The PS Waverley has been awarded an Engineering Heritage Award by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers – only the second time the accolade has been awarded in Scotland since it was established in 1984.

The Clydebuilt paddlesteamer which spends its summers on the Clyde steamer has been recognised as one  of Britain’s finiset engineering achievements, sitting alongside famous works such as London’s Tower Bridge, the Bletchley Park Bombe decoding machine and Brunel’s SS Great Britain.

However, it carries bittersweet tidings for the vessel’s owners, who launched a fundraising appeal earlier this year amid fears that 2011 could be the last year it can afford to stay afloat, with rising fuel costs and a succession of rainy summers threatening its viability.

Source: The Herald - Sailing doon the watter.