A hiatus...and some history...

Ah, the responsibility of the blogger... to inform. So to all who have been wondering if La Revenante has fallen off the face of the earth, have no fear - we just took a break. Somewhere around the middle of May it became obvious that to try to make our Halifax deadline just wasn't fun any more - and above all, messing about in boats is ( and should remain) fun! So we have put off the launch to 2008, and in so doing will have all the time we need to do a proper job.

However, before I pick up where I left off, I would like to tip my hat to her previous owners, Mary Anne Seymour and Bob Schultz, who bought her from her builder and took loving care of her for 11 years when she was known as Amanda. Their interest, energy, and obvious love for this boat, will guide us as we bring her back 'on line'. Here ( in part) is what they say in a recent email:

"Amanda had a wonderful and enthusiastic following along the entire US east coast and throughout the Bahamas. (One year she was alleged to be the most photographed vessel in Mass. and was used in their tourist literature. She also appeared regularly in the Boston Globe as she sat frozen in the harbor each winter. Later, Amanda was the winner of the Mosholu Cup in Philadelphia - the trophy clock may still be onboard.) She was partied on and chartered by many in Florida as Amanda... I would love her many followers to find her,as LaRevenante, and be able to participate in her renewal, if not financially, at least energetically."

Stay tuned. There is much to report on, from the new engine, to the recanvassed cabin tops, and much more...

Got da blues...

...but that is a good thing! What I've got is a terrific Itronix military specs 'tough' laptop loaded to the gills with all the navigation software and charts that we are likely to need, and then some. It's waterproof, glows in the dark, and is internally protected against the slings and arrows of outrageous weather. The only thing it was not protected against was my stupidity in hooking it up to an external battery with the polarity reversed! However with some extraordinary help from the seller, and several trips across our 'longest undefended border' we have a tool which will help tremendously our project, and likely also survive the experience. If you want one too look for him on eBay by his handle 'ctsim'. Nothing but good things to say about the whole transaction.

Electronic charts are however only part of the equation, keeping in mind that part of our plan is to recreated the feel of 1759 when no good charts existed of the St. Lawrence, and James Cook was going about his business of producing the first accurately surveyed representations of the river. A gunter's chain, a plane table, an alidade, a sharp pencil, and a little trig is all it took. Bet you couldn't do it...

March 30: Black Tot Day

35 years ago yesterday was the last day that Canadian sailors were given their daily rum ration, and no, that is not rum flowing from the spout, but the nectar of spring - sweet maple syrup fresh from the evaporator. Our Captain stokes the fires of this seasonal ritual which celebrates the awakening of the forest.

As the weather warms we are entering the home stretch for La Revenante and the job list seems long, and the time short. But the sun has a way of brushing away the seeds of doubt, and we press on! See you in Halifax!

www.tallshipsnovascotia.com

Tonnage...

So you thought that your high school physics (dimly remembered) was finally going to come in useful? Archimedes principle: "The buoyant force on a submerged object is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced". And it's converse, that if you know the weight of the object ( in this case a boat), you then know the weight of the fluid displaced ( in this case water) you then know the volume of your boat below the waterline. You would think that tonnage might refer to a simple calculation along those lines...well, think again. The "tonnage" measurement that Transport Canada needs to register a vessel is given by the following formula:

The net tonnage (NT) of a ship = K2Vc 4d2 + K3 (N1 + N2).

Don't even ask me what the variables stand for, but they are the subject of an international treaty (International Convention on Tonnage Measurement of Ships, 1969) to which Canada and the US are both signatories. What it means (according to Wikipedia) is: "...a calculation of the volume of all cargo spaces of the ship. It indicates a vessel’s earning space and is a function of the moulded volume of all cargo spaces of the ship."

Calculating the volume of the spaces in an irregularly shaped object like a boat is not easy, and there are therefore "tonnage measurers" available to work through the calculations. We had such a one visit us a few days ago, and a very pleasant fellow indeed, although I did notice that he had very little hair, which I attribute to the maths involved in this arcane calculation. Note also that this is very specifically Canadian math, because this boat came with a tonnage measurement done in the USA and duly engraved on a deck beam... of course this was arrived at using US math - totally unnaceptable of course to Transport Canada!

Addendum: More tonnage trivia... A ton ( as we know it) is 2,000 lbs. A "long ton" is 2,240 lbs and although it is a weight measure, it is historically linked to the volume of cargo that could be carried ( and taxed) in a ship. Casks of wine were called "tuns" and held approximately 252 gallons of wine which also weighed 2,240 lbs. When sail was replaced by steam part of the cargo space was now taken up by an engine, hence the development of complex tonnage measures to take this into account.

144 days to launch...

The galley begins to take shape, even if ironically the weather is so mild that it would almost not be cold enough to run the diesel stove. With assistance from Dickinson Marine we are finishing a secure installation which, in case they are monitoring this blog, I hasten to point out is not completed! The hull work is proceeding apace along with epoxy work permitted by the unseasonably warm weather.

Some attempts have been made to manufacture mast hoops, with mixed success. Pictured is the first attempt, 17 more to go!

144 days to launch and counting!

Renaming...

Watching La Revenante's nameboards taking shape ( go Linda!) raises the thorny question of the renaming of boats. There is actually remarkable consensus among boaters that this is an matter to be seriously considered. In other words, I can find no one who suggests that the issue be ignored. So have we all been won over by the logic of Pascal's Wager ( present company included...). it remains therefore only to pick the right kind of denaming and renaming ceremony and identify those gods with whom we will share the champagne.

History is on our side. It is said that the Royal Navy was never keen to do so, but made exception for vessels built in foreign countries whose names were inappropriate to their new purposes. Also, Cook's schooner "Grenville" was renamed, having been originally "Sally".

This will be La Revenante's third name. She was originally 'Amanda', and respectfully kept as such by her second owners who lived aboard for a dozen years. Under new owners she became 'Buccaneer', and it is not known if this renaming was done with proper care, because the gods did not treat her well under than name.

What I know so far is that the ceremony must contain five steps:
- An invocation
- An expression of gratitude
- A supplication
- A re-dedication
- A libation

Gotta do the first four to get to the last!

There is a long list of gods to consider: Poseidon (Neptune) is the best known, but there is also Aeolus (god of wind), and individual gods for the north, west, east, and south winds: Boreas, Zephyrus, Eurus, and Notus respectively. I can see that more than petty cash will be required to appease that lot!

We will however stop short of slaughtering virgins - or scuttling the boat and re-floating her with the new name. Progress is progress.

Progress report

In case there is any concern that the pace of work has slowed - fear not! We just LIKE working in the cold... To be fair, we all have busy lives and even if we admit to our therapists that we'd rather be sailing, 'making it so' is another matter entirely.

The list of tasks accomplished is however impressive:
* We have acquired copies of Cook's maps of the St. Lawrence ( see detail above)
* We have installed two new planks and filled all but a handful of the plug holes.
* We have repaired the cabin tops and are preparing to canvas them in the traditional manner
* We have concluded negotiations for the Halifax Tall Ship Challenge 2007
* We have a plan right through to 2009
* We have roughed out a topmast and will shortly be considering the rigging and sails
* We are officially a non-profit association
* We have a web-site: revenante.com

The work will continue through the winter. We now have some wonderful images from Revenante's previous life as Amanda, and contact with her owners from that time, which will help the refit immensely.

Stay tuned!

September came way too fast. We are on an epoxy countdown. 300 bungs down, 3000 to go...At least our 'house' didn't blow down in the July twisters, and we continue to have enthusiastic supporters of our endeavour. The fate of the sloop "Canada" project reminds us to continue to move forward with reasonable dispatch.

Through the power of the Internet we have tracked down the original owners who bought this vessel from her builder, and who lived aboard her for over a decade. We hope to learn much from them, and perhaps welcome them aboard at some point. For sure we will be asking alot of questions.

Re-canvasing of the cabin tops will begin shortly, conflicting advice notwithstanding. Learning alot about the difference between #10 duck and 10oz cloth. Seems like a fine idea to have "duck" keeping us dry. The diesel stove should be installed shortly as well - she could almost be a landlocked liveaboard!

Between now and when the snow flies we intend to have the planking completed, the interior layout set, the engine properly trouble shot, and the sails repaired. The details of the voyages planned will keeps us warm until May. Stay tuned!

The work continues...

The interior begins to take shape with work continuing in the main cabin and the galley. That's an endgrain cherry countertop people! But will she float? A bee is happening this weekend ( on St. Jean Baptiste) and if I remember rightly he had something to do with water... We plan to stabalize the spars, prime and seal the hull above the waterline, and bung below. By the end of all this redesign she should sleep eight in excellent comfort, with any number of other louts on deck. A post-bee post will follow.

Schoonerus interruptus

It is clear who is in charge. The changing of the seasons has brought with it a sweet imperative. It's maple syrup time in Québec and boatbuilding must stop. The snow is fast melting away, but the night-time frosts and the day-time sun is bringing the sap out of the roots and into our buckets. Capt. Fairhead, a master for all seasons, is thus distracted. Instead of hammering planks into place we are staggering, sap laden, to gathering tanks and basking in the sweet steam of the sugar shack. There will be pancakes aplenty in good time, and many to eat them I'll warrant.

All's fair...

May her sailings be as smooth as her new planks... The new bow planks have been faired and we are moving on to other projects. There is a certain satisfaction from standing in the fo'c'sle and not seeing daylight! Each day it becomes easier to imagine her underway, but the launch date remains to be determined.

This will be the last bleat in this blog (sic) about the weather, but it would certainly help if IT WOULD WARM UP A BIT!!!

Revenante now has an officially constituted "Society" to support it. The Schooner "la Revenante" Society came into existance on Sunday, February 19, 2006. It will support not only the activities of the schooner, but also her fitting out and maintenance. The event was concluded with the official Royal Navy toast for the day: " To absent friends and those at sea".

Brute force!

The %&@## plank is in! This beautiful image provided by master photographer Harry Foster captures it all. In the end it took a forklift to do the deed. It's a tight fit, and this is good... In the process we learned alot about cold weather steaming, and the stubborness of oak. We also thought about how ships were built before the days of forklifts, and were humbled.

Much remains to be done. A head is being rebuilt, and the main cabin reconfigured. Actually we are putting it back as close as we can tell to what it was originally. This will allow for a quarterberth aft across from the navstation, two berths in the main cabin as well as room for three forward. If we add one or two pipe berths, the accomodations should be adequate.

The sails are being inspected professionally, and are in poorer condition than we had hoped, although as it turns out a storm trisail is part of the inventory.

Well, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, so there will be six more weeks of winter, and that means that our epoxy days are still a way away. Until then it's wood and galvanized, and dreamin'

Winter planking blues...

We are learning about the vagaries of southern woods in Canadian climes. The plank was scribed and cut. The come-along was braced, the wood was bending... "crack"... it snapped off clean. In retrospect we were perhaps expecting too much from our imported longleaf pine, or perhaps it was the bend AND the twist that did it. So back to the drawing board, or, more specifically, back to the steambox! This however is the worst plank we have to replace.

The cabin is now closed in and work can begin on constructing a head amidships, a quarter berth at the foot of the aft companionway, and a proper galley.

Behind the scenes the re-enactors are busy plotting a voyage...

25 below zero...

It feels more like a Frobisher re-enactment than anything else, but if we can work at these temperatures we can do anything! Progress is happening, but slowly. We are almost able to close in the cabin, and the heater will then come into its own. Acquired from Alaska it has a good pedigree.

Bought a fir plank locally at a scandalous price - our own wood is still in Florida but a brave crew is on its way to collect it as I write. Imagine the sacrifice of a week in Panama City and Daytona Beach!!! Covering board removal has revealed some deteriorated upper frames, but nothing too unexpected. It will simply be a question of tackling one job at a time. Volunteers, your time will come...

New wood...

Revenante is snug as a bug (hopefully all the bugs are deceased) in its winter quarters. Cabin top repairs proceed apace with the first new wood being laid this weekend. Truly comfortable under the tarp, even if one end is still open. Strange coincidences abound. Seems that in the 1930's a crew of my family members sailed from Montreal to Bic in the Lower St. Lawrence. Perhaps not overly remarkable in itself, but they did it in a 40 ft Pinky Schooner! (See the third photo) I look forward to closing that historical circle in the next few years. Talk about "Une Revenante..."!

Our goal is to get a start on the planking before the New Year, get the cabin top closed in, and install a heater so that all the internal cabinetry can begin.

It begins...

V O L U N T E E R S,
Who have a desire to return to Sea and put themselves hull-down for Adventure, are invited to make their Marks on the Volunteer Crew Roster of
La Revenante,
Or, the Spectre (ex-BUCCANEER)
Dr. John Wootton and Captain Vernon Fairhead, Owners.

A Down-East built replica 30-ton 18th Century Pinky Schooner now rebuilding at its Yard in Quebec for Launching in the Spring of 2006.
In the Summer of 2006, La Revenante will be voyaging in the Great Lakes and the Upper Saint Lawrence River, possibly in conjunction with portions of the American Sailing Training Association tour.

In the Summer of 2007, La Revenante will carry out an historically-based voyage to the Maritime Provinces, and attend the International Tall Ships gathering in Halifax harbour.

La Revenante will offer berths for paying Volunteer Hands willing to operate the ship in period dress for various legs of these and other voyages, ranging from a few days to a few weeks in length. To have your name entered as possible Volunteer Crew and receive a Crew Registration Form, apply by e-mail or regular mail to:

Captain Vernon Fairhead, Master
Schooner La Revenante
RR No 1
Shawville, Quebec, Canada JOX 2YO
fairhead@sprint.ca

VIVE LE ROI . GOD SAVE THE KING .

Under cover...

One last weekend of indian summer has allowed us to beat the snow, and get the cover up over Revenante. And "aye!" for hydraulics... There is even headroom for the work that will be done on deck. Some head scratching and muttering about the fastenings. Some are old iron, and are certainly sick. Other are much newer. Was she re-fastened? When? Be nice to know some of this previous history - perhaps old information will surface as we go along. I believe that below decks will be a cozy place this winter, even when the temperature dips. We will close in the ends and attach a clear plastic skirt tomorrow.

The story to date...

This is the continuing story of a pinky schooner, purchased in Florida as "Buccaneer" and brought north to Shawville, Quebec, to begin a new life in Canada as "La Revenante". Those interested can follow here the phases of her restoration, and even provide input and advice. You can even come and help if you're in the neighbourhood! The realities of the Canadian winter being what they are, the pace of the work will be determined by the weather, which for a boat, seems appropriate.

In the not so distant past Buccaneer was as she is pictured above. Since being hauled she has had some planking replaced ( and needs more) and her paint stripped below the waterline. The trip from Florida on a flatbed is a story in itself, notable for the fact that NOTHING WENT WRONG! Getting her 24 tons off the float at my partner's farm was another matter.

Here she sits still in Florida but out of the water in April 2005. Six months later we are hurrying to build a structure to keep the snow out! She is beautiful sight, built to be sailed by " a man and a boy", but destined ( we hope) to be sailed by convivial groups of 19th century wannabes.