Waverley paddle steamer's first-ever epic 1,300-mile east coast voyage to beat bad weather
Veteran vessel en route from Ayr to Cornwall the long way round
The historic paddle steamer Waverley is sailing to the south coast of England via the east coast for the first time because of forecast bad weather in the west.
The Glasgow-based vessel reached Dundee to refuel on Wednesday en route to its annual sailing programme in Cornwall, Devon, Hampshire, Sussex and London.
It also the first time the 78-year-old ship has visited Dundee since 1982, with its last east coast trip being as far as Great Yarmouth in Norfolk in 2003.
This week’s 1,300-mile voyage comes as operator Waverley Excursions told The Scotsman that passenger numbers in July had reached their highest for 12 years.
Bookings in August topped 33,000 compared to 29,490 last year, with the last three sailings on the Clyde sold out last weekend.
The vessel, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary of being saved for preservation, left Ayr on Monday evening, reaching Kyle of Lochalsh on Tuesday morning, then rounding Cape Wrath on the north west tip of the mainland shortly before 5pm.
Waverley Excursions general manager Paul Semple said: “It’s the first time she has ever completed the relocation journey from the Clyde to the south coast this way round Great Britain. It was 2003 she was last over the top of Scotland.
“If weather and sea conditions permit, she will be well along the south coast by Friday morning.
“The initial intention was for Waverley to make her usual transit from the Clyde to the south west by steaming down the Irish Sea and rounding Land’s End.
“However, given the forecast strength of winds and predicted severe swell off Land’s End in the coming days the decision was made to go, what can only be described as the long way round”.
The steamer will travel more than twice as far as on its normal west coast route of 480 miles to Falmouth in Cornwall, using an extra 30,000 litres costing at least £20,000.
Mr Semple said: “The change of route resulted from the possibility of either having to cancel most, or all, of the south west sailings or arriving late in the hope that some sailings could go ahead as planned to avoid disappointing several thousand passengers that are booked to sail.”
Waverley’s route passed Ardnamurchan, under the Skye Bridge, then east of the Crowlin Islands, past Gairloch and the Old Man of Stoer sea stack north of Lochinver.
The steamer rounded the most northerly point of the mainland at Dunnet Head on Tuesday evening.
Waverley’s five-month summer season was launched in May following £1.1 million of work on the ship over the winter including an annual overhaul in dry dock in Greenock.
The ship will call at 74 ports and piers across the UK and returns to Glasgow for two final cruises on October 18 and 19.
The steamer was saved for preservation when operator CalMac gifted the ship for a nominal £1 to the Waverley Steam Navigation Company in 1974, which was set up by the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society. It resumed sailings the following year.
CalMac had withdrawn the steamer from service in 1973 after it had operated cruises in the Clyde and ferry services since its maiden voyage to Arrochar in 1947.
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