News
We try and keep this blog up-to-date as we sail around!
The Right Way Up
After a short interlude, we just got a new series of photos from the welding factory. There’s a whole lot of new progress to share - and no more having to turn our phones upside-down to imagine what’s going on!
Skin on the Bones
Scout is coming along quickly, and now has a hull to speak of. Time for a cheeky return trip to the factory see whether things have progressed. And so they have…
The Electronics
Scout is barely more than an aluminium skeleton, but we’ve already been thinking ahead to what is going to be installed on and inside her. As the build progresses, we’ll share some of the decisions we’ve made about the layout, the rigging, and various other systems - such as those for the electrics, water, and propulsion.
Back to the Welding Factory
It’s time to share the next set of photos from the welding factory. And work is continuing apace.
You Give Me "Sea-Fever"
In anticipation of our future boat Scout, and, as a recent birthday gift, James surprised me with a first edition collection of poems from John Masefield called Salt Water Ballads (1902). The first book of the future British poet laureate was one of only 500 copies printed, and included the poem Sea-Fever. For many who have an affinity with the sea or a thirst for poetry, the line “all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by” is probably the most well known. I think it is because it casts an endearing, simple need to be at one with the water.
Hull Construction Beginnings
Scout is now more than just a name! This week the French welding factory started the construction of Scout’s super-sturdy aluminium hull. There are various stages to the metalwork welding phase, from plasma cutting, forming, assembly, plating, turning over, finishing and finally sanding - who knew! Once all the stages within the metalwork phase are complete, the hull will then be transferred to the Garcia shipyard in Cherbourg, France, to start on the follow-up phases of construction. We expect the metalwork phase to take about two months or so.
An Update
Well, it’s been over a year since we set up this website and shared the news that we were buying a new boat called Scout. But 2020 wasn’t exactly a normal year, and so you might be wondering what’s happened to this project!
Posts by topic: