PS MEDWAY Queen is back in Gillingham, having returned ‘home’ on Friday January 7 behind her usual tug Christine, aided by the smaller Nipashore.
She was towed to Ramsgate in the summer of 2021, primarily to have the hull inspected and repainted. The Medway Queen Preservation Society (MQPS) board also decided to get other work done while the ship was in a safer working environment, most noticeably the promenade deck rails.
Extra work has meant extra cost and a longer spell in dockyard hands than originally envisaged. That additional cost has been partly alleviated by the Saturday Team. While she was in Ramsgate Mark and Pam Bathurst, together with other team members, set up an information table near the ship to collect donations, sell books, give out information and recruit new members – with considerable success. In 2022, however, additional efforts will have to be made to increase revenue and donations from all sources.
Medway Queen now looks magnificent in her new coats of paint, with the signwriting and lining out complete. The Saturday Team plan to open to the public once more from February onwards, date to be announced. She’ll be open on Saturdays from 11am to 4pm (last admissions 3pm) with the Memories of Dunkirk exhibition in the lower aft saloon.
www.medwayqueen.co.uk
