The storm passed without doing any damage to the tent, and Wednesday dawned calm and clear. Work on the rudder, the rudder shaft and the steering gear continued.

By Thursday, installation of the heavy timbers of the stern chock cheeks, where they take on a low and swooping curved shape to join the stern chock, was almost complete. All of this work was done by Paul and Nico. It was a complicated bit of work, given the complex curves, the weight of the individual pieces and the fact they had to be fitted leaving no gaps. It still needs a final hand-fairing and sanding before varnishing.

And the shipwrights working on the interior have taken huge strides forward. Lewis and Hashimoto have been working together on the bulkheads. Lewis has been building shelves for the cabin closets.

On Friday, it was cold and rainy again, but Cynara continues to look more beautiful every day. Varnishing of the mast is still underway, and hatches and other deck fittings are being given some final touches before varnishing.

The wheel trial fitted to the steering gear.

The beautiful knightheads made by Mattis.

Wada continues fine sanding between coats of varnish.

The week began, as every week does, with Paul going over the schedule with everyone. He sees everything, and he gives advice to newcomers, even on how to sweep, telling them, “As you sweep, take a good look at what each person is doing.”

The hole for the rudder tube leading up to the deck was completed, and Monday saw Graham and Richard trial fit the rudder tube in the hole to check the clearances. The tube was placed in the hole again and again until the fit was perfect.

By Wednesday, the rudder stock was in place, the next step before installation of the quadrant, the steering gear and finally the ships wheel which will steer the ship of almost 100 tons with no power assistance whatsoever, quite a remarkable feat.

Mattis and Richard continued work preparing the caprails for installation atop the stanchions. The teak planks which will be used as the wash-strake (the lowest plank in the bulwalk) are steamed in order to bend them to a graceful curve as they attach to the stanchions.

Feargus, the project manager, arrived on Wednesday evening. He was here through the rest of the week, and a lot of time was spent confirming the schedule, the arrival of parts and the situation of the restoration with Paul and Ben. On Thursday, there were meetings regarding the ship inspection and also how to move Cynara from her tent to the water’s edge.

Today, two holes for the anchor chain or hawsepipes were drilled through the knightheads chocks (the heavy bulwark timbers either side of the bow). Once again, the boring bar came in handy.

The same day, two UK electrical engineers arrived to check the wiring diagrams and discuss how to proceed.

And, varnishing the masts continues.

Checking the fit of the rudder shaft tube in the hole.

Graham carefully boring out the rudder shaft tube hole.

Mattis cutting a rebate in the knighthead chock.

The week was a productive one, with progress made in many areas. Mattis and Richard began the week by trial-fitting the tenon joints on the top of the stanchions, where the capping rails will be attached. Graham continued drilling the hole for the rudder stock tube from the bottom of the boat, using a boring bar. The bar was based on a standard boring bar with brass screw clamps, using a design suggested by Jesper Olson in Sweden. It was built by local Japanese engineers last year for drilling the 2-meter long hole for the propeller shaft tube, and it’s come in quite handy. This is the third task it’s been used for. Aligning the hole for the rudder shaft tube, through to where it is retained at deck level by a flange inside a bronze pedestal that holds the steering mechanism, quadrant etc, is a very labour-intensive job.

Wada continued to add coats of varnish to the mast, under the watchful eye of Paul.

By mid-week, Mattis and Richard had started to install the capping rails onto the finished stanchions. The shape is very important; both sides of the rail are in an elegant C shape that is easy to grip. The finish work these two shipwrights are doing is really spectacular.

Takamiya met with Ms. Kitajima of SPICE to discuss the details on interior finishings. Feargus has made a number of suggestions regarding fabric, furniture, door handles, etc. and SPICE seems to carry a wide variety of samples. Paul had also prepared samples of how the walls and floors will look, which helped to create an image of how the interior of a classic yacht should look.

Today, the hole for the rudder tube is almost done. Graham moved quickly from the deck to below the boat and back again, checking to make sure the alignment is perfect. Graham’s rudder tube alignment work was equally as complex as Lewis’ work on drilling the hole for the propeller shaft tube. It’s clear that Paul assigns these difficult tasks to these seasoned shipwrights, who have a lot of experience between them.

And varnishing the masts continues. It’s a painstakingly repetitive process, but every day the sheen of the finish takes on a deeper gloss.

Mattis preparing the stanchion / capping rail joints.

Graham drilling the hole for the rudder tube.

Japanese members varnishing the masts.