Blog week 32

As we prepare to head back to France on Wednesday next to take Rowdy racing, Chinook is really starting to resemble her sister. The underbody is unmistakably a New York 40. And why wouldn’t it, I hear you say. Well, we have just rebuilt the whole bloody lot from the bottom up and there is always plenty of room for madness to creep into the method. Luckily, though, it has worked out just fine and I’m sure she will be a thing of beauty once complete.
The deck clamp is well advanced and will be fitted next week, the planking nears completion, both butterfly hatches are now being varnished along with drawers, hatches, locker doors, and the helm.
I continue to do drawings, liaise with the fabricators, pore over drawings and I still manage to get filthy dirty! I am also eagerly waiting for some news from Jim Reineck in the US to tell me that the first batch of bronze fittings are ready and the second lot is in fabrication.
The gaff has been started and by the end of next week it should be in one piece. The other smaller spars should follow on fairly quickly from then. The material for new keel bolts has been sourced and will be fabricated soon locally. The electronics package and the new engine are due to be delivered on Monday and the general chandlery order, the safety gear, and the electrics package are nearing completion and I expect them all to show up by the end of the month. Varnish and paint are also on order and all that remains is to throw another 10,000 hours at it!

Jono