Published: Tuesday, 4th December, 2007 10:30
FAMOUS PUFFER STEAMS HOME
By Andrea Fraser
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PUFFER: The Vital Spark
ONE of the country’s most iconic puffers — known for its legendary tales with skipper Para Handy — has sailed back into the Clyde.
The Vital Spark marked its 150th birthday by returning to the home of the puffer for the first time in 40 years.
Dubbed “the smertest boat in the coastin’ tred” by her fictional captain, she was greeted by the recently constructed puffer replica the Wee Spark as it sailed into Bowling Harbour on Monday.
The Vital Spark, which was originally named the MV Eilean Eisdeal, was last year renamed in memory of the popular Para Handy books and television series.
The impressive boat, which is on permanent loan to the Inveraray Maritime Museum, will be moored at Bowling harbour alongside The Wee Spark — a one-third scale replica puffer — until Saturday.
Named after the distinct ‘puffing’ sound emitted by the steam engines that powered them, the Clyde puffers were originally designed to fit the locks of The Forth & Clyde and Crinan canals, and later developed to withstand the elements out at sea.
They would have been a regular site at Bowling, where the Clyde meets the Forth & Clyde Canal and the River Leven, as they transported goods up and down the West coast of Scotland.
Approximately 230 puffers were constructed by boatyards along the Forth and Clyde.
But by the late 1940s the steam puffer was becoming uneconomical.
Many were converted to diesel propulsion or scrapped, with the last commercial vessel finally decommissioned in 1967.
However, diesel-powered vessels continued to operate, with the ‘Vital Spark’ – one of the last true working puffers – operating commercially until 1995.
Guthrie Hutton, canal historian and author of ‘Puffers’, said: “The puffer was the lifeblood of Scotland’s canals, prolonging their usefulness long after many other inland waterways had closed.
“I would encourage everyone to come and visit the ‘Vital Spark’ and help celebrate the 150th anniversary of these uniquely Scottish vessels, endeared to so many by the wonderful stories of Para Handy.”
Richard Millar, Business Development manager of British Waterways Scotland said: “This is a hugely significant milestone for the Lowland Canals and illustrates the rich history and heritage of this wonderful waterway.
“The Lowland canals have been transformed over the past few years and it is important that the many thousands of people who are now discovering the many delights of the waterways for the first time understand just how important these ribbons of light were to Scotland’s growth over the past two hundred years.”
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