Doon the watter ..

… historically, Glasgow dialect for a day trip down the River Clyde on a steamer, to escape from factories and shipyards for a day of fresh air and beautiful scenery on the way to coastal towns such as Rothesay and Dunoon.

This is the engine room of PS Waverly, the last seagoing, passenger-carrying, paddle steamer in the world.  It is named after Sir Walter Scott’s first novel and was built in 1946 to replace a PS Waverly that was built in 1899, served as a mine-sweeper in the Second World War and was sunk in 1940 while helping to evacuate troops from Dunkirk.   From 1946 the new PS Waverly sailed from Craigendorn on the Firth of Clyde to Arrochar on Loch Long, but when holiday habits began to change in the 1950s and 1960s there was a gradual decline in passenger numbers and many of the small piers closed.  In 1973 the steamer was bought by the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society and was restored to her 1947 appearance and now carries passengers on excursions around the coast of Britain.  Since 2003 Waverly has been recognised by National Historic Ships UK as “a vessel of pre-eminent national importance”.   Despite the chill wind, the steamer was fairly busy, with several foreign passengers enjoying the sail down the Clyde to Greenock, passing the transatlantic cruise ship, Queen Mary 2, Cunard Line’s current flagship. 
My biggest mistake was not checking the battery on my camera, which was flat, and then having to use my phone - which didn't do the day justice.