News from Caresana
Progress this summer seems to have been slow, the good summer weather and chances to go boating mean that less time has been spent on Caresana.
However, the new superstructure now has the window apertures cut out and painted. The doors have been refurbished and hung, the sliding doors on new runners. The lock on the rear doors was of a type that we could not find in this country and we needed the same type as it was set in the door. Fortunately this lock was available in the USA and even more fortunately Dennis’s son Martin was coming over for a holiday and purchased and hand delivered the lock free of charge.
We have reduced the size of the three front screens to allow space above them to fit pantograph wiper motors and those frames are now away having the glass fitted. All the side window frames have been cleaned and burnished and the glass has been polished.
Dennis has spent many hours on his knees caulking and paying the seams of the side decks and as soon as his back recovers we will prepare the decks for painting. The excess glue has now been cleaned off the new superstructure and the sides painted with white undercoat as have the areas around the windows in the wheelhouse. All these changes have made Caresana look a good deal less like a stealth warship.
We are now planning the equipment requirements both navigational and domestic. On the navigational side we have been donated most of what we need but are still seeking a log and echo sounder to replace the old spinning disc types that we had before. So if you have a spare log and sounder that you would like to donate please let us know.
The effectiveness of the boat cover was demonstrated when we had the very strong winds in the recent storm. Two large boughs came off the willow tree at the stern and other than punching a couple of holes in the sheeting, there was no damage to the steel framework or the boat inside.
It has been a very good year for fruit so Sandy has been making jam as an almost full time occupation. I never imagined that volunteering for the trust would mean de-stoning 15lbs of Damsons every day for over a week, but the funds continue to grow and our thanks go to all our friends who have donated the fruit. Keith continues to supply batches of marmalade which we now have regular customers coming back for.