And Then Came The MARITIME MIDWIVES

(They've berthed more ships than they can remember !)

The team of volunteers, who have come to help finish the boat, have come from around the country under the watchful eye of team leader Jeremy.

The team is made up of  eleven volunteers, or as Jeremy puts it "conscripts"

Ian and Tony work together  as sanders and finishers .

Mike and Gordon are electricians

Francis and Malcolm are engineers

Jay and Andy are plumbers

Paul and Mick are carpenters.

They have volunteered for work together for 10 days to hasten progress on Helen II

 and have promised not to fall out , swear (much), and only stop for coffee or rum. (it's brown and in a big jug !)

Tony ,Alister and Ian began work on finishing the planing of the mast.

To achieve the necessary round shape they created a template to check thickness along its length.

Once completed ,they oiled the wood to seal it - only to find they needed to take more off as someone decided it was too thick.(this is called a learning curve )

Trustee Ron and the rest of the team had a long discussion re the positioning of  all the necessary internal items and once all was agreed ,they set to work in their own fields of  specialism .

Francis and Malcolm began final fitting of  the engine onto the beds and a lot of technical stuff Wednesday Phil didn't understand !

Paul set to making a new pair of steps for the entry to the cabin which will clip on to the cockpit  lip.

Meanwhile Mike and Gordon were building a battery system while Jeremy wondered if he could trim his beard with the oscillating saw.

There will be one engine battery with an isolation switch charged by the engine.

Two leisure batteries with an isolation system but these can be charged by solar panels or the engine.(well that's what they said !)

Jeremy found a better use for the saw and made one of the battery boxes.

Nick was" home alone" creating a box for the 120 ltr fuel tank which is to be housed in the stern section.

Jay got the unenviable task of filling the cracks of the drying mast with very messy putty but he didn't complain  'though, he did eat his sandwich with care as Phil didn't supply any soap !

.Wednesday Phil and Ron are so pleased with the pace of the work and are amazed and the daily  progress after only two and a half days..

On behalf of all the trustees its a BIG THANK YOU  to the  MARITIME MIDWIVES.

( KEEP DELIVERING !)

.

 THE BEGINNING OF THE END

As we have all now had two Covid jabs ,we are tentatively returning to work.

Wally and Wednesday Phil gave the boat a thorough clean to remove a year of pigeon muck.

Then Ron ,Phil and Wally, suitably masked, began to move the engine with block and tackle into its correct position.

This created room for Wednesday Phil to build the final bunk on the port side.

In doing so ,it became clear that there would be little room to reach the back of the engine due to the bunk so redesigning was needed.

The original frame was removed and a new  design constructed.

This time it was able to be lifted up to allow greater access to the engine.

Due to passing a building being renovated, Phil noticed a pile of  8 x 3 beams being removed and with the aid of  a mates trailer ,they were relocated to the compound 

AFTER FOUR WEEKS OF NO POWER, WE ARE PROGRESSING ONCE AGAIN

For the  past weeks the power in the compound has been off,but now all is well.
So here is the update.

 The chain plates  which will hold the mast ropes were galvanized and refitted. The holes for the bolts through the hull were firstly mastic filled  and then bolts pushed through and tightened by trustee Dave.

They look beautiful !









The metal fastening which holds the bow sprit , having been galvanized, was bolted back into the bow with screw bolts.
This proved a two man job due to the weight.

The metal  floor created to strengthen the bow was fitted after much contortion with stainless steel bolts.







 


A donated toilet was set up in the bow and as it needed to be at a comfortable height and position ,it was tested by Ron who was not expecting the photo !!
Wednesday Phil then built a plinth at home and first fitted the loo. Looks impressive and is now ready for relevant connections.

Ron has now finally fitted the hydraulic drive connected to the prop shaft which turns the propeller. He is now ready to fit the engine above this.

New volunteer Tony Scott fitted slats along the boat ribs to create a space between the hull and anything stored against it.This should create a good airflow and prevent dampness and condensation.

Meanwhile trustees Alan and Dave continue to plane the telegraph mast from 12 inches diameter to 8 inches - a long and arduous task .
( well that's what they told me ! )

THANKS TO CUTTING AND WARE OF SHEFFIELD
Many thanks to Mark Russel for the donation  of Stainless steel stanchions, galvanised engine bracket, step bolts and a prop shaft  key way for Helen II.
 
 This has saved the trust valuable time and money !

 The engine bracket is now in place and the prop shaft connected to the hydraulic drive thanks to Ron's dedication and Wally's welding skill.










Wally also removed a weak hinge locking the bowsprit in place ,and replaced it with a  much stronger creation of his own.

 

Sadly the project has lost the services of Wally for some time as he has now gone "walkabout" in New Zealand ( more accurately "fishabout")
The trustees would like to thank him for his time and skills and wish him a speedy return as the jobs list is already building !!!

Meanwhile trustee Dave continued securing R clips to the stanchions with s/s wire ties. These are tight fitted so loose cable cannot trip up crew.

Wednesday Phil made a streamlining addition to the the stern which creates a smooth flow of water between the stern post and the rudder. It surrounds the rudder post leaving clearance for wood expansion.This was epoxied on.

MUCH HAS BEEN HAPPENING IN PREP FOR FITTING.
The last few weeks have seen much preparation to move things forward . Now our preparation is paying off.
 Some works have failed to progress due to lack of workers , but Ron ,Wally and Wednesday Phil continue in spite of this.

Ron has now fitted the stern bearing which the propeller shaft is threaded through.
Ron was proud of this achievement as on this special day Ron wore his MICKEY MOUSE CLUB hat .Still young at heart !

The inner bearing is now in place and the bracket to hold the drive pump  has had to be modified .Wally cut 3 cms of metal off the bracket and re welded the base for a perfect fit.
Both gents are now ready for final fit next week.

 
 Wednesday Phil has begun fitting all his pre fabricated sections that he has made.
The lee boards that stop you falling out of a bunk when the boat leans over ,are now fitted 

 The port (left) storage lockers are now being fitted after a long wait for painting,

The final fit is halted as we await the return of  the  galvanised chain plates from Liverpool !






Wednesday Phil and Wally have made and fitted the final sections of the second rubbing stake which protects the hull from damage when the boat is along side a wall etc.

 
 Wally asked why the boat had a second rubbing strake. Phil told him off for asking hard to answer questions.
As with all good management practice, Phil took the photos while Wally did the work.

Today we found a problem with this bowsprit holder.(don't know its proper name ).
The hinge which locks the ring in place became welded when it was galvanised.When it was finally forced open, the hinge bent out of shape and is useless.

Wally is going to cut the hinge off and weld on a much stronger one he has designed.

Wally's work load increases and he's still grinning and stating his favourite saying..." I'm appy with at !"