Launched from the Glasgow yard of A. & J. Inglis in August 1946, the Waverley set sail for the first time on June 16 of the following year.
After 36 years in revenue-earning service with the LNER, the Caledonian Steam Packet and Caledonian MacBrayne, the Waverley was famously sold to the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society for £1 in 1974, and sailed in preservation for the first time in May 1975. And while she's been a familiar sight on the Clyde every summer since then, her heady combination of beauty, workmanship and vibrant nostalgia continues to turn heads, and attract plenty of passengers, as she evokes the golden age of steamer travel on the Clyde. Any time you step on board, you can see the joy she brings to people of all ages as families, senior citizens, and long standing enthusiasts set out for a sail - no matter the weather.
My memories of the famous paddle steamer go back to the sense of wonder I felt when I went on a family outing in the early 1980s. I remember being on board when Andy Cameron did his popular Radio Scotland request show live on board the ship in 1984, and can recall visiting the likes of Tarbert and Tighnabruaich, which made it apt that I set out on the same journey 40 years later. The prospects for the day looked somewhat ominous as we set sail at 11.
45am, heading towards Bute and then passing Colintraive and threading our way through the famous narrows of the Kyles of Bute on the way to Tighnabruaich. In addition to the stunning scenery, there.
