The rebuild of KARL, our wooden project boat from Palmerston Island in the Cook Islands, South Pacific, had twin objectives: to get the gang involved with some of the skills of traditional wooden boat building and repair – including making and using our own steam box – and also to give us another boat to sail in the Caribbean. The first objective has been clearly met, so now it’s a race against time to see if she’ll be finished in time to sail. All the new planks are in place, seams caulked and sails made, so now work has moved on to installing the mast step and Samson post, overhauling her original tiller and rudder, and finishing up her spars ready to rig.
KARL has final planks in place
SHIP’S WORK: Make and install new starboard main t’gallant sheet, wooden boat KARL restoration continues, oil blocks at deck level, tar headrig, end for end starboard fore royal sheet, end for end port main royal clew line. Seaming and tabling on three different new sails. Sail drill in foresail and t’gallant, discussion of sail handling in MOB situations
FROM: St Georges, Grenada
TOWARDS: Sandy Ground Bay, Anguilla
TIME ZONE: ZD+4
NOON POSITION: 13°59.6’N /061°55.1’W
DAYS RUN: 113nm
PASSAGE LOG: 119nm
DISTANCE REMAINING: 271nm
COURSE AND SPEED: North East by North, half North(CMGT 339°T)
WIND: Force 4, East by South
WEATHER: 6/8 cloud cover (stratocumulus, altocumulus), air temp 80F (27°C), barometer reading 1019 millibars, visibility good
SWELL HEIGHT & DIRECTION: approx 3 feet, East by South
SAILS SET: Square sails to the t’gallants, fore topmast staysail, inner jib, braced up sharp on a starboard tack.