Following the successful delivery of the keel and available backbone timbers on 18th April, work has commenced to shape these in preparation for assembling and setting up the backbone. Covid restrictions, whilst now being eased, still require us to limit the number of volunteers in the Longshed.
The ‘molds’ – temporary softwood frames to maintain the shape of the ship during the build – are nearly completed and we are hoping that, by the end of June, we might begin to assemble the molds on the backbone and begin to look at the way planking will be attached to the ship.
As we begin to relax entry restrictions to the Longshed we will be looking to train up more volunteers by continuing to fit and nail up planks to the ‘midships model’ and to make up and fit frames to this, requiring the making and fitting of trenails. We will also be making further oars and looking forward to seeing the shape of the full-size ship appear.
Tim Kirk