Archive for June 2023
Yesterday we had a great celebration of the rollover of the new hull. Many crew and supporters came to help with the work and help Elaine and I celebrate this milestone in the build. Supporters started arriving from 10 am and we were straight into the process of putting some tension in the slings and then removing all the supports.
I had rigged the slings on Tuesday in preparation and while it took just 90 minutes of physical activity there had been a lot of mental preparation and reviewing of the photos from the last hull turn.
Wednesday was race day at RANSA where we won on handicap due to a crew of ten on the rail. Our ORCi default weight for crew was 750 kg which we have never achieved so it was a first for us to have so many crew in a fresh breeze. We missed out on fastest by 14 seconds and that made for an exciting race. The fresh westery breeze was in our favour for the run to the heads and with the No3 jib set we were well in control. Allegro with a larger headsail kept up with on the down wind leg but we managed to round first and give them dirty air on the work back to Steele Point. They made up ground on the work from Shark Island to the finish when they had clear air and once they were to windward and on starboard they ensured that we could not tack to take their stern. The handicap win took us to the top of the rankings for the season and we retain our third on fastest times too.
So the crew were still excited with out success when they arrived on Thursday for the hull turn. After a quick morning coffee we were under the hull removing coach bolts and screws. We worked from the stern to the bow and cut the last two supports at frame A as the screws were difficult to access. Immediately the hull was free from the building frame and we started the process of lifting one side.
By 1330 hours we had the hull on edge and paused to rig a restraining line so that we could control the descent. As Kevin controlled the descent I took pictures from the ladder. After all the work it was the first opportunity to view the lenght of the hull and appreciate all the primer that has already been applied.
With the hull around and level we called it a day and had afternoon tea to celebrate the milestone. Lunch had been a sandwich on the run or a hot pie with the supporters feeding us whenever we appeared from under the hull so it was time for a breather.
With the supporters sent on their way it was time to install the supports and let down the slings using the chain blocks.
The hull settled a metre too far back and the bow was too low but it was stable for the night so we called it a day.
Today’s task was to position the hull over the supports at the strong frames D and H and make sure it was level. The process of repositioning the slings on the hull and relifting was very effecient but getting it on the centreline of the building frame was more complex and required a bit more science rather than brute force.
With a bit of patience the hull was settled fore and aft and athwarthship. The Laser level confirmed the spirit level reading that the hull was as level as the instruments can measure.
Back on the boatbuilding I applied epoxy fillets to the transom as I want to get this area completed and epoxy coated while the weather is dry.
For the record a few of the boatbuilding tasks completed on the past two weeks.
