Irene Rebuild                                          

 
Page Eighteen

14th July 2008

The main mast is stepped. As in life, so on the Irene, everything is a compromise. How much of a sixty-four foot log we can use and at what point we wouldn’t be able to get under Brunel’s bridge? What with measurement, re-measurement, head scratching, early morning concerns and, be it confessed, a level of guesswork, we decided that sixty-one and a half feet of mast would give us four feet to play with, or two feet under the keel and two feet from the top. The die was cast, the chain-saw chopped, the tenon shaped and with Progress and RIB, we towed the mast down to St Germains, where Ron Craddock has his saw mill, as well as a crane capable of lifting the main mast, with enough reach and enough height. Irene was pulled back on her mooring so that we could float out at a time when Ron had his crane at the ready.

Irene cruised gently down river to the Dandy Hole area, anchored over night, ready to catch the flood into St Germains, where just before the quay we managed to plant her firmly in the mud. The tide was still rising, however, a couple of local boats tried to help, but in the end when the tide was high enough, the RIB simply pushed the bow into the channel. We approached the quay, turned her round on two engines, plus a RIB and presented the main mast socket to Ron’s crane.

---------------Just a little stick-----------------------------John & Garth hold the mast up

Within minutes he had the spar up in the air, across the deck and ever so gently, lowered it into the mortice. All very professional.

------------John prays it will fit----------------------------Eight temporary wedges

Eight temporary wedges hammered into place. Four temporary shrouds to give more security and we were on our way within minutes of high water.

A brave yacht, however, managed to tangle his backstay with our bowsprit. By the time we had sorted out the tangle, we were out of the channel and nosing another furrow into the St Germain’s mud. The Gardners, however, had little trouble in pulling her off and we went back down to the Dandy Hole for a few days until neap tides allowed us the right level under the bridge, plus a relatively small flow of ebbing water.

At Anchor

Measurements of mast head to water line, and transfer of that measurement to the arch of the bridge left us confident that at ten foot of water we would have three feet to spare.

We took the precaution to get near the bridge by high water
(getting stuck in a narrow channel on an ebbing tide would not have been good practice). With half a mile to go and an hour plus to wait, the tide slowly fell to eleven feet.

------------------Eleven feet---------------------------------------Ben's decision

When Ben at the mast head confirmed that he could see the underside of the arch we were clear to proceed. It seemed a reasonable precaution to let Ben back down to deck, having left two sticks protruding vertically, one four feet, the other two feet, to give us an indication of how much head room we actually had. Without a hitch, Irene came through.

Under

The four foot stick was broken, the two foot was bent. We now know that at eleven foot draught we have just under two foot above the mast head. The advantage of coming early meant that we could get right up to Bagmill before the tide left us stranded. The chances of getting into the creek were small and indeed were extinguished when, in an effort to get a turning curve we nosed instead into a firm mud berth.

The tide was a little higher the following day and we were confident that we could get her out of her furrow and into the creek. Our confidence was not justified. Irene was quite comfortable where she was and although she was prepared to move forward a few feet, she stubbornly refused to co-operate with her male masters. The following day, however, with a little gentle cajoling, her resistance dropped and she slid smoothly into the creek.

Meanwhile Lawson’s timber was meticulously de-nailed, sawn into three inch slabs and John has been sculpting them into the main rail. The stern is a slightly more complicated exercise. The stern main rail and t’gallant rail will be made from our oak.

Another Chugg hatch

The galley/engine room hatch is in position and awaiting the polycarbonate glazing and some fancy work on the arm rests. The carlings on the main hatch have been fashioned and bolted and work is in progress to make the frames for light and air into the saloon, galley and two of the forward cabins. The watertight bulkheads are in place and the watertight doors fitted.

Watertight bulkhead

‘Lead wallpaper’ is being laboriously tacked in place. - partly to raise the centre of gravity but mainly to provide a level of noise privacy for whatever goes on in cabins. – whether pleasuring in the bunk or retching in the toilets.

And of course Irene had her 101st birthday party on 29th May and giggled as stupidly as the rest of us.

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