Blast cleaning and repainting steel hull

Preparing and painting a steel yacht hull



Good example of long-term waterline UV damage.

Faded and well worn paintwork, especially along waterline
where UV damage is the most intense it seems.
 

After over a decade of ware and tear, and the odd tussle with pontoons during winter storms that involved the transfer of paint from the boat to the woodwork, since the last coat of paint the topsides and hull were due some attention. Hull was dry blasted back to clean metal below the waterline, and coated immeadiately (within 4 hours) with three coats of International Interguard 300 epoxy. Some fairing and spot blasting and priming were also needed before several coats of International Interprotect epoxy primer were applied over the whole exterior hull. Toposides were finished-off with International Perfection undercoat and finally three coats of International Perfection (Mauritiaus Blue). International Trilux (hard)antifouling was applied onto tacky Interprotect epoxy primer below water line as a base/mark coat, and waterline marked in with white Trilux. A few coats of an ablative (self polishing antifoul paint) will be applied over the top of the Trilux before launching.

Blasting work and spray application of Interguard 300 was carried out by Marine Blast and all other prep work and painting completed by Halcyon Marine Coatings (aka "Saunders"). Standard of paintwork is extraordinarily good, and I know a thing or two about painting steel boats after so many years of intimate dealings with rusty steel and corners. Note that all topsides paintwork was completed by hand using roller and brush techniques. Good example of an outstanding mirror finish with this technique. Interguard 300 base primer was applied using airless spray equipment.

 



Holy Loch Adventure

During the summer, August 2009, with a crew including Jenny Wright with Ruth and Duncan (newly arrived from Singapore) and Susan, myself and Ruairidh Skerryvore took us quickly to Holy Loch, just across the Firth of Clyde, heeled well over under all sail in about 25knots of wind. Most of the crew thouroughly enjoyed this, but others enjoyed the arrival much more. The highlight of the voyage was the discovery that Mackerel were running and willing to take any lure that came close to the water.

Final leg of the delivery...Largs to Rhu

After first arriving into the UK at Cowes, Isle of Wight, and a tortuous discussion with HMRC ("Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs") which lasted almost as long as the voyage from Melbourne, Skerryvore finally sailed the last leg from Largs on the west coast to Rhu on 17th November 2007. This short trip of circa 20 miles or so was completed without major incident with Andy Scott and Kate Dobson as crew.

Origin of the name Skerryvore

The name Skerryvore is a derivation from the Scottish Gaelic, 'An Sgeir Mhòr' meaning 'The Great Skerry' which names a remote reef that lies off the west coast of Scotland, 12 miles (19 kilometres) south west of the island of Tiree. Skerryvore is also the name given to the lighthouse on the skerry. The lighthouse was built between 1838 and 1844 by Alan Stevenson. His nephew Robert Louis described it as "the noblest of all extant deep-sea lights" and according to the Northern Lighthouse Board it is "asserted by some that Skerryvore is the world's most graceful lighthouse".

The skerry keeps good company with a host of other submerged, or awash, rocks. A detailed survey undertaken in 1834 listed more than 130 main rocks including Am Bonn Sligheach (pronounced 'Boinshley') meaning The Deceitful Bottom, and Am Bogha Ruadh meaning, in a much more pragmatic manner, The Red Submerged Rock.

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skerryvore for specifications, pictures and additional historical details.

My favourite picture of Kit and me...

This photograph was taken by Sally Pickles after we'd finished grinding the rust off from the inside surfaces of the bilge (Kit is on the left).

Some video footage of various events...

There are a few eclectic video selections you can watch on youtube at www.youtube.com/sgeirmhor


Skerryvore's arrival at Cowes on 5th October 2007



In the boat yard etc...



Sailing in Turkey...

Some moments during the rebuilding process...

Although the boat arrived in Williamstown in March 1999 most of the refitting work was carried out during the latter part of 2003 and early 2004 by myself, Kit Johnson (pictured left-Kit on the left and me on the right) and the mighty Sally Pickles. In addition to my very understanding and tolerant family (partner Susan Scott and son Ruairidh who was born on 9 October 2000) there were many other hands involved at various stages of this excercise and notable people that deserve much thanks are the Raabs; Matthias, Claudia and their sons Connor, Cian and Carrick (who was born just before Skerryvore left Williamstown on her voyage!), my mother Mary Greig, Derek Fabel, Graeme Geary (Graeme Geary Marine) , Keld Hannson (Mariner Engineering) and the amazing and indefatigable Brian Smith.

All adventures have to start somehow...

Come to think of it, I don't recall the idea of sailing Skerryvore from Melbourne to Glasgow as a conscious, identifiable descision. Skerryvore is a 36' Germaine, which is a round-bilge steel ketch designed by Cecil Boden, and was originally built in 1971 by Colin Margin in Woy Woy, New South Wales, Australia. The voyage was just taken as given, even though the 'how' subsequently needed a fair bit of consideration...and as it turned out also energy, perseverance, money, patience, trust, and above all a somewhat naive belief that everything would work out as planned. As it turned out, everything did go as planned...we just had to keep changing the plan!

We purchased the boat in March 1999 shortly after it had completed a successful circumnavigation between 1994-1996 with the previous owners, Kim Wilson and Peter Anderson, and then spent the best part of 4 years restoring and refitting the vessel in Williamstown, Melbourne, Australia at the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria.

The voyage was ultimately successfully undertaken by our very good friends Kit Johnson and Sally Pickles (Pictured above during a stopover in Singapore). The picture below was taken just before Skerryvore left Queenscliff, at the entrance to Port Philip Bay, on the start of the voyage in February 2005.

The whole adventure was precipitated by a decision to move to Glasgow, Scotland where I'd been offered a post at the University of Glasgow in the Department of Geographical and Earth Sciences. We were very sad to leave Australia and Williamstown, but also excited by the prospect of the chance to explore and live in Scotland.

The photograph below was taken on the morning of our departure on 22 March 2004 (From left: Susan, me, and Ruairidh aged 3 1/2).

Skerryvore's Voyage-East Coast of Australia

Skerryvore sailing in the Coral Sea, August 2005