Following a heavy contact with the breakwater berth at Dunoon in blustery conditions on the first day of her regular Clyde summer sailings (26th June 2009) it was necessary to take Waverley out of service for repair to her port, forward sponson. Fortunally, the Garvel Drydock company at Greenock was able to commence repairs immediately and the ship arrived in the adjacent berth at Greenock's James Watt Dock a few hours after she had returned her passengers to Glasgow. As all damage was well above the waterline it was not necessary for the ship to be drydocked. A sterling round-the-clock effort and cooperation between Waverley's crew and the staff at Garvel resulted in the ship being ready to re-enter service one week later on Saturday 4th July. The PSPS Scottish Branch thanks both Garvel Drydock and the paddler's dedicated crew for their great efforts to reduce the lost service time and the WEL office staff for their additional work to minimise the loss of revenue. We also thank passengers affected by the disruption for their understanding and support.
Very early on the morning of 4th July Waverley departed James Watt Dock and headed up the River Clyde to her base adjacent to Glasgow Science Centre where she resumed her timetabled service at 10am. The following pictures of the ship's early morning depature from the Dock are presented courtesy of long time Scottish Branch member Alex Russell.
Repairs complete, Waverley prepares to leave James Watt Dock. The colourful vessel Kingdom of Fife was also receiving attention by the Garvel Drydock company,
Waverley canted within the James Watt Dock and headed out into the river with the assistance of the Clyde Marine tug Biter
After a quick turn the paddler heads upriver to resume her summer timetable service - we hope that Waverley will enjoy great support and success through the remainder of the 2009 season so that we can secure a sustainable future for this icon of the Clyde's maritime heritage.
