Guests who sail on Pilgrim enjoy the moods of the sea, the marine wildlife, spectacular scenery and the amazing heritage sailing experience. What they don’t see is what has to go on behind the scenes to keep her conserved and operational. One landmark in that regard is the five year out-of-water inspection and certification required by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. That involves getting Pilgrim to a shipyard that can safely lift her 100+tons and provide the facilities for the all the necessary maintenance work.
This periodic landmark also creates an opportunity to do other essential work that can only be done when Pilgrim is safe and secure ashore. At the end of October, she set off from Brixham on a three day passage to MDL’s Saxon Wharf Yard on Southampton. The weather was kind but not great for the sort of sailing the crew might have hoped for. Nevertheless, after a very early start the first night at anchor was a delightful stopover in Swanage Bay. This was followed by a layover near Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, before a carefully timed passage along the Solent and up through a busy Southampton Water into the River Itchen.
Pilgrim’s topmast was lowered to pass under the Itchen Bridge and she was moored at Saxon Wharf for two further days so the crew could completely de-rig the boat. A crane was then brought in to lift out both masts for repair and refurbishment and the 200 ton travel hoist was used to Pilgrim out and secure her in the yard for a month of intensive activity.
Shipwrights were contracted to replace some planks and stern timbers while the Pilgrim team started work preparing for the inspection. This involves removing the propellers and shafts plus all the ‘through hull’ skin fittings for inspection and servicing. It is a tough job as many of the onboard activities require crew contortionists to work in very confined spaces! The masts and spars are laid on the deck or in the yard and also need to be examined and restored to pristine condition. There’s also an unimaginable list of supplies needed. Many of these can be planned and sourced in advance and others need to be shipped to site or purchased locally. Keeping the supply chain going is essential to keeping the work going.
The whole process is costly and very intensive and new challenges arise from day-to-day as the work progresses. You never quite know what exactly you will discover until you start taking things apart! As a small charity, these activities stretch our resources and finances to the limit. However, they are an essential part of caring for a 130 year old heritage vessel and making sure she is safe and sound to proceed to sea for another few years.
Pilgrim Crew Richard and Tim plus shipwrights Dave and Pablo