I am certainly learning a whole new set of skills under the watchful eye of master shipwright Robert Tierne. This week I have almost finished patching the outside of the hull. One more big patch to go and it is finished. Have applied for the position of apprentice but still waiting confirmation. “Just keep sweeping the floor. That is what a first year apprentice has to learn how to do.”

Today – Saturday – we had a visit from Dick Notley. Dick popped in to see progress and bring down some materials. I am not sure what Dick thought of my workmanship but I am sure he was impressed with Rob.

Steve was around today and helped raise the boat so that we can work underneath. It is now about a 80 cm off the ground and Steve cut out the remains of the fin case. Robert found that the case was only ever glued in. There were no screws. Not bad for 25 years. Next week Rob is going to build the new fin case, and attach it to the boat.

Now the boat is off the ground, we can crawl underneath and sand all the stringers, or certainly the bottom of the stringers which is now on top…. if you get what I mean. If anyone has some spare time during the week let me know and you can come down and do some sanding inside an upturned boat.

There is still one big patch on the hull, and some final sanding but it is just about complete. All the fibreglass is off the keel, and it will be reglassed once the fin case is screwed into the boat. The screws go through the keel and will be under the glass. So the sequence is screw through the keel and into the case, glass over the keel, sand back the glass where it meets the hull, then epoxy and varnish.