Beams & Knees

Shamrock's conservation work has been progressing well over the past few weeks with the following oak items cut fashioned and fitted.

• Forward cargo hatch coaming main beam.
• Extra forward beam. While not only providing extra strength this will also allow Shamrock's deck winch to be bolted through the deck and a beam at both ends. It was originally bolted through the deck and beam at one end with the other end through the deck and a loose reinforcing plank beneath.
• One aft beam. 
• Aft deck shelf.
• Aft deck shelf extended around warping horse and deadwood. This will prevent the deck moving around the deadwood and warping horse uprights helping to maintain a watertight seal.
• Transom knees.
• Aft beam knees.

A total of four beams ended up being cut from the naturally curved oak tree originally acquired for the main beam.

New aft beam.

New forward beams.

Aft deck shelf and extension.

New knees.

Port Side

With the completion of Shamrock's starboard beamshelf and frame repairs a start has been made on her port side. Large areas on her port deck have been receiving the reciprocating saw treatment to enable the removal of the starboard cargo gate*, bulwark and stanchions. In the process more wet rot has been discovered in some wooden knees and the underside of the covering board and the full extent of the rot in the after deckhouse coaming has been exposed. Shamrocks deck winch, windlass and sluice pump have been removed to the boat shed ready to be stripped down, cleaned and repainted.

Visitors can now see the repairs to Shamrock progressing with the opening up of the front section of her cover. The moving of Shamrock's hut adjacent to the opening means the wellbeing of her 'Meet and Greet' crew has been assured and puts them close to the visitors.

 *Cargo gates, moveable sec­tion of bulwarks to facilitate loading or dis­charging cargo, situated on each side of the car­go hatch.

Missing deck!

Wooden knee.

Covering board.

Deckhouse coaming

Cargo gate.

Sluice pump.

Deck winch and windlass

Open for visitors.

Lowering Shamrock's Main Mast

Lowering Shamrock's main mast takes quite a bit of preparation the first of which is the removal of all her rigging and as many blocks as possible, the process is then to:

• Fit a wire strop to the top of the main mast.
• Blocks and tackles are attached between the forward stays (wires that support the mast) and bulwark stanchions, these steady the mast during the lowering.
• A block and tackle is fitted between the forward mainstay and its fixing point on the cap of the stem (bow) along with a safety rope.
• A temporary pivot pin is fitted through the tabernacle and mast, then the holding bolt and main pin are removed.
• As the mizzen mast is used in the lowering this has to be prepared by rigging of the starboard stays as a forward and after stay, fitting a snatch-block to the top of the mast and a wooden block to the mizzen tabernacle, this supports the main mast once it has been lowered.
• The initial lower is started by heaving on a rope attached to the top of mast and once gravity takes over is controlled by the mainstay and side stays blocks and tackles ensuring that the mast falls to the starboard side of the mizzen.
• Lowering is stopped once the mast has dropped below the top of the mizzen to allow the deck winch cable to be passed through a block attached to the bow, through the snatch-block at the top of the mizzen and finally attached to the wire strop at the top of the main mast.
• Using the power (human) of the deck winch the cable slack is taken up, mainstay block and tackle released and the mast finally lowered to its resting place on the mizzen tabernacle.

Not a bad days work.

Shamrock's crew accept no responsibility for errors or omissions in this article.

Stripped masts.

Preparing for the final drop. 

Both masts down.