Meanwhile, Back at the Office.

It seems to never rain, but pour. We’ve currently got this rather sweet little dutch barge on the slip. She’s in for some extensive doubling (overplating) of the hull, and a whole bunch of other works besides. But the doubling part of it is all mine. In four days flat me and my two trusty Nepalese labourers have managed to get eleven plates tacked into their proper position on the bottom of the boat, and we’ve done a decent job of it too- I’m well pleased at the progress. Of course, if she were mine we’d have to cut the whole lot out and start again replating the proper way but economics dictate that we don’t have, um, four years. Instead I’m told I have three weeks from Monday gone. I’m really looking forward to plating round the bow partly for the shape that the doublers will take up but mostly because doing so will mean that I don’t have to scramble around in this space:

It’s just a wee bit tight under there folks, each day has already become an steadfast exercise in contortionism and seriously athletic to boot. I’m considering asking my osteopath if he can have me fitted with a flip-top head and Stretch Armstrong back to make life easier…

Boats, you gotta love ‘em.