Latest news with #DouglasMcGowan
North Wales Chronicle
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- North Wales Chronicle
Waverley back in North Wales this week for four-day visit
On Thursday, May 29, Waverley will set sail on a cruise from Holyhead along the North Anglesey Coast before arriving in Llandudno with the option to spend time ashore or stay aboard Waverley for a cruise viewing Great Orme and Puffin Island. The Waverley will head out on an evening cruise of the North Anglesey Coast, from Llandudno to Holyhead, on Sunday, June 1. This will take in views of the Great Orme, Puffin Island and Moelfre. There are afternoon cruises on May, Friday 30 and Saturday, May 31 (sold out). Click here to check cruise availability. "I particularly enjoy cruising the North Wales coastline with its stunning seascapes. RELATED STORIES: On board the Waverley! DayTwo in Llandudno in pictures Waverley sets sail from Llandudno Pier - first time in five years! "I look forward to taking Waverley back to Holyhead and Llandudno this year and welcoming passengers aboard for a great day out." The Waverley returned to Llandudno for the first time in five years in 2023. This followed a £3million refurbishment. Back in the mid-seventies, the Waverley was threatened with the scrapyard. How she was rescued is told in a new film, Saving Waverley, showcasing previously-unseen interviews with two key figures involved and released as the ship celebrates her 50th anniversary of cruising with the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society. Passengers will be able to purchase a copy of the film on board or by clicking here. On a 2010 Waverley cruise to the Bristol Channel island of Lundy, Terry Sylvester and Douglas McGowan were recorded by journalist Nigel Heath and cameraman John Dakin telling how the two bought the ship from the previous owners in 1974 for a token Scottish £1 note. A council grant allowed them to run the first cruise from Glasgow on May 22, 1975, but it took the enthusiastic support of Scotland's Sunday Mail readers to enable them to carry on the next year and build a programme later extended to many UK ports. Since then Waverley has earned thousands of fans around the country, recapturing the golden ago of steamers, and was named National Flagship of the Year 2024 by National Historic Ships UK. The new film also includes a 60th anniversary cruise on Waverley's sister ship, the MV Balmoral, National Flagship of the Year 2016, and all profits will go to the two volunteer-run charities maintaining these historic vessels.
Rhyl Journal
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Rhyl Journal
Waverley back in North Wales this week for four-day visit
On Thursday, May 29, Waverley will set sail on a cruise from Holyhead along the North Anglesey Coast before arriving in Llandudno with the option to spend time ashore or stay aboard Waverley for a cruise viewing Great Orme and Puffin Island. The Waverley will head out on an evening cruise of the North Anglesey Coast, from Llandudno to Holyhead, on Sunday, June 1. This will take in views of the Great Orme, Puffin Island and Moelfre. There are afternoon cruises on May, Friday 30 and Saturday, May 31 (sold out). Click here to check cruise availability. "I particularly enjoy cruising the North Wales coastline with its stunning seascapes. RELATED STORIES: On board the Waverley! DayTwo in Llandudno in pictures Waverley sets sail from Llandudno Pier - first time in five years! "I look forward to taking Waverley back to Holyhead and Llandudno this year and welcoming passengers aboard for a great day out." The Waverley returned to Llandudno for the first time in five years in 2023. This followed a £3million refurbishment. Back in the mid-seventies, the Waverley was threatened with the scrapyard. How she was rescued is told in a new film, Saving Waverley, showcasing previously-unseen interviews with two key figures involved and released as the ship celebrates her 50th anniversary of cruising with the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society. Passengers will be able to purchase a copy of the film on board or by clicking here. On a 2010 Waverley cruise to the Bristol Channel island of Lundy, Terry Sylvester and Douglas McGowan were recorded by journalist Nigel Heath and cameraman John Dakin telling how the two bought the ship from the previous owners in 1974 for a token Scottish £1 note. A council grant allowed them to run the first cruise from Glasgow on May 22, 1975, but it took the enthusiastic support of Scotland's Sunday Mail readers to enable them to carry on the next year and build a programme later extended to many UK ports. Since then Waverley has earned thousands of fans around the country, recapturing the golden ago of steamers, and was named National Flagship of the Year 2024 by National Historic Ships UK. The new film also includes a 60th anniversary cruise on Waverley's sister ship, the MV Balmoral, National Flagship of the Year 2016, and all profits will go to the two volunteer-run charities maintaining these historic vessels.
BBC News
21-05-2025
- BBC News
Waverley: 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 £ 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 that is exactly what happened back in 1973 and Scotland's beloved Waverley, the world's last seagoing paddle steamer, is still going is marking a special milestone of fifty years since the ship ran its first passenger sailings after being taken over as a heritage 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 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 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 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 said keeping a heritage steam ship running was not 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 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".
