Christmas Cruises Completed
Waverley at Anderston Quay 20 December 2000 (Stuart Cameron)
Almost 300 guests were on 'Waverley' for her first ever winter cruise on 19 December 2000. Full credit must go to Ellie Newlands for masterminding the series of pre-Christmas cruises and for the excellent way in which she and her team organised them.
'Waverley' was attractively decorated internally, and she had a Christmas tree, with white fairy lights, on top of her wheelhouse.(The only other Clyde 'steamers' I have noticed with Christmas trees in recent years have been 'Pioneer' and Caledonian Isles').
The catering staff worked very hard, providing waiter/waitress service for three sittings of a most enjoyable festive dinner. The staff in the two bars were just about run off their feet serving 'refreshments' to the happy cruisers.
In command was 'Waverley's' Capt. Graeme Gellatly,and his Chief Officer was Capt.Iain Jamieson. Engineers were Ian McMillan and Ken Henderson, Pursers were Jim McFadzean and Walter Bowie, And Chief Stewards were Craig Peacock and Paul Semple.
It was nice to see that, without exception, every member of the crew, including all the catering staff, is a regular member of the crew of either the paddler herself, or of her consort,'Balmoral.'
Reported by W A V Castle (first published in Scotships E-Group)
Stuart Cameron has posted a series of pictures taken during a Christmas Cruise on his web site.
Waverley at Hogmanay
Waverley completed her season 2000 on 23 December 2000 when the crew spent the day destoring the vessel and removing liferafts, etc., to the store at Anderston Quay. By that evening Waverley was dark and well ready for winter slumbers. On Christmas day Glasgow awoke to its first White Christmas in some years and further heavy snow the following night cast a 6 inch white blanket over the mighty paddler.
Two shots by Stuart Cameron of a snow clad Waverley at Anderston Quay, Glasgow, on 28 December 2000
By Hogmanay (31 December) Waverley was well enconsed in her hibernation, contemplating the amazing rejuvenation that had transformed her over the previous 12 months.
As the light faded on the last day of the year she was disturbed temporarily as thousands of Clydesiders made their way to the new Glasgow Science Centre / Glasgow Tower / IMAX cinema complex, which is now almost complete on the south bank of the Clyde at the old Plantation Quay and in-filled north basin of the Princes Dock, to witness a new addition to Glasgow's end of year celebrations. They were entertained to a spectacular pyrotechnics display designed and performed by the creators of the acclaimed Eiffel Tower Millennium display which the world had witnessed exactly one year earlier.
For Waverley this event heralds the start of a new era, in 2001 the chance to fully exploit all the hard work of the previous year and establish a long term future for the ship. The new Science Centre will be fully commissioned in the spring of 2001 and is intended to be a major permanent visitor attraction intended to promote the revival of the Clyde. It will consider the scientific and technological breakthroughs of the past and how they shaped the industry of the area and it will look forward to future developments in science and technology. As the developers of the complex, Scottish Enteerprise Glasgow, were major partnership funders to Waverley's heritage rebuild, it is anticipated that the ship will have a role to play in both heritage and commercial aspects of the new centre. Hopefully, this will benefit the ship in terms of profile and revenue.
In days past, when Glasgow was a busy world port, the 'Bells' (i.e. midnight on 31st December) was accompanied by a deafening cacophany of ship's whistles - mostly steam whistles - heralding the New Year. Sadly the decline of the port has brought the end of that old tradition but the pyrotecnics of Hogmanay 2000 is a symbol of the rebirth of another legend - the Clyde itself. The reborn Waverley is ready to play her part. Floreat Clutha.
Stuart Cameron