A tale of two boats

I have been slipping slightly with updating my blog recently. That doesn't mean that I have not been taking any photographs recently.

PS Waverley has recently started her summer season on the Clyde. I took some photos of her a couple of weeks ago passing Port Glasgow lighthouse. She is the world's last seagoing passenger carrying paddle steamer and is well loved wherever she goes.

A world apart from the varnished timbers of the paddle steamer is the luxury superyacht Eclipse. Delivered to Roman Abramovich in 2010, she is the worlds second largest private yacht.

She anchored off Greenock on Tuesday morning and remained there overnight before sailing to Rothesay Bay the next day.

I took these pictures from the Esplanade shortly before midnight.

The Royal Scotsman

A regular visitor in Inverclyde this year, I decided to add to my gallery of of Royal Scotsman pictures.

57316 came down light to haul the luxury train to her overnight destination.

Fort Matilda Station is a good location to catch her on a long curve of track.

Scotrail Steam Tour

Scotrail don't run may steam train tours and today's engine, 60163 Tornado, isn't a normal steam engine.

She was completed in the 21st century but is based on the Peppercorn A1's of the 1940's.

Many people took advantage of a reduced price ticket offer on the trip from Stirling to Inverness, and as many people turned out along the route to watch her passing.

 We had a great day as we followed the loco as far as Dunkeld & Birnam station.

Tornado passing Greenfaulds Station on her way to start the tour

Tornado approaching Blackford

Level crossing and signal box at Blackford

Enthusiasts watching Tornado passing through Dunkeld & Birnam Station

Tornado passing through Dunkeld & Birnam Station

Semaphore signals ensures the line is clear for Tornado to pass through

Dunkeld & Birnam Station building

Celebrity Silhouette

Celebrity Silhouette on her first visit to Greenock.

The 122,400 tonne ship is currently on a 12 night cruise around the British Isles, and will be making a return visit to the Clyde in August.

The Royal Scotsman

The Royal Scotsman has visited Inverclyde several times this year and each time I've seen her she has had a different loco combination.

After starting the season being hauled by GBRailfreight engines, she is now using West Coast Railways locos.

Class 47 loco 47786 hauling the Royal Scotsman through Greenock Central Station

Enjoying the evening sun on the veranda of the Royal Scotsman

The Royal Scotsman passing through Greenock

57316 at the rear of the Royal Scotsman as it passes through Greenock

Greenock Esplanade

Offering unhindered views of the River Clyde and beyond, Greenock's Esplanade is an ideal location to view the comings and goings on the river.

At this time of year Greenock welcomes thousands of visitors on board the many cruise ships that berth at Greenock Ocean Terminal. Today was the first time I had seen MSC Splendida in Greenock.

Dredger Deo Gloria has been busy clearing the river bed around BAE shipyard in Govan and bringing the waste downriver to dump it in deeper open water.

Among the most frequent visitors to Greenock are the many container ships which have been loading and unloading at the Ocean Terminal for many decades.

As the evenings grow longer approaching the summer months others enjoy such activities as swimming and wind surfing.

Queen Mary 2

Cunard ships have a special status on the Clyde: some of the greatest ever liners were born on this river.

When Queen Mary 2 came for a visit, thousands came to see her off.

We were treated to a fireworks display as she slipped from the quay with a couple of loud blasts of her foghorn.

While in theory this sounded spectacular, it proved to be a nightmare for taking photographs with the ship being blurred in the long exposures I used to capture the fireworks.

The results are not my best photographs, but here are sharpest ones taken from the shoreline at the Esplanade.

Queen Mary 2 berthed at Greenock

Fireworks display

Fireworks display