The Diary of a Volunteer

30.07.2020

Final day of the July work logs. 

Next week, we will be running the Main Engines, together with all auxiliary gear.

28.07.2020

Today we had nine volunteers onboard, each taking on and achieving a great deal of work.

In the Britannia Lounge volunteers refurbished the light fittings, while also hosting visitors to the ship. An excellent job has also been accomplished on the bridge deck, rubbing down the woodwork ready for re-varnishing.

Work commenced on the Starboard lifeboat cradle, which requires a fair amount of steel fabrication due to exposed rust. Meanwhile, on opening up the sewage water tank we discovered it had seized up beyond economical repair, so a new Clarke pump has been ordered. 

Finally, our resident electricians have made a start on running a cable from the switchboard to the New Compressor.

23.07.2020

Since Tuesday a lot has been achieved on Balmoral.

The mooring lines were beginning to look the worse for wear, so it was decided to back them up with steel wires. A designated volunteer was able to lay their hands on some stainless steel wire cable. So all hands turned to finding a method of loading it onboard the ship.

Down below boxing up of the water tanks has now been complete, and they have been put back into use. Equally, an excellent job has been completed on dehumidifying the steering flat. This is now ready for chipping and painting.

On top, volunteers continue to present the best possible image of Balmoral as possible, by continuing the painting of the forward accommodation and engine room casing. 

Photographs taken by David Bassett and Maggie Urquhart.

14.07.2020

Today the team ran the main engines, bilge pump, fire pump and starboard generator. All emergency gear has been checked, including the mooring winch and capstan. Portable ventilation has now been installed in the steering flat, with discussions now underway on whether to add wheels to the gangway. Last but not least, after a some long days working on the fresh water tank, this project is now fully completed.

10.07.2020

Volunteers continued to gradually return to Balmoral on Friday. In the depths of the vessel, two individuals have begun work on the rebuilding of the Port Generator. Up above, further leaks are mopped up and efforts continue to re-cork the decks.

07.07.2020

On Tuesday we were greeted by a hardened team of fifteen wonderful volunteers, each managing to successfully socially distance themselves onboard. It’s with thanks to these individuals that we managed to get the new compressor hoisted onboard. It’s now in the Engine Room, where preparation is underway on the necessary pipework to install it.

Coatings has also been applied to the newly prepared fresh water tank. The forward tank will be finished next Tuesday, but additional help is required. If you might be able to lend a friendly hand, please do get in touch.

One deck above and further rain water ingresses into the dining room. This needed to be removed, which involved mopping up excess puddles and cleaning the floor. From there, we progress on to the Britannia Lounge, where maintenance of the furniture is now taking place.

On deck the refurbishment of the engine room casing has just been completed. It is now watertight and looking brand new. However, a new task in this area has been launched by way of the deck seating. Noted to be in a deteriorating condition, we now require new timber to refurbish the job.