“You’ll never see corners of the Clyde again if it wasn’t for the Waverley,” Iain Quinn says as the 80-year-old paddle steamer makes her way back to Glasgow along the Clyde.
“You’re never going to do this on anything else.
“If the Waverley stopped running, that would be the end of the show.
“It’s the last that will ever do this sort of thing.
“She’s a very special lady."
Iain, commentator on the world’s last seagoing paddle steamer, has been a volunteer since 1987, though the 60-year-old's memories of the ship go further back than that.
“I was a lot younger than that when I started sailing on the Waverley and her contemporaries,” he explained following a day trip with stops at Dunoon and Rothesay, as well as a sail up Loch Striven.
“I got on at Dunoon a lot and I could go on my own from there because my mum and dad would see me on and tell me not to move until I got off again.
“It’s been part of my life all the time.”
While sailing, Iain tells guests the history of the Waverley and the Clyde’s shipyards, as well as carrying out quartermaster duties, using the helm to berth her at piers.
“It’s special for me because I know the Clyde well,” Iain says of the commentary.
“[The berthing] is something people see but they don’t know who does it, but the commentary is something they can have an affinity with because they can see the person doing it.
“It seems to go down well and there’s a lot to tell them.”
On October 2, the Waverley will celebrate the 80th anniversary of her launch in 1946 as the last steamer built for the London & North Eastern Railway.
She was built at the A & J Inglis shipyard in Glasgow and launched by Lady Matthews, wife of the LNER chairman.
As she reaches the milestone, Iain says he “would hate to think that a day comes when the Waverley will no longer be”.
“If you’ve never done the Waverley in any way or seen the Waverley and you’ve been thinking ‘I must do it’ then do it, don’t put it off because there might be no tomorrow,” he said.
“Every day the Waverley sails is a golden day, and it could come to an end sometime, even though we hope it never does.”
Andrew Comrie joined the Waverley in 2021 after seeing a job opening for a purser.
Having just completed a degree in history and politics at Strathclyde University, he says he didn’t plan on becoming a seafarer but it's a “privilege” to work on the ship.
“She’s been a part of my life for its entirety,” the 27-year-old explained.
“I used to spend holidays down in the Firth of Clyde, mainly in Rothesay but I also had day trips to Arran, Millport and Dunoon, and the Waverley always featured in the background somewhere during the summer.
“And I took many trips on board as well.”
He continued: “I’ve always known the ship and I’ve always loved it.
“It runs in my blood a little bit as it does for so many Glaswegians.
“She’s always been a part of my life and to be able to work on this ship is an absolute privilege.”
A small fuel surcharge was introduced in 2026 on adult and senior fares due to fuel prices being much higher this season compared to 2025.
The overall increase in fuel costs is expected to be more than £300,000 across the sailing season, with it costing between £11 and £12 per minute to sail the Waverley.
Andrew’s role as purser means he is responsible for ticketing and all the revenue on board, as well as embarkation and disembarkation.
“When the ship’s busy and she’s successful and she turns heads wherever she goes, not just here on the Clyde but all around the country, there’s a real sense of pride,” Andrew said.
“She can be really successful if the coastal communities that she serves come out and support her.
“She represents something of the past and if this ship were ever to stop sailing, Glasgow and the Clyde would lose something that’s been a part of the river and the firth for over 200 years now and it wouldn’t be coming back.
“I think it’s really important we keep the Waverley sailing and the way to do that is for people to support the ship by coming aboard and hopefully having a very nice time.”
Jocelyn Markland, from Glasgow, is one such person who was out supporting the Waverley, taking a day trip with her friend Jen Macintyre.
Jocelyn first sailed on the paddle steamer 15 years ago out of Mallaig, and was making her second visit to the boat, spending the whole day on board.
“It’s been lovely,” she said.
“We’ve moved from one side to the other depending on where the sun is.
“We had fish and chips, we had coffee, tea and cake.”
She continued: “Going up Loch Striven was lovely.
“I’m the sort of person that likes it in quiet, lonely places.”
Jocelyn agreed the history of the Waverley is what makes it such a special day out.
“I go on boats a lot, but its age is amazing,” she said.
“I’m fascinated by the lack of technical stuff on the boat compared to CalMac boats which are all really up to date.
“Here, the guys have to jump up and down all over the place.”
The Waverley’s 2026 sailing season runs until Sunday, October 18.
You can find out more or book tickets at waverleyexcursions.co.uk
