It may not have been typical June weather but some friends and I boarded the Waverley last night for her annual Midsummer Evening Cruise.
The excursion waiting room.
The Waverley sails into Helensburgh on a driech night.
The last remaining seagoing paddle steamer also has an annual event in the struggle that it has to remain afloat financially. With the rise in fuel prices, the old girl costs a whopping £8 per minute in fuel costs alone. The crisis is so acute that there is real concern that this may be her final season on the Clyde.
It was heartening therefore to see so many people on board on such a wet night.
When you see the sheer beauty of the motion of the engine, it puts the cost into some perspective. There are probably better quality vids of the engine on Youtube but I took this one with the iPod last night:
We managed a look at the scenery between showers;
Carrick Castle, Loch Goil
An ElephantCanKeepDry!
It was a good night and I hope whatever the weather, people are still queuing up to board the fine vessel that is the Waverley for years to come.
Filed under: Helensburgh | Tagged: blairmore, carrick castle, loch long, paddle steamer, the waverley |
Hear hear.
Even when I was a schoolboy way back in 1972 there was talk of ‘saving the Waverley’ and one of my contemporaries was so mad keen that he was nicknamed ‘Paddles’. He was one of the founders of the Preservation Society that bought the ship from CalMac. It’s a real tribute to the devotion and hard work of so many people that she’s still afloat and carrying passengers 40 years later.
We were considering this voyage but the weather (plus choir rehearsal) put us off. Will probably go on the Jazz Showboaty thing on July 01 (?), though.
Aye, Rab, the night was near as dreich as your spelling.
But pleased that you managed to snap my good side.
The first photo made it look like the OAP’s trip doon the watter. I love the smell down in the engine room and the beauty of the engine. We have a small paddle ship here in Toronto, it was a former ferry boat to Toronto Island that was allowed to deteriorate until (like the Waverly) enthusiasts restored it. It is now used for summer cruises. It is like a mini version of the Waverly but of course is not “sea going”