Tag: Oare Creek

Spring Maintenance

New kitchen; Pic by Ian Ruffles

New kitchen; Pic by Ian Ruffles

Today’s pics are both by Ian Ruffles. You can see that the winter has been fruitfully spent changing the galley area around, extending the worktops and cupboards. This to help make the galley more fit for creating the large amounts of servings of, for example, breakfast when the bigger parties of sail trainees are on board.

The poly-tunnel part of our winter work, though, is nearly done and Dave Brooks has posted this following call to arms to anyone who would like to help as we uncover the barge and get her fit again for sailing.

Dave writes ….

“We are now 5 weeks from leaving Faversham for the dry dock at Oare Creek. We have achieved quite a lot in the close season but now is the time for making the barge look the smartest she has been since she first left Faversham in 2011. This is the proposed schedule for the following weekends.

28/1. Painting Sprit, Inner Rails, Windlass (all buff)? Deck (blue) This needs to be concentrated on the foredeck back to the fore horse so that the Poly Tunnel can be disassembled and stacked neatly later.

7/8 Mar. Dressing Sails (Ian to confirm location) On the barge. More painting as above moving aft.

14/15 Mar. Dressing Sails if overrun or postponed due to weather from last week.On the barge Continue painting as before. Wheelhouse and iron work. Begin rigging out.

21/22 Mar. Removal of Poly-tunnel. Rigging out

28/29 Mar. Possibly moving to Oare. Gear Up.

Will advise what can be done at Oare after consultation with shipwrights.

Desperately need bodies for all these weekends. Please beg wives, girlfriends, family and friends to come and help, and pass on to anybody I have missed.
Please advise if you can make any of the dates.”

 

Mark Grimwade anchor, pic by Ian Ruffles

Mark Grimwade anchor, pic by Ian Ruffles

Meanwhile some bad news and some good news. It seems we have been broken into again and (reports Ian Ruffles) “Unfortunately yesterday when we arrived at the barge to continue our galley painting, we found the barge had been broken into again. As you can imagine us at Cambria Trust together with our volunteers this year who have worked so hard to get her ready for the new season are feeling quite upset, this has now put us behind in our preparations, so as per Dave’s post if you can give some spare time to help us that would be much appreciated.”  Stolen was the Flat Screen TV, the Surveillance box, laptop, hand held radio, money and, for some reason, a box of Weetabix. On the good news front, a gent called Mark Grimwade has let us have (back) an old anchor sold to him in the 50s by Cap’n Bob Roberts for use as part of a mooring at Pinmill. Thanks Mark!

 

Move to Oare

Cambria arrives Oare Creek 010313

Cambria arrives Oare Creek 010313

If you have been following the progress of this winter refit on our calendar page you’ll have been expecting a “Tow to Oare Creek” where the barge goes into dry dock for painting and attention. Dave Brooks has been on the case and has posted some nice pictures in the Cambria Sailing Barge area of FaceBook.

Dave supplied the following commentary. “Cambria made it to Oare creek safely today. Whilst she is at Oare, Tim Goldsack will be carrying out a list of jobs we require to be completed before she sails in April.
Also whilst she is in dry dock we require as many painters as we can to smarten her up. This year we will be spared the mucky job of anti-fouling as Tim and his team are doing it.
If possible we would like to get the hull scraped and painted.
This weekend, if weather permits, the mainmast needs painting. (Access to dry dock with extreme care this weekend as only a temporary gang plank, fixed gang plank will be in place next weekend.)
Next weekend the re-rigging will start so as many hands as possible to help with this and the last of the painting would be appreciated, please lat me know if you can attend”.

Thank you to all the volunteers who can help with this – please get your ‘bids’ in to Dave as soon as possible

 

 

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