At the end of last week I sailed on the famous Waverley for the first time, the last ocean going paddle steamer, with my pal Bruce Peter, writer and maritime expert, who showed me the ropes and the etiquette – namely enjoy! Was a great trip, starting early and slowly with a few cuppas as we steamed smoothly from Glasgow Science Centre by the Clyde yards and various sulking riverside buildings and scrapyards, into the open clarity of the Firth of Clyde.

In the spirit of Bruce, I got the camera SLR working hard, and later down at the engines I got into some abstract drawing with high key colours as I got high on the wafting engine oil and the mesmerising sounds of the voyage. Was also a good spot to warm up after a spell on deck. Got some footage too and was not put off when drawing busily and recommended by a watching passenger to wait until the engines stopped! Through the Sound of Islay I spotted my favorite small Jura car ferry. We then continued in the sunshine to Colonsay and on to Oban. A very pleasurable day all round and a surprisingly productive work day too, in between the lunches, beer and curry in the cafeteria that is. Visit Bruce’s blog (use my links page) for his images and full report, plus I’ll post a couple of pics of my sketches soon.