THE Clyde paddle steamer Waverley broke down at sea earlier with hundreds of passengers on board.
The much-loved ship developed a fault between Greenock and Helensburgh while on a trip to Dunoon.
Passengers sent pictures on Twitter joking that although they were “fed-up” there was plenty of booze on board.
Stuck for hours! #Waverley #waverleybreakdown pic.twitter.com/N62qhGiU2G
— Wendy English (@woothenoo) August 25, 2018
Hi @PS_Waverley,
we’re all rather tired of bobbing about at sea for the last two & a bit hours, can we please call for some help to get back to shore?
Thanks,
Everyone on Board. #waverley #pswaverley #stuck #riverclyde #atsea #help— Tommy Barnes (@theboldtb) August 25, 2018
The boat has broken down & we’ve been bobbing about for some time. ⚓️? Fortunately the bar has plenty Guinness & I’ve good 4G for the racing. ??? #waverley #brokendown #stranded pic.twitter.com/KX8gwNKuKq
— Tommy Barnes (@theboldtb) August 25, 2018
The Waverley had set off from Glasgow around 10am yesterday.
But after running into what appeared to be engine trouble coming out of Helensburgh, passengers were given the option of leaving the ship.
They were also told the Waverley would no longer be stopping as planned in Dunoon where a number of passengers had planned to attend the Cowal Highland Gathering.
Stranded on the Waverley between Helensburgh and Greenock for 4 hours quality Saturday pic.twitter.com/ZSipvkRCiE
— shug t ⭐️??? (@shugt67) August 25, 2018
@G4S_WOS_EVENTS have’n a great day aboard the Waverley set sail this morning from science centre called at Greenock then called at Helensburgh where we broke down been stuck out at sea since half past one presently still here pic.twitter.com/muBsTggkZD
— Hugh (@Hugh64056194) August 25, 2018
After a delay of almost three hours, passengers were told the vessel would head instead to Rothesay.
The last ocean-going paddle steamer, the Waverley has been a favourite on the Clyde for generations of families heading ‘doon the watter’.
In recent years the vessel has undergone a major refurbishment and is hugely popular for its weekend sails.
On the broken down #Waverley. Hurry up and send help before the beer runs out.
— Grant Baillie (@gbrunpb) August 25, 2018
Tommy Barnes said from the stricken vessel: “We’ve been bobbing about for some hours. Fortunately the bar has lots of Guinness and as I get 4G on my mobile I can watch the racing.”
Nobody from Waverley Cruises was answering the phones at their office at Lancefield Quay in Glasgow.
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