It's wet

Rain today so time to check on the boats we have in storage at an off-site location. They are still covered and appear ok although some trailer tyres require a bit more air.

Pearl got given an extra tarpaulin to cover the exposed part.

Back at the Old Herring Factory we started on a boat and trailer reorganisation. Some boats were moved outside while other work went on inside.

Quiet Summer Time

Work slows down during the summer months as volunteers go away are on holiday. 

We spent a while separating out scrap materials and pulling up weeds outside.

Work is continuing on the elliptical stern yole Laverne

Odds and Sods week

Several of our overhead light strips have stopped working but many are not easily accessible because of the boats stored underneath them. However, we managed to make enough space to fix one unit.

A final coat of paint was applied to Venture's rudders and dagger boards.

Finishing things off

The centre board on Saga has finally been rigged with an arrangement that is representative of what it would have originally looked like. The original centre board was steel and heavy so required some mechanical assistance to lift it.

Blocks for the main sheet have also been attached although we haven't pulled the mainsheet in as this would make manoeuvring the boom more difficult.

Finishing touches were made to the Groat dingy.

Discussion about where the various fittings went on Venture.

Fitting the wheels to one of the new dinghy frames.

Space Manegement

Storage space is always a problem as we do not have enough of it. We have already constructed a number of steel frames to allow some of the smaller boats to be double stacked but we really needed more frames. Two more steel frames have now been constructed with a wider spread which will allow further boats to be stacked. This week the frames were getting painted, wheels will then be fitted and the frames will then be ready for use.

It's Getting Hot

As the next heat wave hits the country, 15C in Orkney, work on Venture includes painting of dagger boards and rudders and sorting through the fittings to see what goes where on the hulls.

Following a visit from members of UHI (University of the Highlands and Islands) to catalogue the Labradorite stones have in our care, we have put the stones back in storage.

While the weather outside was not too bad we did some weeding.

Aldis Lamp

Work on refurbishing the Aldis Lamp has been completed. The box has been stripped and repainted and all fittings repaired or replaced as best we can. The lamp itself has been left untouched except for a clean as it works.

Refurbishment & Protection

A 1936 Aldis Lamp & storage case is being refurbished - the lamp still works.

A lot of the old tools we have in storage has been cleaned and oiled to protect them again rusting when the weather gets damper.

Spring Cleaning

We needed to extract our Labradorite rocks from the back of a storage area to allow the local archaeology dept to catalogue all the stones. This operation required us to move a lot of other materials so we took the opportunity to sort out the worth keeping from bruck.

Bruck has been put aside to be checked again before we recycle or dispose of.

Along the way we recovered the spray decks for Laverne. These spray decks can be attached to the boat usually in stronger winds to allow a greater angle of heel without the risk of down flooding into the cockpit. A flip up section allows the crew to sit comfortably on the windward side.

Sag

Cingalee has a slight sag towards her bow where the weight of the foredeck adds to the load on the keel. To address this problem we have added additional support under the sides of the hull and relieved the load on the keel.

Nameplates

The nameplate from Laverne has been refurbished. Although probably not the sort of nameplate that a boat builder would have installed it is what was on the boat when OHBS took over custodianship so we have kept it. 

The builders plate on the dinghy Ruby II has also been cleaned up. It was covered in old varnish and although now a lot cleaner some varnish residue still remains.

Before

After

Repair work has started on the damaged dagger board out of the catamaran Venture. The new bit of wood will next be shaped to match the original profile.

OHBS recently held an Open Day so that visitors could see what work was going on and the results of past work.

Spring Cleaning

With visitors expected this afternoon and an open day next week a bit of spring cleaning was order of the day.

Laverne, which had been lying on her side to allow easier access to the underside was righted.

The Yachting World Catamaran Venture has a damaged dagger board. We will splice in a new piece of wood and shape to match.

Visiting boat builder from Truro examining Orcadian boats at the OHBS storage facility in Stromness.

Going, Going, Gone

For the past 5 years OHBS has had a small display of artefacts and information in the windows of an empty shop in Stromness. The shop is about to be leased out so OHBS has had to remove the display items from the shop.

Going

Going

Gone

Back to work

The 50 year old compressor we acquired is not worth keeping so we have dismantled it into manageable parts for recycling.

Work continues on the exterior of Laverne which is now heeled over to make for easier access.