work gets underway…
Before we bought Provi in February, she had been laid up on the river Dart for over two years. Trinity, her previous owners had done their best to look after her during the pandemic but with limited resources the elements had started to take their toll. The overall impression was of a beautiful but slightly weary war horse.
Our surveyor gave her a good looking over. There was a huge amount of “catch-up” maintenance to do but even more importantly there was a question about the structural integrity of the boat. To be sure, we pulled lots of fasteners and removed two large sections of garboard (the lowest planks of the hull). Some of these needed to be replaced anyway because a nasty little creature called gribble had been eating away at them. We also removed some of the inside (ceiling) planking and chipped out some of the concrete / steel ballast. What we found underneath was a structure of keel, floor timbers and transverse frames in really good order. Massive and solid. It was a lot of work to check this all out but if we ever encounter rough seas we will know that we can rely on these huge oak stalwarts to keep us safe.
Working from the bottom up, we set about bringing Provident back to a standard of care that will see her sailing safely, efficiently and beautifully into the future. This short video is a taster of some of the work that has been done so far.
The next part of the adventure will be to sail to Scotland where we will continue with the work. At first we’ll be heading for the Forth then next spring, back through the glorious Caledonian Canal and off to explore the Hebrides.
The major jobs still to do are mainly to do with renovating the interior. We want to keep the rugged and purposeful feel of the old trawler but add a level of refinement, particularly to the cabins, loos and shower.
As ever, if you’re anywhere near us, drop by for a cup of tea or head over to the 2023 voyages section to have a look at all the possibilities on offer for a classic sailing holiday in Scotland.
To find out where we are go to www.marinetraffic.com and enter Provident in the search bar.
A huge thank you to everyone who has contributed so far. It’s been great to get old friends and new stuck in to the work.