Oakdale’s Rudder, Duddon Estuary
Fixing a Hole
In my minds ear I can hear The Beatles singing “I’m fixing a hole where the rain gets in, And stops my mind from wandering, Where it will go.”
I love the way songs have always followed me around, popping into earshot at just the right time.
Why this song? Why now? Well, I’ll attempt at a super-shortened version.
I’ve found myself assisting in building a team to help with the repair and restoration of an old wooden boat. And as anyone who’s even vaguely familiar with old wooden boats will know, they tend to have a certain lifespan before they need overhauling. They also take constant repair and maintenance, not to mention deep pockets.
In the case of this old boat there aren’t any surviving plans or engineers drawings, not that we’ve found anyway. So Barry’s arrival the other week to produce 3D scans of the boat goes a long way towards the recreation of a digital plan to work from. Then there’s a charitable trust needed to ensure her long term preservation. Stephen stepped in to handle this.
There’s short term, heavy duty stripping out and clean up operations to manage. Steve, Brian and Tom stepped forward to get muddied up on a regular basis. Then there’s Phil to do the design work and ensure the story gets told with coherence. There’s also the extensive research involved in finding a long term home for her where she was built in Runcorn. Bob and Pete threw their hats into the ring. Bob with his Royal Navy expertise and Pete with his local historian knowledge and contacts.
The boatyard could also double up as a museum, what would that look like? Julian steps in to do some archaeological 3D mapping and reverse engineering to show what the yard would look like and how it related to all the local industry in the area. And what of succession planning for her long term survival, Mike steps in as a woodsman with his expertise in forestry and timber supply, today and 100 years from today.
Not forgetting of course, Roger who’s appeal for help for his old friend’s boat caught my eye in the first place. And Dave, who’s given 44 years of his life to save the boat for posterity. Or Jim who’s looking to turn the boat into a floating classroom for disadvantaged youngsters. Last night though I spoke with Adam, he really can fix holes. He’s a shipwright with expertise of historic boats and is meeting me in a few weeks to assess the works needed.
Collectively, along with ‘all the others’ as yet unmentioned, we’re preserving a piece of irreplaceable history. However, I have to confess, it feels very much as though ... the boat is fixing a hole in me.
Oakdale’s Rudder, Duddon Estuary
Fixing a Hole
In my minds ear I can hear The Beatles singing “I’m fixing a hole where the rain gets in, And stops my mind from wandering, Where it will go.”
I love the way songs have always followed me around, popping into earshot at just the right time.
Why this song? Why now? Well, I’ll attempt at a super-shortened version.
I’ve found myself assisting in building a team to help with the repair and restoration of an old wooden boat. And as anyone who’s even vaguely familiar with old wooden boats will know, they tend to have a certain lifespan before they need overhauling. They also take constant repair and maintenance, not to mention deep pockets.
In the case of this old boat there aren’t any surviving plans or engineers drawings, not that we’ve found anyway. So Barry’s arrival the other week to produce 3D scans of the boat goes a long way towards the recreation of a digital plan to work from. Then there’s a charitable trust needed to ensure her long term preservation. Stephen stepped in to handle this.
There’s short term, heavy duty stripping out and clean up operations to manage. Steve, Brian and Tom stepped forward to get muddied up on a regular basis. Then there’s Phil to do the design work and ensure the story gets told with coherence. There’s also the extensive research involved in finding a long term home for her where she was built in Runcorn. Bob and Pete threw their hats into the ring. Bob with his Royal Navy expertise and Pete with his local historian knowledge and contacts.
The boatyard could also double up as a museum, what would that look like? Julian steps in to do some archaeological 3D mapping and reverse engineering to show what the yard would look like and how it related to all the local industry in the area. And what of succession planning for her long term survival, Mike steps in as a woodsman with his expertise in forestry and timber supply, today and 100 years from today.
Not forgetting of course, Roger who’s appeal for help for his old friend’s boat caught my eye in the first place. And Dave, who’s given 44 years of his life to save the boat for posterity. Or Jim who’s looking to turn the boat into a floating classroom for disadvantaged youngsters. Last night though I spoke with Adam, he really can fix holes. He’s a shipwright with expertise of historic boats and is meeting me in a few weeks to assess the works needed.
Collectively, along with ‘all the others’ as yet unmentioned, we’re preserving a piece of irreplaceable history. However, I have to confess, it feels very much as though ... the boat is fixing a hole in me.