Shamrock's 2015 Review & 2016 Look Ahead

2015

Started with Shamrock's main and mizzen masts being removed to the boat shed where they were stripped back to bare wood, dried out, patched up, painted, varnished and finally stepped (put up) in March. After being rigged and a period of general maintenance (painting) her first trip of the year was completed in June with a trip to Saltash Regatta. The end of July saw Shamrock attend the Plymouth Classic Boat Rally with both the outward and return journeys completed in wet weather. Augusts 'Shamrock Day' was a success and with the increasing number of visitors during the year a new gangway was purchased in September to make access easier and more robust. The rest of the year was taken up with yet more painting. Finally, after years of hint dropping by the crew, planning and fundraising to fit an engine in Shamrock has started. This will make trips to Plymouth, and perhaps beyond, a lot less fraught with the added bonus of, when away for a weekend, being able to easily take her out into Plymouth Sound and actually sail her.

2016

Is the year the National Trust becomes the sole owners of Shamrock and some form of celebration is being planned, (party time). This will also be the ‘year of the engine’ with Shaune and Joe searching out the correct engine for her and Shaune working out how and where to fit it. The annual trips to Saltash Regatta and Plymouth Classic Boat Rally are planned with maybe some bonus trips.

Nancy Belle Update

As the Nancy Belle 2016 river trips are scheduled to start on the 29th April she is currently getting most of the crew's attention, not to mention the fact that it is dry in the boat shed. The foredeck has now joined the afterdeck and been ripped out due to a wet patch, discovered when the forward bulkhead was removed, failing to dry out. Deck support stringers plus cross members have been manufactured, checked for size, removed and are now ready to be painted. With the removal of her after deck and bulkhead, access to the after section of inner hull and transom is a lot easier. This section is being slowly scraped and sanded back to bare wood.

At present the only activities happening on Shamrock are the occasional pumping out and salting.