PSV Waverley

The PSV Waverley leaving the Custom House Quay in Greenock on her Saturday cruise "doon the watter" which includes visits to Helensburgh, Dunoon, Rothesay and Tignabruaich. I always get a great pleasure when I see the Waverley on her regular summer season on the Clyde.

The Waverley was built at the Pointhouse yard of A & J Inglis, at the mouth of the River Kelvin, and was launched in 1946. She is powered by a steam, triple-expansion, three-crank diagonal engine whose powerful action impresses all who sail on her, enthusiast and first-timers alike. Surprisingly quiet, she sails at about 14.5 knots. She was originally part of London and North Eastern Railway’s fleet, sailing a regular route between Arrochar and Craigendoran in the Firth of Clyde. Escalating running costs meant she was retired from commercial operation in 1974 and was rescued from the scrapyard, being bought for just £1 by the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society. Specialists and dedicated volunteers have restored her to her original condition, with the help of £7m grants from sources including the Heritage Lottery Fund, and she now operates each summer from Glasgow and around the British coast.

The Waverley is not only the last Clyde paddle steamer built, but also the last sea-going paddle steamer operational in the world.