The boat is out of the water for its annual paint and refit. We had planned to pull alder II from the water and to look at the planks. It arose from the water in fine fettle, with tight planks with a clean bottom. In all it looks wonderful below the water line. Alder II was driven to the upper boat yard and put on the hard. And the looking begins. We know we have some water leaks but they were from the deck and above.

We look and pick and the boat wright drops by. I ask him, “why is the rub rail pushing out here?”. We look and pull off some sealant. Then we pull out the cotton packing, after which the water drips out. Hmmm…. how will the planks be behind the rub rail be holding up? Only one way to find out and that is to take off the rub rail, 30 feet of 2 inch thick and 4 inch wide gum wood. A heavy strong old hard wood from Australia for the first time in 68 years. The rub rail is held on by boat nails, big strong square nails in their day and bolts.

We drive wooden wedges in behind the rub rail to pry it off the hull, progressively getting the heavy rub rail further out as we hammer and push out along the boat. As go it is apparent that the nail and bolts have rusted down to a shadow of themselves and only a few need to cut. We expose the planks behind the rub rail with apprehension to see if there is rot or not under the rub rail. Once the rub rail is off we find that there is maybe 15 ft of rotten board thats to be replaced. We got it in the nick of time, like within the year that is needed. If it had lived outdoors with us with constant rain the rot may have spread into the ribs and turned into a huge job.

Instead is comparatively minor and is putting good wood back onto solid ribs. This is setting the boat up for many more years of being in good condition.

So we are now are nurturing a fragile part of coastal history that is our boat. There is a joy at being part of the history of the BC coast from when of the wood that built the lifestyle and infrastructure that we now enjoy was cut from the coastal forest districts. A time when people labored in remote locations in almost total isolation. At once in touch with nature and working to harvest nature. And it is this nature that is a live and very much part of the this BC built boat of BC wood. It is alive and being refreshed by new wood from BC. Ready for more trips up and down the coast, more trips to remote places to be dwarfed by the mountains and currents where we live.