Ticking Over

While waiting for phase two of Shamrock's restoration to start, her crew have been wielding the paintbrushes again. The aft deckhouse and the forward companionway has been the focus of their attention. After very extensive session of preparation, ‘Woodskin’ has been applied to all the areas previously varnished and the rest has been undercoated. They have also had final coat of gloss paint on the internal faces. The external faces are being left until just before they are returned to Shamrock. These items have now been stored in the old carpenter’s shop where they joined her mizzen mast and spars. The forward and aft access ladders, removed during the repairs, have been moved to the boat shed and are now in the process of being cleaned, stripped and painted.

Shamrock's workboat is also back in the boat shed ready to be checked, have any damaged or rotten wood repaired or renewed before receiving a fresh coat of paint. Considering she has been stowed in the boat yard, only covered with a tarpaulin, since the end of 2018 her condition looks good. The crew is sure that Shaune the perfectionist will find something that's not quite right!

There are still some other ‘fixtures & fittings’ to be overhauled, but more of that another time.

Novembers News

After being hauled on to the slipway, Nancy Belle has had her cooling system flushed out, been washed out and a large number of barnacles scraped from her bottom before being moved into the boat shed for the winter.

Shamrock's aft deckhouse has been stripped back to bare wood, had some rotten sections of mahogany replaced and also received its first coat of 'Woodskin'.

The remaining timber from Shamrock's temporary cover is gradually being removed from the quay to the boat shed. Due to the large number of screws used in the covers construction most of this wood cannot be recycled so it is food for the wood burner, keeping the crew warm.

Shamrock's meet and greet volunteers hut has been dismantled and stowed for the winter.

Abandoned Shamrock

Shamrocks cover has been cut allowing the crew to have access onboard to check that the cover has kept her dry after the heavy rain of the last few weeks, it has. Some missing tools where found along with spiders webs taking advantage of the sheltering flies. An access hatch has been fashioned from the remains of the old cover making future checks easer.

Dry bilges!

Since Shamrock's conservation work has ceased the crew has been kept busy tidying the quay area around her. In the boat shed, the aft deckhouse and forward companionway have been scraped and sanded back to bare wood. They will soon be ready for a coat of paint and Woodskin on the previously varnished areas.

Chief Plugger

Joe Lawrence, who has recently handed over his role as Cotehele Head Ranger, is now working on Shamrock until his retirement at the end of July. Joe who pushed for Shamrock's current conservation program, sources most of the wood and materials required and is also currently assisting in the cutting, fitting and paring of the hundreds of wooden plugs. These are required for Shamrock's deck and hull planks.

• To stiffen the deckhouse side decks, four support straps have been fitted between the ‘beamshelf’ and the deckhouse coaming support beams. These are slightly larger than the side deck straps, and to allow for the deck camber the outer ends are ‘tenon-jointed’ into the ‘beamshelf’ and the inner ends dropped into shoes fixed to the coaming support beam.

• After being moved back onboard the forward companionway and aft deckhouse have been fitted to their respective coamings.

• Another twelve deck planks have been cut, shaped and are in the process of having their underside painted.
• The extension on Shamrock's temporary cover is now down, with the main structure due to be removed within the next few weeks.

• Painting of Shamrock has been in abeyance for over a year, due to all the work being carried out, so the crew have started priming the covering boards, bulwark stanchions and capping rails. This is the first stage of some protracted ‘Paintbrush’ activity.

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.

Busy January

January has been a busy month for Shamrock's crew with the heat from the wood burner allowing painting and varnishing to be completed to a high standard and harden up ready to be returned to the elements. Jobs finished include the deckhouse, forward companionway, bowsprit, mizzen mast, main plus mizzen booms and gaffs. Nancy Belle has also been rubbed down and any damaged sections of paint primed ready for a new coat of paint. Her deck boards have been removed and are being coated with anti slip paint. The star job of the month has been the design and building of a 'movable engine control housing' from pine, old bits of marine plywood and then veneered with recycled teak. The criteria being that anyone watching when Shamrock is sailing will not be able to see the controls, the housing will not look out of place and will be easily stowed out of sight, in the after cabin, when not in use. Well done Shaune.

Lots of varnish.

Paint and varnish.

Spotty Nancy Belle

Just add combined engine and gear control lever.

Matching roof lines.

Christmas Break

Before departing for their Christmas break the crew rigged a few ropes, dug out, adjusted and fitted Shamrock's old winter covers resulting in Shamrock being well covered and ready for whatever the weather throws as her. In the boat shed the crew enjoy the warmth of a well stoked wood burner while getting on with repainting and varnishing of the deckhouse and what was a scruffy looking bowsprit.

Shamrock Camping

With the winter derigging, decluttering of Shamrock almost complete and a start made to the erection of temporary winter covers, it looks as though Shamrock is ready to receive campers. The crew is glad to report that the forward cabin is almost completely dry as the painting out of this cabin is one of the tasks that is hoped to be completed over the winter months.

Advantage was taken of Fridays high tide to drive Nancy Belle half way up the boat shed slipway before being roped approximately 3.5 meters (12 ft) to its winter storage position. The boat shed is starting to get crowded with the addition of Shamrock's skylight/companionway (commonly known as the "deckhouse") ready to be dried out before being painted/varnished.

Seasons Preparations

The preparation of Shamrock for the season's visitors is now well underway with the freshly painted aft deckhouse and fore skylight/companion-way taken back on-board and fitted into place. With the long awaited arrival of some warm, dry and sunny weather a start has been made on the painting of Shamrock's superstructure.

A look in the boat shed also reveals that the new gangway has been completed and is ready for use.

The good weather has enabled the crew's lunch to be taken al fresco, life's tough at times.