12 super volunteers
Tectona cannot thank enough all the volunteers who made their way through the winding lanes and big hills to come and lend a hand during the refit period in Polruan. We couldn’t have done it without your help, laughter and commitment. The volunteers not only came themselves but often brought us wonderful treats; chocolate I hear you mutter – well no. When you are refitting a boat the best presents are one-inch brand new scrapers, a CD player and eclectic mix of music and a fibre optic Christmas tree with decorations.
Thank you: Jen, Tamara, Tyler, Sue, Karen, Joe, Jason, Rachel, Bryony, Jean-Marc, Lynsey, Rob
11 tins of paint
This year we took layers upon layers of paint off Tectona’s hull and she is now looking very smooth indeed. Huw re-caulked some seams and we cleaned and refilled some fasting ends. We then set about putting on two coats of red lead primer (I must say the rose gold colour it turned out to be was very much on trend), one coat of normal primer and two coats of antifoul. She was looking fantastic by then end and we reached 8 knots on the way back to Plymouth so it was all worth it.
10 miles to the nearest supermarket
Meal planning and weekly food shops have continued on from the season this year whilst we were in Polruan for a month. Healthy, hearty meals were key this year which makes a big difference to everyday life of an intense refit period.
9 steps on the scaffolding
The access to the boat was by way of a two stage scaffolding tower. This in itself is not unusual but the four of us were living on board for the duration of our time at Polruan. So the 9 steps in the scaffolding is significant. It means 9 steps and two hatches to navigate to go to the toilet at 5am, 9 steps to climb when you had convinced yourself wrongly of the size of spanner you needed and 9 steps back up to the biscuit tin when you needed that energy boost!
8 bunks full of stuff
A bunk of PPE (and the toaster), a bunk of tools, a bunk of electrics both old and new, a bunk engine spares and old generator parts, a bunk paints and tubes of goos and glues, a bunk of bolts and screws, a bunk of pillows and lifejackets and a bunk of bunk cushions!
7 pieces of wood
Seven pieces of iroko wood have been put into the new stern post. It is a piece of craftsmanship and mighty robust. The job took two weeks to complete, which was quite a feat. Notable mention to the incredible amount of sawdust we accumulated in the aft cabin!
6 days of weekend working
Our dedicated volunteers came down on the weekends to give us a helping hand; Saturday working – any excuse for lots of tea and cake. Sundays were particularly pleasant and quiet to work in the boat yard.
5 minutes to shower
£1 gets you 5 minutes to shower in the boat yard facilities. Preparation is key to this being a successful experience and 5 minutes seems quite luxurious until the days of scraping and painting antifoul come along. Fully covering white painting suits, gloves, googles and aspirator masks still allow some pesky little bits of antifoul to get onto you. Some nights were £2 shower nights…
4 new banks of batteries
4 banks of batteries - 4 batteries in each bank - Yes, 16 batteries were installed. A pallet of batteries requires a helping hand from the yard telehandler and the entire team to lift them to the deck. Along with the batteries, the new alternator and loads of cables were installed. Our particular favourite is the ‘hot pink’ data cables we now have winding through the boat.
3 bags of cakes
The night watchman generously gave us three huge bags of delicious cakes ones day. Those nutty chocolate brownies and raisin filled fruitcakes were enjoyed for a few days with many cups of tea. Thank you!
2 wonderful shipwrights
Spike and Jim completed the work on the stern post we undertook this winter. Jim worked on preparing the new scarfed planks that were to be put on once the stern post was completed whilst Spike worked on preparing the inside and building the new laminated piece to fill the hole. These guys stayed on board whilst working and it was great to have some company and share many stories of an evening after work.
1 Triskel marine engineer
He clocked off at 5pm but got locked in the boat yard when the gates closed at 7pm, he arrived on Saturday mornings carrying more bags of connectors and cable ties, he drew diagram after diagram, he brought his dog onboard, helped stow for sea, gave us a hand to sail Tectona back to Plymouth in the pouring rain and squalls and never said no to a cup of tea. Will Parkinson – thank you from the bilges to the topmast! We love the new system.
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A massive thank you to everyone who has supported us, got involved and keeps up to date with our developments through our social media posts. You are all wonderful! Our crowdfunding campaign has now finished and we managed to raise a whopping £17,445. We are overwhelmed and humbled by the support with this fund raising campaign.
We have a very busy few months ahead in the new year but we are all very excited to start the 2019 season. Stay tuned to see the programme go live on the website and find out about our plans for next years voyages.
A very Merry Christmas and Wishing you all fair winds for 2019!
Ben, Emma, Aidan & Jen