Happy Return Deck Refurbishment

To say we had a leaky deck would be a bit of an understatement. Below deck, whenever it rained, it was becoming a bit like using a fishing net as an umbrella. So, we booked in with the Sandy Cove Boatyard (SCB) at Newlyn to have the deck resealed.

The timing for this work depended on SBC availability, and in early September we took Happy Return out of commission for an anticipated two-week period for the deck work to be done. The weather gods did not shine on us. The shipwrights, having removed all the old pitch and oakam from the seams between the deck planks, were afflicted with rainfall which caused a ten-day delay. Needless to say, everything got a little wet below deck on the Happy Return. But eventually, the sun came out, and work commenced once again on resealing the deck.

It was at this time, that Murphy’s law came into play!

Murphy’s Law is amazingly simple. It states that if something can possibly go wrong at the most inopportune moment, it probably will. And in this case, it did. We had a leak in the hull, right up in the bow on the garboard plank, which is next to the keel. A little luck was on our side as the main slipway in Newlyn was free. So, off we went to the slip to sort out the leaky plank.

Thus, the shipwrights, who were working on the deck, moved to the keel and immediately set about the necessary repairs. They racked out all the old corking around the garboard plank, then with new oakam and red lead putty, they resealed the whole length of the keel. That was yet another four days lost on the deck project. But as all things must end, we did eventually have the deck finished.

The Deck is now twenty years old and in the life of a wooden boat, it is regarded as a consumable part of the boat. So, it was decided that we would extend the life of the deck, (hopefully), another twenty years by painting it.

The deck is an attractive, light grey nowadays, and looking very nice too. So far, it has only had two coats of paint, so the work continues. It is planned to apply another two coats of paint prior to the winter.

All this extra work has meant that our expected spend this autumn went somewhat over the anticipated budget. The planned work on the deck and the keel turned out to be about £2000 over the anticipated cost for the shipwrights. On top of this, we had the emergency visit to the main slip in Newlyn, which gave us a bill of just over £1000. All that being said, we do have a contingency fund for such events. Just as well.

In the meantime, we have rigged the large mizzen sail on the fore mast in readiness for some sailing when the weather permits. Happy Return will remain in Newlyn for the remainder of October. So, any sailing will be from the north arm of Newlyn harbour, which is directly opposite the fish market.

Happy Return Deck Update

Just to keep you in the loop, the deck on the Happy Return is going to be re-pitched this autumn. This will involve the raking out of the old pitch between the deck planks. That is the black stuff between each deck board. Then the hardening up of the oakum which is a natural material used for caulking between the deck planks. After this the new hot pitch will be poured in the gap thus sealing the deck. Once this is finished, we will be painting the deck , So we will be endeavouring to obtain a waterproof finish.

The services of Sandycove Boatyard (SCB) in Newlyn have been obtained to undertake the work. It is planned that they will hopefully give us about five days’ notice prior to commencing work. The implications of this are as follows:

The sailing program will come to an abrupt stop for a minimum of three weeks, so get your sailing in soon.

On receipt of the notice from the SCB to commence the project we will need to remove all sails, spares, and deck boxes from the Happy Return. The Penzance harbour master has given us permission to store these items by the Rank building. Once completed , Happy Return will be moved to the North Quay of Newlyn Harbour in readiness to start work.

The work will be undertaken by two members of staff from the SCB. Once all the old pitch has been removed, we will muster a group of enthusiasts to sand the deck prior to the SCB staff members hardening up the oakum and re-pitching the deck.

On completion of the pitching phase, we will then muster a working party to paint the deck. Volunteers will be asked for later.

At the end of the painting, Happy Return will return to Penzance to reembark the deck boxes and spares.

If time remains, we will hopefully get a few sailings sessions in the bay before the season comes to a close.

The overall implication of this, is to get your sailing in ASAP.

Happy Sailing

Mark

"A shining example of a well run heritage boat organisation."