In the Doghouse
I’ve now been home almost a month since returning from the chilly wastes of Svalbard (where all the Polar Bears hid until they saw my plane leave, then started dancing on the ice for my shipmates) to the soggy wastes of Argyll, and since then have made some good progress in some interesting projects. First…
The Interior Fit-Out Commences
It has now been several weeks since I sat my Master Unlimited oral… and unfortunately failed. It has taken some time to reconcile myself with failure, as it is not something I am accustomed to, but shit happens, and I have the opportunity to resit whenever I can secure another slot for an exam (don’t…
Unexpectedly Long Leave = Lots of Progress
I last updated you in late July (or was it early August? A while ago, anyway), and had done lots of little bits, fitted the centreboard, painted the hull and made progress with the preps of the interior for the installation of the foam insulation. I was expecting my next leave period to be a…
Progress update – things I’ve done since May…
Yes, as is my wont, I’ve left it far too long again since I last updated this blog. Whilst I’m busy in Bristol refitting the Fridtjof Nansen, I’m only allowing myself short leave periods to do stuff at home, have holidays and progress with Serchthrift, so whilst there has been notable progress since May, it…
Bulkheads and cleating continue (and power tools conspire against me)…
Once again it has been a long time since my last update – what was going to be a 6-week trip on Pelican before returning to the UK and a possible job-change, turned into a marathon 3-months, with the final month spent preparing the new Seas Your Future vessel, the schooner Fridtjof Nansen, for her…
NOW WE CAN REALLY GET STARTED!
Greetings from warm and sticky Costa Rica, as I and the crew of Pelican of London await the return of our Ocean College students from their adventures ashore. As I write, sitting in the open air bar of the marina which has been looking after us for the past few weeks, it is strange thinking…
Steel, scale, water and, finally, paint.
Having neglected the blog for some (many) months, and just published a post which I started writing in June, hurriedly completing it today, I thought it is high time to update you on my progress thus far with Serchthrift. My last leave was productive but, with lots of small jobs achieved, the progress was not…
Adventures in Steelwork continued…
(or Chris Discovers Plasma) The last post dealt with the mast steps, bulkhead tabs and aft peak framework. The order of work was very much dictated by the presence just ahead of me in the shed of the beautifully varnished hull of Rumbuster, a one-off, 36ft Sparkman and Stephens design, which I have known for…
Adventures in Steelwork
Once again, dear Reader, here appears before you a much overdue update on my progress (and yes, although you wouldn’t know on outward inspection from the shed floor, definite progress) with fitting out Serchthrift for a life on the chilly oceans of the world. I returned from sea (and I will post separately about my…
LOCKDOWN!
Having spent a busy and slightly stressful 2 months at sea in the Pelican of London, successfully navigating the seas and Covid restrictions from Madeira to the Pacific coast of Costa Rica (wherein lies an entire post in itself), I returned to Argyll in the midst of Lockdown 3 in the middle of January, so…
