Here , with the help of Lucho Roi and Elliott Hughes - the Main Mast is finally seeing the light of day and some fresh air !!Unfortunately you can't see the taper.The mast is tapered left and right and the foreward edge.The flat area (aft) is where the sail track will eventually sit.

Main mast

Main mast planed round - ready for sanding ! The red area shows the area the mast is hollow - solid in way of the truck,spreaders, boom and deck to mast-step.

Foremast is NEXT !!

Octagonal mast section

The mast is tapered,mostly hollow - solid at the base, where the boom and spreaders fit and at the top.

The white pipe is for the antennae,lighting,etc cables to run in.

65ft of Sitka Spruce without a single knot.

Next is to round it to an oval.

Main mast planing.

At last.........the main mast is glued and ready for planing from a rectangular shape to octagonal !

Later those coners will be rounded off.

Main Mast

...........the main mast is .....GLUED !!!!!!

and here is the crew that glued it !!

Amazin' guys...(and gal !!)

Lowering the "Prince Madoc" to her final spot for completion,

Now she's gone !




Now she's there.

Now she's there !

We had to move the boat because we were in the way of the Dr Who Experience and Elenas visitors facillities.

Main Mast to completed!!

I have been told I am a "gregarious" fellow - it must be true ! ........Without friends and crew around me -it is difficult.
However - the clouds are clearing - preparing the Main mast this week for final glueing on Sat.
Boat is being moved across the yard on Friday to make way for Dr.Who Exhibition and the Elena exhibiton visitors' marquee!
Next week brings a new era to the build.Starting to plane round the Main mast and then at Easter time, early next month - start the fore-mast.
That should go sweeter as all the trials,tribulations,jigs and build methods were sorted out with the main mast construction.

Well - The gales (90 mph), the wet, the cold are gone - still a bit cold though ! Kammy and myself are getting over the flue,coughs and colds during the past 2 weeks - YES - not quite the "Merry Xmas" we hoped for!

Anyway - we are up and running again,.....however, STILL moving stuff around to make room for the Dr.Who Experience and Elenas' visitor portacabins.Dr. Who is DEF off my Xmas card list!! LOL !!

Here we have Kammy on the first day of less than 99% humidity and gales applying tye first few coats of varnish to our mahogany clad wheelhouse . look real good now. It was STILL mighty cold up on deck!!