In August 2007 we were told by Richard, owner of the Tidemill YH, that ‘Cachalot’ would be moved to the far end (aka ‘graveyard’) of the Marina.

We decided this was going to be a long job and, having looked at other options, it seemed that moving her somewhere else to do the work was not feasible. We invested in a large tent, supplied by Brackenbury’s of Norfolk and, sheltered from the wind and rain, Steve continued dismantling ‘Cachalot’ as autumn 2007 approached.

More and more of the boat was dismantled, photographed, catalogued and carefully stored either under the hull, in the tent, or brought back to Derbyshire for safe-keeping, cleaning, renovation or reconstruction. Our thanks go to Pete and Clare, who have provided us with safe storage space in Suffolk for items less easy to transport home, in particular, a large quantity of lead! Advice from the surveyor, Adrian meant Steve and Glyn could make a start on the frames. After measuring up and making plywood templates, a couple of visits to Grimsby resulted in several pieces of good oak bends being brought to Matlock, where Steve started to fashion new frames on the kitchen table! Beverley started thinking about an alternative solution. Returning to Woodbridge the frames could be put in place, at last, some new wood going in rather than rotten wood coming out!

Repairs to the counterstern were deemed impossible with the deck in situ. Careful slicing between the teak planks and extraction of the screws resulted in a large pile of teak in pretty good condition, to await plans for re-use The ply deck was lifted to form a pattern for future reference and the teak marked with chalk and stored in neat bundles. At last, boatbuilder Paul was able to see what he’s doing and have space to work!

Back in Derbyshire, the kitchen table was proving rather too small for the task in hand, but there’s a solution. We decide to build a workshop in the garden, which necessitates constructing a large deck. Planning applications submitted to Derbyshire Dales District Council were eventually accepted and we proceeded with a ‘winter build’. Dave was engaged to build the deck, with Simon helping and Beverley keeping everyone happy with mugs of tea. From the workshop or deck one has a spectacular view across the rooftops to the other side of the valley, providing an excellent vantage point and place to work!