Shiny Shamrock

With the fitting of the last of the chainplates delayed until an order of freshly manufactured coach bolts arrive Shamrock is being prepared to be exposed to the elements.

• The covering boards, bulwarks, capping rails, wash strake and cargo hold coaming have all received a coat of black gloss. 
• The starboard hull to the waterline and the transom have been coated with bitumen roofing paint. 

• Forward companion way and after deck house coamings have been sanded and primed.
• The decks have received two good coats of a mixture of boiled linseed oil and paraffin, rain that gets through Shamrock's cover now bead of the deck. 

• Warping horse undercoated.   
• Layers of old bitumen being scraped off her original port side hull planks.

Warping Horse

With the new warping horse in place followers of Shamrock may notice the new top beam has a pronounced curve when compared with one fitted in the late 1970’s restoration. This is intentional. Details of this form, for the warping horse, were found amongst a collection of old photos of Shamrock operating in and around Falmouth. Amongst these there is one photo of her under motor/sail, taken from astern, showing her original warping horse complete with curve. Shamrock's top gudgeon has been fitted and checked for alignment. The rotten rear port section of beamshelf has been removed and a replacement is being fashioned. Thanks to Richard Trebilcock for the historic photos.

New warping horse.

Shamrock off Falmouth

Top gudgeon.

Checking alignment.

Shamrock's Transom

The complete removal of Shamrock's deck planks exposed areas that had not seen the light of day since her restoration in the late 1970's, such areas as her aft oak Deadwood and the bottom section of her Warping Horse. As fresh water ingress had caused rot to both of these, they have been removed along with the Sternpost, rudder Gudgeons* along with associated ironwork and the fashion piece of her Transom. The Gudgeons and ironwork are in the process of being cleaned and painted. Rot in the top section of one of Shamrock's port frames has caused it to disintegrate and it is being replaced.

GUDGEONS. Bands of iron, steel or mixed metal which terminate in eyes, bolted to the sternpost to receive the pintle bolts of the rudder.

Aft Deadwood.

Warping Horse and Stern Post.

Fashion piece.

Rudder Gudgeons

What's left of Shamrock's Transom.

Fresh water damage. 

Disintegrate frame

Recovered bolt.

New Bits.

Over the last few weeks Shamrock has acquired a couple of new extras.
First, there is the new mizzen crutch designed to support the mizzen boom, this takes the bending weight of the boom, gaff and sail off the mizzen mast while she is docked.
This advantages over the old scissor crutch are:

• It's a lot easier to put in place.
• Does not need lashing to the warping horse (easier to paint the horse).
• The tiller has to be moved to one side before putting the crutch in place this prevent heads hitting the tiller when exiting the after hatch.
• (Health and safety will like this one). No longer a finger trap. 

As the old scissor crutch was made using original Shamrock timbers, removed during the restoration, a decision is now needed as to how these old timbers can be used to raise funds for Shamrock.

Secondly when a complete, rather old and tatty barrel was gifted to Shamrock the obvious thing to do with it was to turn it an donations barrel to compliment the existing successful water pitcher type donations barrel.

Extra job.

One often unplanned job is the removal of mud splatters from Shamrock. Some of these are caused by heavy rain while she is sat on the mud but the worst ones are caused by visitors throwing stones or other objects in the dock deliberately splashing Shamrock! Some people have no respect for an old lady.

Mud splattered transom.