With the river slowly rising at Echuca, PS Britannia has managed to get in and out of Wet dock. We went out for a run to Echuca East Boat ramp and return Monday afternoon, and all went very nice. Engine very quiet and also the chain drive. Just a few leaks fron the paddleboxes into the kitchen!

PS Britannia departed Echuca 6am this morning, planning on getting through Torrumbarry Lock this afternoon and head on downstream!

Just a short trip?  Or have they decided to see where they end up?

The river dropped, so there stuck at Torrumbarry Weir

Had a nice view from Moama beach, see my album or please explain how to put photos here

Awesome page everyone, I love it. Keep up the info, doesnt get much better then this!

Two boats set out from the Echuca area in Feb.09 to reach an April event in Murray Bridge (SA): NHMA's national machinery exhibition.
As at the start of March, despite all of the doom & gloom low water levels on which newspapers dwell, they had got through the tricky NSW sections and reached Mildura.  The boats are PS James Maiden and PV Florence Annie, voyaging in tandem.
They are now into guaranteed navigation, but won't reach Murray Bridge: lock 1 is closed for maintenance.
PS Marion is cruising (with passengers) from Mannum on Wed.1.4 to position for the event, and will run cruises there.  It heads upriver again on Mon.6.4.
I will be there with Jessie II.  After a lot of replanning, I will launch above Mannum, and cruise for 5 h to get there.  I will return on Monday, chasing Marion.

See: www.nationalrally2009.com.au

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

The James Maiden seemed to be quite ugly last time i saw it. hope it isnt now! The River at echuca is slowly falling after the spring flushout. Echuca is going to see quite a lot of tourists these school holidays. I think that the 'echuca way of life' as i call it. is the best y=thing in the whole world, i wish i could live up there for ever, but im stuck next to the stupid sea! hope all's well there!

Clark XD

And finally, Michaels's latest project - the P.V. Sundowner, and we all know where she is.



[/quote]

Where is she?

went to the easter sailpast, fireworks didn't seem right at the end, i think something went wrong.
the boats that were in it were-
Henry Charles,
Perricoota,
Ranger,
Emmylou,
Pevensey,
Adelaide,
Hero,
Canberra,
Pride of The Murray
Barmah,
Amelia Jane
and the Mary Ann




Great to see the Henry Charles running, whistle sounds a bit like the canberra
The Adelaide used its awesome whistle, it should use it all the time,
Does anyone know why the Alexander Arbuthnot was not in it?? i cant find out from anyone


Thanks


Clark

Thanks for the Echuca parade report: there are nine steamers in that list of 12 participants.
I had to stay home and work on two issues all Easter, to compensate for week on SA water.
I don't recall ever having seen Barmah in steam; it would have been good to be present.
Were the fireworks Saturday night?

It could be that AA is under maintenance, or it could be that the port ran out of crew.

To answer the question from the preceding post:
'And finally, Michaels's latest project - PV Sundowner, and we all know where she is.
Where is she?'.
At this location: www.paddleducks.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=3324.15

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

The Barmah's whistle is awful, it sounds like there is something trying to escape but cant, not loud at all. And the port could not find anyone to run the AA so looks like they need a few more people.

Apparently Ivy May (or Ivy Way, sign might have been flipped around) was in Echuca over the easter weekend, didnt see it personally but my friend took some pics of it, it looks like a shed on a boat.


Clark

Sundowner is about 50km away from the river in a paddock!
I was on Perricoota for the sailpast, I don't think they had enough crew to run the AA.
IVY May was moored above Hero's mooring during the sailpast, didn't go in parade, bit slow!

omg i didnt see the Ivy May, next year i am so going on a boat instead of sitting on the bank

One method of being aboard a boat is not to describe the whistle as 'horrible', or the superstructure as 'like a shed'.
Boats are like women: never criticise another man's wife, or his boat.

It was interesting that Mary Ann was in the parade: not paddle.  My own boat is inelegible on the count.
IIRC the only parade which I have attended was aboard PS Canberra, with Michael steering, including his first round up on a boat of that size.  He was able to do it simply by turning the wheel; the river was suficiently wide.  A common Echuca technique now is to stick the bow (for a downstream turn) or stern (for an upstream turn) into the bank, and let the current bring the other end around.  I have admired Pevensey skippers doing that near Echuca, but the best example was aboard a smaller paddlesteamer, in the narrows section above Barmah.

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor