After being berthed in Greenock’s James Watt Dock since 16th February Waverley was moved the short distance to Garvel Dry Dock on Friday 20th March to allow for her annual out-of-the-water inspection.

During her current visit to dry dock she is accompanied by the Caledonian MacBrayne vessel Lochinvar with Waverley being positioned further in the dock with Lochinvar astern of her. It is expected that Waverley will be in dry dock for around 2 weeks with a list of items to attend to including opening her hull up to allow for the removal of large pieces of equipment associated with the old sprinkler system and the installation of new water tanks and other equipment for the new water mist system.

This dry docking will also see a new port side spring beam fitted to the paddlebox. This large greenheart timber beam is 26ft in length and supports part of the paddle wheel as well as providing some ‘give’ when the ship is berthing. The current beam has been in place for some years and is not showing signs of weakness.

Waverley’s hull will be washed down and fully inspected prior to receiving a full coat of new paint. The final two new Dining Saloon windows will be installed before she returns to the James Watt Dock for final refit work.

During the dry docking it is expected that over £300,000 of works will be undertaken on what is normally the since largest spend item during the winter refit, although this year around £0.5 million is being spent to replace the sprinkler system. The cost of these works is being met by Waverley’s owning Charity and the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society.