Fitting out 2014

Capella has been in commission all Winter and is now awaiting a haul-out at Greenwich Yacht Club for this year's fitting out. This should happen in the next couple of weeks once a cradle becomes available. In the meantime I thought I would look back at last year's fitting out at the Ponsharden Boatyard in Penryn.

The topsides paint was in good condition. I gave
it a good flatting down, a bit of filling and spot
priming, one undercoat, and one gloss coat.

I improvised a linseed oil bath for the standing
rigging.

Capella had been standing ashore for about two years but was in pretty good nick considering. This was fortunate because I did not have much time in which to do the work, just the two May bank holidays and a weeks' leave in June, altogether about fifteen days. All I could hope to do was to get her sea-worthy with enough paint and varnish applied for her to look reasonably presentable.

Capella's previous owner Chris Daniels helped out a lot particularly in painting the deck, replacing fittings, rigging the mast and getting the engine running.

Working in the open made things difficult at times. We had a few days of rain when little could be accomplished. The yard was also very basic and muddy which didn't help.

I mostly slept aboard but did spend a few nights at the Kings Arms Hotel which I can recommend for good, cheap accommodation and decent food.

Painted, rigged and ready to launch.
Chris Daniels taking a well earned breather.

Finally, by the middle of June, we we ready to launch. We had put a good four coats of varnish on the mast got it rigged and stepped. The hull and decks were well painted and the engine was running.

There was still much to be done such as refitting the port-side toe-rail and attending to the bright-work but I was keen to get her afloat and away from the dirt and mess of the yard. Besides, a wooden boat shouldn't be standing ashore for too long, she dries out and can get out of shape with out the water supporting her.

Altogether quite a hectic month but we made good use of the time available and had done a pretty good job.

Capella resting on the deck of the mobile crane.

Launching a boat at Ponsharden is an interesting and somewhat frightening experience. The boat is first lifted and rested on the bed of the mobile crane. The crane then drives to the edge of the wharf and drops the boat into the water.

I'm not sure if Coles had ever envisaged their equipment would be used in this way but the crane crew assured me that they had done it a hundred times with out an accident.

Capella's launch went smoothly despite complaints by the crane driver that at nine and a half tons she was a great deal heavier than when she was lifted out.

Looking across to Penryn's Town Quay
from Capella's berth at Freeman's Wharf.

The engine fired up first time and we motored up to Capella's new home at Freeman's Wharf.

This is a lovely location. It is close to the town and the wonderful cooked breakfasts to be had in the cafe on the Town Quay. There are many wooden boats there including some of Luke Powell's pilot cutters.

The berths all dry out and the boats sit in lovely soft mud. Just the place for Capella to get used to being afloat again.

First post

Capella anchored off Tolcarne Creek, Falmouth August 2nd 2014

I've been meaning to start a blog for Capella since I bought her in the spring of 2014 and have at last got around to it.

Capella is a Hillyard 9-tonner built at the Hillyard yard in Littlehampton in 1937. She is more or less original except for having a modern diesel installed. She was given new spars and rig about ten years ago, including modern roller furling for the head sails and slab reefing for the main, but maintains her original sail plan.

I found her in Penryn in Cornwall where she had been standing ashore for a couple of years. After a minimal fit-out we had a couple of weeks holiday exploring the Fal Estuary after which I brought her up to Gillingham on the Medway which is now her home port.

This blog will record Capella's voyages, the travails of maintaining a vintage sailing yacht, and such historical detail about her history that I can discover.