broad and generally encompass anything that moves. We've already got Planes & Trains on the site so why not, I thought, include some boats (and,for the purist, Ships too!). There's not going to be any knowledge, technical or otherwise from me here - I just take a photo now and then of something nautical large or small so this is a real mixture of some of the things I've seen on the water over the years that I hope will be of some interest to someone somewhere.

 

 

Fast forward some 45 years - No doubt full of cheap and cheerful greenhouse gas producing trinkets from the world's latest developing economies, and in stark contrast to the above, this massive container vessel was seen entering Southampton Water in May 2007. It's anybody's guess how many containers are on board here but if the ill-fated Napoli is any guide then its bound to be two thousand plus!

 

 

 

The long and the short of it! - two shots to illustrate the ever popular pastime in the UK of boating about in mess (sorry! messing about in boats) aka river & canal cruising. The first photo is at Stratford-on-Avon and the second is on the River Nene at Fotheringhay with the picturesque and famous church in the background. In certain very still conditions a full inverted reflection of this edifice appears in the river

 

 

 

The canals were of course built for more serious stuff, the transport of goods, and this has always continued in a small way. These two shots are of a working boat getting sorted through the long staircase of locks at Foxton Leicestershire. These shots are from the 1980s but I well remember an earlier visit here during the long 'drought' of 1976 when passage here was impossible. Some of the locks literally had no water in them!

 

 

Purely for pleasure again, but nevertheless still transport! Oulton Broad near Lowestoft in 1984 with stormy weather threatening

 

 

As history records the Hovercraft was a clever British invention that far too few people took seriously in its early days. It later proved its worth in may ways including military uses but sadly are not much in evidence now. This view, from about 1993 shows one of those which plied to and from Ryde Isle of Wight at that time. Somewhat larger car carrying versions crossed the English Channel to and from France regularly and reliably for years. Strictly speaking they don't actually float do they, so should this be on this page?

 

 

Here's the more up to date version, it might actually be a hydrofoil or catamaran, spied arriving back at Southampton in May 2007

 

 

In the days before privatisation and the Channel Tunnel the Anglo-French Sealink partnership worked  very well on cross-channel services. this is the French boat Cote D'Azur leaving Dover

 

 

This old rustbucket was seen departing Calais in 1983 - It certainly  wasn't  a trawler?  so what was it? - anyway it was named FRANCOIS LEVERDUE

 

 

Again at Dover, Townsend Thoresen Car Ferry type vessel

 

 

                                             Vehicle & passenger ferry Fishguard - Rosslare. Another storm brews as she leaves Fishguard Harbour in 2004

 

 

 

LAKE GARDA FERRIES ETC - 1999

 

 

 

 

 

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1987 - The railway station at the charming Austrian resort of Halstatt is on the opposite side of the lake and this little water taxi met trains

 

 

Typical of the lake cruise and ferry vessels on the Wolfgangsee - 1987

 

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PADDLE STEAMER SELECTION

 

 

This superb example, LUDWIG FESSLER, was built in 1926 by someone with the unfortunate name of Hitzler. Seen in 1965 plying on the Chiemsee in Bavaria which it is still doing today  albeit nowadays unfortunately powered by diesel engines

 

 

Its companion at this time was the smaller and somewhat older LUITPOLD built in 1887 I believe. This was taken out of use only a few years later in 1969.

 

 

On Lake Lucerne - 2000

 

 

In, I think the early 1980s PS TATTERSHALL CASTLE of 1934 (ex-Humber Hull-Grimsby ferry made redundant by the Humber Bridge) began a retirement as a floating restaurant on the Thames near Charing Cross. - Sadly commercial interests have prevailed over history and she was given a major rebuild a few years ago losing her paddlewheels and having other changes that have altered her appearance completely. I believe she is now dark blue or grey all over.

 

Could this be her?, or perhaps I'm actually on board and this is another very similar. I snapped this when crossing from Hull to Grimsby in 1964

 

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PS RYDE Isle of Wight Paddle Steamer in just about its last year (1970)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The caption says it all. This is from a hundred year old commercial postcard so I apologise if anyone out there still owns the copyright