Email received from Queenborough Harbour today:

Calling all classic boat owners! We’re looking forward to hosting next year’s Classic Boat Festival on 16-17th September here in Queenborough. 

If you have a classic boat that you would like to get involved and showcase at our event, please contact admin@queenborough-harbour.co.uk.  

We’re looking forward to welcoming you all! 

Aboard Whimbrel, this last September, I had the honour (being on the outside of the Queenborough YC finger) of witnessing and filming the spectacular arrival of the Thames spritsail barge Cambria.

The Cambria had to negotiate past the huge steam tug Challenge and drop into her allotted berth.

It was a timeless operation under sail: the dear old girl does not have any other means of propulsion apart from the wind in her sails…

The mate threw a ‘shiner’ and a light mooring line soon made its way to a forward bollard on the pontoon…

Punters would not normally see this sort of action unless watching through binoculars ashore. Early arrivals for the jamboree are privileged…

The weekend was saddened by the death of HM Queen Elizabeth II on the Thursday evening, but as vessels were already gathered or gathering the event went ahead – no bunting was flown.

Ensigns were left flying, even at night, in honour of our late Queen, however, for 24 hours on Saturday 1100 to Sunday 1100 ensigns were fully hoisted for King Charles III.

It was an exceedingly busy event for the crew of Whimbrel. People by Saturday just wanted to get out and do something and talk to other people. Sunday was just as busy!

There was even a newly married couple seen clambering aboard the Cambria – luck old skipper Ruffles!

There was though a dearth of smaller vessels. This has to be a priority for change.

So, come on classic boaters on the Medway, Swale and all the little ports hiding therein: come and join in…

On a visit to Petworth House in West Sussex I viewed a painting by Turner depicting the ‘Confluence of the Thames and Medway‘ first exhibited in 1808.

Being a ‘celeb’ of his day Turner was oft sought after and he stayed at the house as a family guest on numerous occasions. There are a number of Turner paintings displayed in the house.

The house was the home of the Dukes of Somerset for generations until it passed to the National Trust in, I believe, 1947. The family remain the owners of various works and pieces of furniture. The Tate owns the Turner paintings, on the whole. The Government owns various pieces as does the National Trust, including the house…

I did the usual run over with the eyes, stood back and gazed for a little while soaking in the scene. Anyone who has departed from Sheerness Harbour in a bit of an easterly and sailed out into the run of the river as it flows – on the ebb – towards its confluence with the Thames, some three sea miles east, will recognise the turbulent scene with those short sharp choppy waters superbly depicted by Turner.

Before turning away and moving on … my turn was arrested by a buzz in my head about something that did not seem right.

I found a copy of the house’s art works. I read it with not a little consternation. I thought, ‘No you’ve got that wrong…’ what the art historian or whoever had written up on the work.

So, back to the picture.

The first thing I spotted was the sand bank on the left of the painting with vessels in ‘the river’ beyond in the distance. Now, if the artist was looking at Sheerness, then what was the sand bank to the east of the Medway’s entrance?

Secondly, there is a run of high ground going from right to left, built up on far right past the stern of war ship and ‘green’ all the way to the left. There is no high ground ‘behind’ Sheerness.

My last comment leads me to my third point. There weren’t and still aren’t the range of buildings clearly seen in the distance, elevated above the water horizon at Sheerness. There are over at Southend and Nelson, when Admiral of the Nore, had his mistress ensconced in one to the west of the high street…

I spoke to the room’s warden and explained what I could see and how it is in reality, pointing out that I have lived and sailed in the area all my life.

I was assured that he would raise the matter with the duty house curator later…

Walking on and after entering another room in the ol’ Dukes palatial house, I remembered that I had posted some pictures on Facebook looking towards the Essex shore when sailing home this autumn.

I backtracked and collared the room’s volunteer curator.

We ran through the pictures standing in front of the painting. If he wasn’t convinced in anyway before the proof in print certainly made him more so!

And then there is the good old map of course.

Now, I have bits and pieces of various maps and old charts of the Thames estuary gathered over the years and some years ago I was sent some bits of what is know as the ‘Dickens Map’ from the early to mid 1800s.

The pier at Southend is shown as originally built in 1829, just 20 years after Turner’s painting. One only has to look at it briefly to see that in a line from Sheerness or even Mile Town across to Essex shore where Southend sits on the hill above the pier, there is the rather obvious area marked ‘The Flats’ of Grain Spit!

There are NO sand banks out to the east which are uncovered as the tide recedes. It is my view that the artist must have been on Sheerness beach to the east of Garrison Point in the area of Mile Town.

I rest my case…

Today, Turner could have painted an atmospheric of the gaunt masts of the Richard Montgomery rising above the swirling wreck wracked waters above the hulk just beneath the surface….

Little Ship, Big Story is subtitled, ‘the adventures of HMY Sheemaun and the amazing stories of those who have sailed on her.’ I came by my copy direct from the author, as a gift, for the enjoyment he and his wife have had through reading my own titles, here is the story…

I was attending the Queenborough Classic Boat Festival this September just gone (over the period of mourning for Queen Elizabeth II) and was berthed on the Queenborough YC pontoon. The engineless spritsail barge Cambria approached during the afternoon of the Friday before the event – which I filmed.

Within moments of her coming alongside a lady padded along the pontoon to Whimbrel, clutching a book. The lady, Maura Pell, came aboard asking if I could sign a copy of one of my books. Then, as I had a few copies of my last work aboard (Rochester to Richmond) she purchased a copy of that too.

The following day, Saturday, Moara returned with a present from her husband, Rodney, owner of the motor yacht Sheermaun which is based at Ramsgate. Inside the cover Rodney wrote a short but touching dedication – ‘To Nick Ardley who writes so vividly. Best wishes, Rodney Pell, Sept 2022′

Thank you Rodney, and Maura too…

Continuing from the Friday. After Maura was ‘dragged away’ left – she had a taxi to catch for she’d been doing ‘cook’ duty on the Cambria – by Ian Ruffles, Ian told me that he’d had palpitations as he cleared the steam tug and thought Whimbrel was on the main pontoon. He soon realised we were tucked in at the outer end on the Queenborough YC section. Chuckling, he said, ‘I had visions of crushing you to matchsticks…’

It was then I told him I’d filmed Cambria’s whole approach and berthing. The Cambria’s mate later said I must have had strong nerves. Heck, I knew we were safe!

So to the book:

The book is published by the Conrad Press, 2019. ISBN: 978-1-911546-46-7

See: www.conradpress.com

Rodney tells an engaging story of this little ship (Not one that went to Calais) from her birth to his acquisition. One is engaged from the beginning until with a potted run down of what he has done with her with various crews made up of friends and family.

The vessel seemed to have a run of owners after her build in 1935 with the Ministry of Defence (Navy) ultimately owning her for the longest period during the greater part of world war two, until 1950 when a period of stability of ownership came about.

The depth of detail Rodney has unearthed is fascinating and so very interesting. Pictures from the daughter of the first owner, right through.

The tales of the little ship’s life during those long wartime years between 1939 to 1945 and onto the Transport Department when sold out of service in 1949 held me riveted, devouring page after page, not wanting to put it down. Fortunately, convenient breaks helped: we were away sailing while I read much of the book!

The Sheermaun’s war years were largely spent in the Thames. She was based at a facility by Cliffe Fort on the Kent shore in Lower Hope Reach. From there she patrolled the Lower Thames watching for parachute mines and checking on the movement of vessels – many of which were spritsail barges. Nothing moved unless allowed. Nothing moved through the defence booms running from Shoeburyness to Minster on the Isle of Sheppey unless permission was given. Nothing moved unless the correct signal flags were flown…

Her waters were the waters sailed by all of those that sail the Thames estuary now and a remarkable lost history has been unearthed with this little ship’s story. It has helped me understand little bits of this and that which has teased my mind me for many years.

The Sheermaun was on station when the American liberty ship Richard Montgomery grounded and split, sinking on the edge of the Grain bank. She has a reputed remnant of around 4,500 tons of ammunition aboard still…

One of the details I found almost personal was the dishing out and collection of flags for vessel clearance purposes that took place. One of the inportant functions of a host of such craft.

Apparently barge skipper’s would rant at the instruction to ‘heave to’ – in a barge! When my parents purchased the spritsail barge May Flower they found a flag of unknown origin with her papers.

I have asked ‘the barge world’ about this but nothing came from it. However, I have since come across a world war two naval code of flags, of which I took a screen shot of a small section.

Below is the flag found by my parents – it is clearly a No.7!

So, were spritsail barges on regular runs between the east coast ports and the London River given coded flags?

I asked Rodney about this in an email. It would appear that there is no one left around who knows for certain. Rodney investigated the whereabouts of the records of the little ships of WW2 and as said in his book, it transpired that sometime in the 1950s the whole lot was destroyed – a wonton act of maritime vandalism, for sure!

The Sheermaun survived the war when so many little ships pressed into a service not built for did not. She has survived into this millennium and seems likely to make her centenary, not so many years away now.

In the tableaux of the vessel’s life there are so many little connections between people, events, and places that seem impossible, yet are true: Rodney painstakingly tracked them down. At times the connections are sad and thought provoking, others funny and light hearted…

Yes, a book for sailors. A book for those interested in history. A book for those who just like a damned good yarn…

Thank you again, Rodney…

One ask. It would be great if the Sheermaun could grace Queenborough , once a regular port of call 75 years ago, for a Classic Festival in the near future. Then I could visit!

For at least two decades, if not longer, there has been increasing numbers of glass reinforced plastic (GRP) which have either been abandoned in ‘out of the way places’ or left on moorings until the vessel either sinks or breaks free and washes ashore to be wrecked. Vessels were increasingly abandoned in boatyards, clubs and other places too.

This has been obvious to many interested observers. I wrote about it in a magazine article which I wrote for Anglia Afloat in 2010 – published during 2011. See: nickardley.com/ditch-crawler-looks-again-at-dead-ships

The blog covers more than my original article.

Further article: nickardley.com/ditch-crawler-views-a-few-thames-derelicts

As a subscriber to news from ‘Leisure Marine’ I was pleased to see an article covering the problem and detailing a possible way to alleviate it too, by reclamation and reconstituting the product – GRP.

Allied to this I had heard of a BBC Wales programme about the increasing problem of the abandonment of craft around the Welsh river estuaries. This theme was also carried in a BBC West production too.

London, the East, Southeast and others not so, from evidence of a trawl of internet. All sailors, coastal walkers and environmentalist groups could have pointed in a myriad of directions.

See: www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-60375801?at_custom2=twitter&at_campaign=64&at_custom3=Regional+BBC+South&at_custom4=9CA65F90-FB6F-11EC-A740-ECE8923C408C&at_custom1=link&at_medium=custom7

Locally, the Leigh-on-Sea saltings are dotted with abandoned vessels. One was set up as an art project – fine and dandy as that may have seemed, but its stem has torn out now ad the vessel’s mast is on the verge of collapse…

The gist of the BBC Wales programme was along similar lines to what I have already written about. The BBC West programme home in more on the abandonment of old wooden vessels – fishing boat hulls – which still had antifouling present on their bottoms. The report stated tat TBT (Tri-butyl-tin) was found. Now that compound was discontinued and banned years ago…

That aside, wooden craft in the main provide a home for a myriad of marine life and perches for birds and even feeding stations. Eventually, the hulls decay returning organic compound back to source. Bottoms disappear into the mire and rot more slowly.

Of course, GRP is a totally different kettle of fish. Rotting is almost timeless, and here is the problem…

In the yard at Titchmarsh there has been a plethora of old vessels suffering neglect and abandonment. The proprietors have spent time and money stripping old wooden craft, breaking and burning them. Whilst a GRP boat can be stripped, it cannot be burnt!

Wooden hulls can be easily, if expensively, stripped of metals and non burnable products and be cut up and burnt. This is not the case, other than stripping, for GRP hulls. Landfill has been the only option.

So, what is to be done.

Well, a British company – consortium – has come up with what they believe to be workable solutions. It is described as ‘high-level composite waste processing, recycling and reuse’ as described by James SAcott-Anderson of Blue Composites.

Apparently in 2019 it has been estimated that £29 million was spent on commercial landfill of marine waste – boats! Something largely unacceptable, surely…

The company is running a investigative programme with Plymouth University to break GRP back down to its composite components and reuse the separated products in ‘new’ GRP… It has been termed Deecom technology.

Scott Bader are in on the game – a company we all know as producers of the stuff we either have boats made from or use in repairs, etc.

Kevin Mathews, CEO at Scott Bader said in the Leisure Marine article the process ‘…separates everything out – so you get fibres, gelcoat, glue and resins.’ It is believed that much of the ‘regained’ material can be reused.

The success of this system could be the answer to End of Life control of what happens to unwanted GRP craft, and other products.

The article can be found at: marineindustrynews.co.uk/composite-waste-recycling

Have a read for it is all very interesting.

A solution needs to be found: an EU Commission recently found that up to 130,000 recreational craft across Europe (probably includes the UK of GB & NI too…) reach end of life each year. Staggering, but probably why we all see so many abandoned craft…

It has taken what seems an inordinate length of time to have the changes made at final edit returned to me.

Where we were on the 1st June 2022…

Ditch-crawler’s next book moves into its final stages…

The document arrived yesterday – 6th October 2022 – and after down loading, it did not take long to run through what I asked for and see that all was well. Layout looks good too…

There were a few minor ‘house’ things I picked up on the way through…

There was a little fun too!

I did send a message saying ‘go away…’ but it didn’t work.

So, the project is moving on which pleases me greatly for I was becoming a wee bit fractious.

The content has been cleared fitted for publication. Good news for a chapter deals with sailing in covid times.

I await the next phase.

Sorry, I do not have a publication date.

Nor a title release yet either!

Both sheet winches aboard Whimbrel were opened out, cleaned and re-greased earlier in the year. I found a couple of the springs to be worn and replaced from spares obtained from Barton years ago.

That was when trying to obtain a set of pawls! Barton had stopped manufacture of the bottom action winches, but I was sent a clutch of springs ‘found in a drawer’ by a chap who responded to my enquiry!

So, I made up two sets of pawls – 4 – one set to use and a spare set.

During the season, the retaining screw on my port winch came loose whilst tacking into the Medway and West Swale. The winch jammed as we were making the last tack. Sails were doused and we motored the short distance to a mooring where the fault was rectified!

Later, the starboard winch jammed. Taking it apart I found one of the pawls and its spring had failed. My spare set was fitted…

The mate and I decided that, with the general wear of the shafts, it was time for new winches…

Barton winches were chosen and ordered with a set of ‘floating’ handles!

The new winches are held together by a spring clip on the top which is easy to remove but more fiddly to fit. When removed the barrel and roller nit lifts off.

The winches came with a backing plate for securing through a substrate of fibre glass for example. I used these to act as pads which lifts the winch clear of seating chock varnish work.

All that was needed after fitting was a sea test.

The ‘boy’ came out for a sail with his ol’ dad and I had a bit of a play whilst the boat was tacked about…

As the winches are not handed, the sheet tails come off on the barrel’s outside to starboard and inside to port.

Operationally, it did not seem to matter a great deal, unlike running sheet onto the port barrel, as the boy found out … commenting, ‘forty years of practice out the window…!’

I too had a ‘moment’ when reaching for the handle of a bottom action winch to tweak a sheet…

We’ll all get used to the change in time!

The winches have an optional self tailing device if desired. I’ve not gone for these.

The roller cleats need renewal too, however, with similar or traditional clam cleats as my neighbour’s Finesse 24 (Gypsy) has, I have yet to decide…

The Southampton International Boat Show is currently on.

The impression I get from the media razzmatazz surrounding this event is ‘Goody, let us flog more £100K starter boats to awe-struck punters…’

There are of course definite signs of a greater interest in environmentally friendly craft, especially on the power side. However, like the grandiose ‘starter’ boats always ‘flogged’ to the punter, these are very expensive.

There is an alternative to all of this if a punter wants to begin his or her passage into ‘boating’ in an affordable way and that is the second hand market.

Boatyards and yacht clubs are stuffed with decent vessels which can currently be purchased for a song. These craft, both power and sailing, are so often bypassed. It is a great shame for they could provide that inexpensive gateway into the sport, past-time even, without that £100K price tag…

I have mentioned Andy Seedhouse before. This outfit is based in Woodbridge, Suffolk, up on the River Deben.

See: https://www.andyseedhouseboats.co.uk/

There is an eclectic array of small motor and sailing craft in his yard, begging for a loving home. All would make great starter packages – even for that first year or two, before going forward into the sport with a larger more expensive craft.

If it wasn’t the person’s cup of tea then no great expense has been coughed up and in all probability it would sell again.

So often, with glazed eyes, a chap (usually) takes his family to a boat show. The family all go gooey eyed down below while the man twiddles knobs on an ‘instrument stack’ next to a shiny steering wheel and is hooked.

Within the first owning season, an expensive boat begins its sterile static life gathering weed in an expensive marina gobbling up family reserves.

Let us all be totally honest: how often have you walked past a modern boat, covers, decks and ropes going green, and wondered about her?

I do. It makes me so sad.

Oh, yes, what was that opening ceremony all about with some chap flying on a hose cutting the ribbon…

It is now nearly three months since I was promised a response by the Royal Yachting Association to my investigations around the difficulty in obtaining bottled gas.

The story:

Royal Yachting Association – Ditch-crawler follows up on gas cylinder shortages…

Enquiries wherever we went where gas was normally available was mixed. On the whole the smaller bottle sizes were difficult to obtain including a mid range bottle of 7 kg too (next size up from the 3.9/4.5 kg).

There was no outlet that had refills of the 3.9 kg propane and the 4.5 Kg butane – thank goodness we sorted ourselves out prior to leaving base!

We felt safe in getting back to a more normal level of decently cooked grub cooked aboard this season again. We id eat ashore more than usual but only where we knew the quality was acceptable: last year we had some pretty mediocre and moderately expensive offerings…

With a return to base mid summer, we were able to replenish our gas from home, knowing a certain supplier…

I was surprised to be sent copy of a letter response in Practical Boat Owner (September 2022) in which a lady asked the questions most of us have been asking.

Practical Boat Owner did not really answer the question – seeming to me to be biased towards the industry excuses…

However, here it is:

Hope for next year?

Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to replenish with the ease of those ‘pre-covid’ days…

I wasn’t aware that Bill Turnbull was suffering from prostate cancer when I began my investigative journey which led soon after to a diagnosis that shook me to the core.

It was a BBC R4 Breakfast programme that jolted me into action. That was not so long after Bill’s diagnosis, which ultimately claimed his life…

Bill died this week.

Rest in Peace, Bill.

For me it was a reminder of the ‘escape’ I made by my demand for a test. Bill, on the other hand in an interview said he’s had a test at age of forty, then fifty, then for an unknown reason not again until he was in pain – in his back, dating to his years of lugging heavy reporting apparatus, so he took pain killers and dismissed it…

As he said, it was a bad move for when eventually when getting on for sixty-two he visited his doctor, a psa test showed a high number. It was bad news.

Bill battled and campaigned. Thank you Bill: their are many in the media industry who haven’t ‘shouted’ about it and should have done for men take notice of a favourite pop star, etc…

See Bill’s BBC tribute: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-59082523

When I was undergoing my initial tests I was preparing for an Essex Book Festival talk. That was during early February for a March date.

I’d had my first prostate specific antigen test which was ‘high’ but the doctor at my surgery said was nothing to worry about. I was called for a further test: the hospital were by then activated. They weren’t happy … for damned good reason too as it turned out!

See the tale:

Ditch-crawler reiterates the need for men to get prostate cancer check….

Strangely, I am in the end game of the editing of my next work, which has been a longer drawn out process with my new publisher than with previous, however, I am assured all is well and my review of final changes is close.

It would be nice to think that the Essex Book Festival organisers will be interested in a ‘re run’ in 2023 – book event that is, not my illness…

This morning prostate cancer was being discussed on the BBC R4 Today programme by a presenter and various, including the oncologist who ‘dealt’ with Bill.

Here are a few current facts to digest:

• One man dies every hour of prostate cancer in the UK…
• Get tested.
• The earlier the diagnosis, the greater chance of a ‘cure’…
• Late diagnosis means a certain early death, still…
• Men get by- passed by the system within the NHS, unlike women.
• It is still a ‘Cinderella’ cancer…

So, in memory of Bill Turnbull, please, I am asking men to think about a test, then get it done. The NHS cannot say NO!

When one has had a near end of life experience, the joys and preciousness of life are sharpened: one is a very long time dead…

We set off from Queenborough on the West Swale early the other morning bound for Gravesend.

It was a quiet still morning n the harbour, but clearing Sheerness the sails were up and drawing nicely to a northerly – not the forecasted east-northeast!

We proceeded nicely up the Nore Swatch and passed the eastern end of Canvey Island.

After passing the East Blyth, we changed over and I went below for a wash and do the breakfast clearing up. The clearing up done, I set to with my ablutions…

I was half way through this without a stitch on when Christobel started the engine, saying something…

The something was drowned out by a tremendous crash with an unsavoury noise. I saw a buoy rush aft past the aft most port. We’d hit it a glancing blow.

I looked aft, the dinghy bounced off and we were clear. Below, I could see that water wasn’t rushing inboard, but what damage was there apart from my mate, who was in tears…

‘I got it wrong…’ she said, shedding more wetness.

‘I thought…’ she wailed.

We’d ‘bounced’ the Mid Blyth Buoy – a bloody big bugger!

I am always saying to my helms to leave buoys well clear: I can remember my father ‘mating’ with several in my childhood on the engine-less spritsail barge May Flower.

‘Carry on please…’ I pleaded. I need to check below properly for damage. I was shaking from the shock…

Splintered paint covered the table and cushions from ‘deck stress’ apart from that there was nothing to see below. I pulled the berth cushions out and looked around. Dry. No water was leaking in…

Above deck the damage looked serious, at first!

Closer examination later showed we had ‘got away with it’ and there wasn’t a mark on the hull or rubbing band…

The deck edge was stressed and a join had opened with one side ‘popped’.

Apart from the obvious, all looked sound, so we continued on our passage with the mate on the helm.

We did not discuss the ‘incident’ until moored at Gravesend – initially on a sailing club buoy before moving to alongside the Town Pier, which had been booked.

At the ‘Court of Inquiry’ the Mate pronounced herself guilty as charged!

She’d got too close and then chose wrong way out… hey ho, cheers darling!

I had had a good look too. The cabin side beading has loosened and the deck edge lifted, with one deck join too.

The edges, join and beading were sealastic sealed … as a keep water out measure.

The join has been screw fastened which thankfully pulled the popped section down.

Christobel helped with tool passing and some pictures…

Several original fastenings were punched a little, rust treated and plugged… (a common Finesse fault)

The deck edge and cabin side beading remain to be dealt with.

I have also got to ‘gingerly’ put a number of fastenings along deck edge into a 5/8” Iroko plank – tentative pencil dots have been made…

The good news is that all drilling swath is good coloured wood!

The Finesse is clearly a tough old bird. I really thought the worst and had a terrible night rescuing my Mate twice and failing once… Shock?

The good news is that Whimbrel survived, intact, and my Mate too is slowly regaining her confidence…

Bless.. xx

Update: Saturday 13th Aug.

Alongside the Greenwich YC pontoon (inside berth) a run of new deck edge fastenings we’re fitted.

All drillings – fine drill first- stayed in wood. The planks are max 5/8” thickness!

screw size drilling and countersinking done, my row of fastenings had the deck edge secure.

There are a couple of old fastening tops to deal with … popped as deck was pulled down hard.

Those and repair to fabric of edge to do next…

Update: 20th August.

During our stay in St Katharine Docks Marina repairs were progressed.

The deck edge was carefully stripped of paint, sanded and the glass sheaving re-coated with epoxy.

This was allowed to cure before final filling, sanding and several coats of undercoat paint.

The area of deck either side of a plywood join was then cleaned back to he original glass sheaving. Old capped fastening heads were cleaned out, fastening punched, an application of anti-rust treatment before wood plugs glued.

A further fastening head spotted was also dealt with before a filler coat was applied. Whether or not the join needs a piece of cloth epoxied over remains to be decided…

The last job before ‘hitting’ home was the treatment of a fine crack in the sheer strake. Creeping crack cure was dribbled along until saturated.

A couple of fastenings were added above and below for good measure and decrease chances of movement. The filled over screw heads are barely visible.

Next: the deck edge/cabin side batten must be removed, repairs made and batten re-bedded…

Update: 22nd August.

we arrived home on a glorious evening after having a Ray Day with scrub of Whimbrel’s bottom.

Working from the dinghy as a stable platform the cabin side batten was removed intact. The original sealant was removed and a section of loose sheaving cloth. Area was sanded.

Apart from clear movement running forward there was a gap to the cabin side at the inner deck edge aft, but it didn’t seem to be ‘fresh’ – from build? There was clear movement along the aft deck section. The edge was re secured with bronze screws.

An old fastening was punched in and plugged too.

Epoxy was then run into the gap and movement crack followed by thickened epoxy. This was left to cure.

The whole area was then sanded ready for application of glass cloth.

I was surprised at how translucent the glass cloth went, but it’s there!

The batten was taken home for cleaning, sanding and epoxy dressing of ends to allow fitting back flush at angled cuts.

And glory be, a tube of Simpson MSR marine sealant ordered while away arrived in the post!

Penultimate update – 23rd August.

The good mate joined the work party for this penultimate day of repairs.

Her job was below – sanding and undercoating the cracked paint on the underside of the deck.

While this was going on I set to and prepared the batten for refitting, adjusting the bevels to fit. It was to be screwed back into place – holes were prepped too.

The epoxy and glass cloth areas were sanded to take away any high areas. The deck join area too, ready for a coat of undercoat paint.

We stopped for a break before the final exercise – it was exceedingly hot and humid…

Break over, I set to work. Sealant – Simpson MSR compound – was applied to mating area then a little epoxy mixed and applied to forward end. I had to get on now…

Working from forward where curvature was greatest, the screws were driven home.

Reaching the aft end a further bob of glue was applied to batten join and last screws driven.

Christobel in the meantime had done a clean through below around her working area. We had a lunch stop … allowing batten to settle.

While I went round the screws again and sealed tops with thickened epoxy, the mate applied her second coat of undercoat paint…

Of yes, Christobel left this buoy a fair distance off. Look at the flow past its body!

The end- all the sticking plaster comes off!

There was a ‘kick in the nuts’ to the job: I found that I had to re fasten the deck edge going forward of the stanchion. Also, the outer stanchion base fastenings go through into chocks behind the shelf strake set between the ribs.

Great. But, the chocks bare on the underside of the deck inside the sheer strake, thus inward pressure on stanchion was lifting the outer edge of deck which was not helped by failed/loosened fastenings.

I fitted a covering chock inside to go over the the infill chock and underside of the shelf. This was screwed to shelf and fastened through from sheerstrake. Pressure on the stanchion showed no movement if deck…

The edge was released and hardened up after application of runny epoxy before it had time to set off. Edge was then coated with thickened epoxy.

I shall be looking closely around the other five stanchions…

All is now painted and has been tested in the estuary!