Last month, the people of Pembrokeshire turned out in their thousands to greet the iconic paddle steamer, The Waverley’, as she sailed into Tenby and onwards around the south Pembrokeshire coastline for the first time in 30 years.

Now, operators have confirmed that the vessel has seen her busiest summer ever, with more than 1,000 people a day stepping on board as she sailed around the Bristol Channel.

“2023 is being a truly incredible season and Waverley has now reunited herself with each of the sailing areas around the UK that the ship operates,” said Waverley Excursion general manager Paul Semple.

“And the level of support and interest that the ship has had has been truly fantastic.

"It’s heartwarming to see so many people stepping aboard for a cruise on the world’s last seagoing paddle steamer and it’s clear that the unique experience The Waverley offers is being appreciated by tens of thousands of passengers.”

But earlier this year, there was a great deal of uncertainty about whether she would be able to return to the waters in 2023 as a result of soaring operating and maintenance costs plus the dry docking fees. Supporters launched a last-ditch mission and an appeal was launched to raise £180,000 to ensure that she wold once again be able to sail back into some of her old haunts, including Tenby.

And their target was raised in just three months, when more than 2,000 people came forward to support the drive.

Now operators are saying that the 2023 season is her most ambitious – but also her most successul – in a decade.

Since the ship started sailing in May she has already visited each of the four countries in the UK. Her return to the Bristol Channel was much anticipated with advance bookings topping 14,000 before the ship even arrived in the channel on June 1.

She then sailed into Portishead, Weston, Tenby and Milford Haven which were all ports that haven’t seen her for many years.

To date for the 2023 season The Waverley has now recorded over 46,000 passenger journeys. This is 40 per cent of the total journeys she achieved in 2022 but after only 28 days in service.

Her 2023 sailing season is set to cover a total of 125 days in service.