was successful despite the mizzen mast crashing down on deck due to internal wood rot. Perhaps a good example of risk analysis based on experience, and maybe a bit of luck.
It was déjà vu. Pickup trucks began arriving at the shipyard loaded with tools and highly skilled enthusiastic tradesmen. However, when Cariad was brought alongside the PSS jetty using tugs, we were not prepared for the derelict vessel that was returned to us. Our enthusiasm quickly turned to disappointment.
The following morning, we stopped feeling sorry for ourselves and commenced the process of restoring Cariad for the second time.
We ordered a crane to remove the rotted masts and booms. Our engineers cringed when they saw the seawater contaminated main engine and corroded generator emerge. Salt water corroded wiring was removed inclusive of the main electrical distribution panel. Carpenters, engineers and electricians stood by observing their once proud work dripping sea water. Last items for removal were the fuel and water tanks. In all fifteen tons of equipment was removed. I am sorry to say what remained was a filthy cavern. Worse, because with the hull stripped out the extent of the corroded steel frames and rotten planking was clearly visible.
Given PSS shipyard was the closest yard in the region capable of hauling Cariad’s deep draft, coupled with the fact there were no suitable tides for several months, we decided to take a chance and haul out on a 2.9 metre tide instead of the required 3.7 metres.
This was risky and not recommended practice. We rigged a sling system plus a 60-ton crane to lift the bow and skid/assist the vessel onto the haul-out trolley. The old adage was uppermost in my mind, “Don’t screw this up - you are only as good as your last job.”
As surveyors we adhere to the criteria of sound engineering principles and good marine practice. Was I a surveyor or an independent manager where the buck stopped? Where is the dividing line? Should we go for it or wait three months for a suitable tide? My surveyor’s hat said wait, my managers hat said that we must find a way.
92 | The Report • June 2023 • Issue 104
There are always two sides to every story. It depends on which side of the fence you are on. Years previously as a warranty surveyor during jack-up rig moves when the weather exceeded allowable limits, I frequently had to ask the drilling supervisor to shut down the rig move and wait for the weather to ameliorate. I can’t count the times I received irate phone calls from head offices in Houston, “Boy, do you know how many United States Dollars this deeelay is costing me? Ah don’t give a rat’s ass about your weather, just move the mahfarker, ya hear me, Boy.”
I now reflected on his situation. He had a job to do, come hell or high water. It was now my turn. The experienced Singapore surveyor had taken a leap of faith. Based on the known collective skills of our team, we decided to go for it.
When finally on dry land Cariad’s hull was observed riddled with worm holes. The rudder was badly eaten away. Teredo worms are the enemy of every timber hulled vessel. They bore into the plank through a small hole the chew away inside the plank sometimes hollowing it out.
Fitting heavy 2 ½” and 3” planks with three-dimensional bends is a dying art. Our original planking team again rose to the challenge. We also phoned Australian shipwright, Mike Howett, in Tasmania who agreed to come back and restore the hull to sound condition. Samples of rotten planking indicated a lack of ventilation in Singapore which caused freshwater condensation and rotted the hull from inside. Internal planking rot - Teredo worm damage on the outside.
Regionally timber is a cut-throat business. In 2006 naively we went deep into the forests of Laos in search of Takian Thong planking timber. It was plentiful, old growth, clear grained, no knots. Timber brokers laughed at our requirements….“All timber must be Legal with Government Approved Certification, minimum 100 years old, forest grown, preferably gully grown. Straight grain, no knots, no pin borers, no heartwood, minimum sapwood, quarter sawn and back sawn to our specifications.”
We took a five-kilometre trip into the forest guarded by men with AK 47’s in search of the perfect timber. With 45-calibre handguns on the
front seat of our 4 x 4, we bumped our way through dusty bush roads deep into the forests and were shown exactly what we needed, high quality Thakien Thong logs. We then drove northwest to Tha Li, a border crossing so hidden it was almost secret. It consisted of a small bridge over the Hueang River. Twenty-four hours a day, undocumented timber crossed from Laos into Thailand whereupon the Thai timber mills took over. The lumber was sawn to specific sizes and received government legal stamps, with paperwork to match.
Today governments have cleaned up the timber business and stopped the export of raw logs but sadly, the high-quality timber has also dried up. Second time around, we had difficulty finding suitable planking material. Persistence paid off when we located old stock in remote timber yards.
The internal steel frame was corroded but not as badly as we first thought. Nevertheless, our eight-man paint team and five-man steel team took nine months to bring the steel frames, floors and longitudinal stringers back to life. During the same timeframe the planking team, replaced 80% of the planking.
Tim Hartnoll and his naval architect Paul Spooner redesigned the entire interior. As I type this our 50-person team is powering ahead towards a 2nd August 2023 launch date. We still have a long way to go. When launched, Cariad will sit alongside the PSS jetty while the masts and rig are installed by a team of European rigging specialists. Sea trials will follow.
Cariad was built to sail the world. When finished she will sail home to the Mediterranean. Departure from Phuket is scheduled for January 2024. The northwest monsoon should provide ideal broad reach sailing conditions up as far as Socotra Island in Yemen. Then she will battle the northerlies in the Red Sea. She is no stranger to adversity, she has already completed three circumnavigations, survived two World Wars and the Great Depression. Twice we’ve brought her back to life.
“To you Cariad, 127 years young, we raise our glasses and be upstanding. May you last another 100 years.”
For more details and information go to
https://www.cariad1896.com/
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