50 years of the paddle steamer bought for £1

Douglas McGowan thought it was a wind-up when he was offered the Waverley paddle steamer for £1.

He was one of a group of young enthusiasts who enjoyed a jaunt out on a paddle steamer in the 70s. But they never thought they would actually own one.

However that is exactly what happened back in 1973 and Scotland’s beloved Waverley, the world’s last seagoing paddle steamer, is still going strong.

She is marking a special milestone of fifty years since the ship ran its first passenger sailings after being taken over as a heritage attraction.

The steamer was first launched on the Clyde in 1946, intended for cruises up Loch Loch and Loch Goil – and she became a familiar sight for generations going “doon the watter” for their holidays.

Now something of a national treasure, Waverley was triumphantly returned to service in 1975 by a very determined group two years after the very cheap purchase.

“I thought it was a wind up at first,” said Mr McGowan from the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society (PSPS) on the offer from Caledonian MacBrayne.

The company had briefly operated the ship before making the £1 offer to the society.

Mr McGowan had to persuade his committee in London that it was a genuine offer and then, he said, “the fun and games started”.

They did not have a really clear idea of what to do with the ship as the offer had been totally unexpected.

But an inspection of the hull showed that it was in decent condition and a public appeal raised £100,000 – a huge sum for the time.

Fifty years on, the Waverley’s 2025 sailing season is now underway. This year she will visit 74 ports and piers around the UK.

“Waverley has witnessed so much change in her lifetime,” said Paul Semple, general manager at Waverley Excursions.

“The river area and the riverside has transformed, yet Waverley has remained”.

Like many involved with the ship, Mr Semple sailed on her as a child. He started work with her as a student summer job in the mid 90s and has never really left.

He said keeping a heritage steam ship running was not easy.

And over the years there have been challenges like repairs, maintenance, new boilers, incidents where she has gone into a pier and Covid.

“Money is a challenge,” Mr Semple said.

“But also the people to work the ship to learn the skills of a paddle steamer to ensure that she’s here for many years to come”.

On the first public sailing of the new season, there is a real air of excitement.

One young boy is celebrating his birthday, and others have childhood memories.

“As a kid it was magic,” said Alistair Quinlan, who was born and brought up in Helensburgh. He remembers family and Sunday school trips on the Waverley.

“The fact that the engines are open,” he added. “Just the sound of it – it is a living playground for young children”.

Another passenger, Diane MacKinnon, explains that her husband was born very nearby.

“He remembers when the river was full of ships like this and everything was really busy on the Clyde,” she said.

The enthusiasts who took over the Waverley more than 50 years ago said they could never have imagined it would be still going strong today.

“The nice thing about Waverley is that she’s not stuffed or mounted in a museum somewhere,” said Douglas McGowan of the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society.

“She’s alive and well and in very good condition”.