Any who think that the end of the long coastal excursions by paddle
steamers of yesteryear brought a halt to a trip on the briny may be
surprised to learn that there are still more than eighty vessels with
Maritime and Coastguard Agency passenger certificates offering cruises
on the South Coast today. There are the big beasts taking passengers
across the Channel or to the Channel Islands. There are their more
modest cousins ferrying passengers to the Isle of Wight including the
latest state of the art ferry Victoria of Wight, driven by hybrid
battery technology. Then there is the plethora of smaller local vessels
carrying between twelve and 350 passengers on shorter hops, often
viewing some of the most spectacular South Coast scenery. Take a trip to
Brownsea Island. View the Needles or the Jurassic Coast close up. Glide
down Christchurch Harbour on boats with only 6 inches' draft. Sail from
Weymouth to Portland, passing break-waters and forts on a boat which
delivered guns, ammunition and stores to them in the Second World War.
With pictures and details, this book explores all the passenger vessels
operating today in an area bounded by Weymouth in the west and Newhaven
in the east.
