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Published:
July 28, 2006
Historic
Balmoral ship glides past Burnham-On-Sea
Walkers
along Burnham-On-Sea's Esplanade were treated to a glimpse of
an historic 50 year-old ship as it glided past the town on Friday
morning (July 28th).
 The
Balmoral was on its annual trip up the River Parrett to Dunball,
near Bridgwater, to collect 236 people booked on an excursion
to Penarth in Wales.
It
was met in Burnham by Harbour Master Peter Lee and docked in Dunball
at around 8.30am before setting sail a few minutes later with
its passengers onboard.
 The
historic ship was built in Southampton in 1949 and operated under
the Southampton Red Funnel Fleet for 20 years.
She
then moved round to the Bristol Channel where she became the last
member of P&A Campbell's famous White Funnel Fleet. When they
ceased operation in 1980, Balmoral moved to Dundee to become a
floating restaurant, and there she stood, gradually falling into
disrepair until she was rescued by the friends and supporters
of the Waverley.
 She
returned to service in 1986 and to this day operates her main
summer season in the Bristol Channel, offering day excursions
to popular coastal resorts, as well as making visits to other
ports and piers throughout the UK in the spring and autumn.
 In
Winter 2002,the Balmoral was fitted with new engines. The project
was dependent on nearly £150,000 being raised through the
help of the public sector and local councils, supporter societies
and on-board fundraising activities which in turn secured a further
£750,000 contribution from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
The
money was used to replace the engines but has also helped carry
out additional improvements to enhance passenger comfort. The
Balmoral can accommodate up to 750 passengers and has a self-serve
restaurant on-board along with two licensed bars, heated observation
lounge and souvenir shop.
The
ship returned to Dunball, passing Burnham again, at around 8.20pm
on Friday evening.
RELATED
LINKS:
What's On in Burnham-On-Sea
Waverley
Cruises
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