Caulking the Deck

Sealing the Decks for the Summer One of the best things we can do to keep everyone comfortable on board the J. & E. Riggin is keep things dry. Especially in the cabins. The best way to keep the cabins dry, is to make sure there is plenty of material in between the pine planks that form the deck. The gaps between the planks are called seams and they are packed tightly with cotton and oakum before being sealed with a layer of hot pitch. As the boat sails, it bows and flexes in the water, causing some seams to loosen up over time and begin to leak. In the winter, we do our best to identify problem spots and remove wet material between the planks before replacing it, and sealing it with fresh pitch. This process is called caulking. Captain Schaefer spends a lot of time each winter crawling across the deck fixing seams, so we joined him on deck for a demonstration.

The Right Tools for the Job Capt. Schaefer makes his way down to the boat with a milk crate containing caulking cotton, oakum, an assortment of caulking & reefing irons of different thicknesses and lengths, and a caulking mallet. The cotton is just very loosely spun fluffy bales of cotton. Oakum is loosely twisted hemp or jute fiber wet with pine tar. The irons are meant to drive the fibers into the v-shaped gaps between planks when struck by the caulking mallet. A caulking mallet is a wooden mallet designed to minimize damage to the irons and to the joints of the user by absorbing the shock of each impact.

Probing and Reefing the Seams Capt. Schaefer begins by poking the seams with the tip of his knife. If the knife fails to penetrate the seam he knows it is still densely packed. If the tip of the knife sinks right in, he knows he has identified a problem spot. He then uses a reefing iron and a rubber mallet to dig into the seam and extract the rotten fiber. Once all of the rotten fiber has been removed, it is time to start filling it again.

Packing the Seam Capt. Schaefer chooses the right iron for the seam by inspecting the size of the seam and where it is located. “When I am driving cotton I use a thinner iron to start” he says. He lines up a long strand of cotton and systematically pounds it into the seam, driving it in in small arches that overlap slightly. He will then go back after this initial pass and drive the cotton deeper into the seam. Once the cotton is in place, he makes a pass with a layer of oakum. “If I am driving oakum, I will use a wider iron which matches the width of the seam I am working on. I even have irons that are slightly bent for those seams that are against the side of a cabin house.” In the same way he drove the cotton, he drives a thick layer of oakum on top so there is only about a quarter of an inch of space from the oakum to the top of the plank.

Sealing the Seam Now that the seam is packed with fresh fiber, he is ready to add the pitch and seal it. Captain Schaefer, chisels off a few chunks of pitch from a brick. Pitch is a viscoelastic polymer which is derived from coal tar in the process of its distillation. The pitch is put in a can and heated until it is a liquid. It is poured over the seam and left to harden and cool. Sometimes the word pitch is used interchangeably with the word tar, but tar is generally a bit thinner than pitch, while pitch hardens into a solid. Once the pitch has hardened any excess is scraped from the surrounding planks. Hopefully, with the problem seams identified and replaced, we will stay cozy and dry in our cabins throughout the summer!

Back in Action

After nearly a year of sitting stationary, the Schooner J. & E. Riggin left the dock yesterday under the direction of her new captains, Justin Schaefer & Jocelyn Schmidt. She was bound for North End Shipyard, for her annual haul out. The crew relished in the cool spring breeze on their faces, something they all had missed in their time away. 

“It would have been powerful to take her off the dock for the first time regardless of whether or not she had sailed last year.” Jocelyn said. “There was something exceptionally powerful about getting to be the ones to take her out, even just for the short run to the shipyard knowing that it was the first time in a year she had had the chance to stretch her legs. It feels like the start of a really special summer, and the reality of being able to have a season this year is pretty emotional for us.” 

This haul-out will be brief, just to put fresh paint on the bottom and replace the zincs which protect the metal beneath the water from electrolysis. 

“It feels good to be back out on the water and to return to a familiar routine with the vessel after a year of lying dormant,” said Captain Schaefer. “Generations of Riggin crew spanning several seasons came out to offer their collective support & wisdom which made for an extremely special day.” 

Spring at Home & Sea

Spring at Home

Spring has arrived at our home.

The grass is getting greener.

The flowers have been lying dormant,

but now, they peek out from beneath the soil

which has protected them from the harshness of winter.

The days are longer and the breeze is warmer.

Soon, the air will begin to fill with familiar floral smells.

They define the season around our home.

The familiar buzz of our honeybees will be heard throughout the yard.

The birds will be travelling back to us

with stories of their time away,

chirping and chattering on the lawn.

We love this time of year

when everything seems to awaken.

Spring at Sea

Spring has also arrived at the cove.

The water is getting warmer.

The Riggin has been lying dormant,

but now, she will emerge, peering out from beneath the plastic cover

which has protected her from the harshness of winter.

The work days are longer and the breeze is warmer.

Soon, the air will begin to fill with the familiar smells of pine & paint.

They define the season around our docks.

The familiar buzz of sanders & saws will be heard throughout the vessel.

The crew will be travelling back to us

with stories of their time away,

laughing and chatting on the deck.

We love this time of year

when everything seems to awaken.

Things Are Getting Fancy

While the main cabin house is getting it’s makeover, the navigation station is also getting a total renovation.  Those of you who have sailed with us for a while will remember Mouse, a long-time crew member who has, over the years, become a skilled carpenter and shipwright.  He’s back in school for naval architecture and on the weekends we get his good, smart self in our shop.  This beautiful nav. station will grace our cabin house this summer!  Capt. will get to look at all summer long as he stands back by the wheel.   Here’s some photos of the progress.  We’ll post when it’s all on board and installed too.

Isn’t it pretty?!

Photos by Alan Castonguay

New Main Cabin House

It started with a discussion about re-caulking the main cabin house.  It journeyed past replacing some cabin planks and lots of layers of varnish.  It ended with a completely new main cabin house.  Just like replacing a stove in a house which turns into entire kitchen renovation.  Exactly like that.  

Every year we choose a different area of the Riggin upon which to focus.  That’s just how owning a schooner built in 1927 goes.  This year, the main cabin house got our attention and we had a number of crew members working on the project.  Here are some  process photos from start to almost finish.  And an hilarious short clip of the guys having fun.  We aren’t quite to the final coat of paint or the re-installation of the skylight or nav. station but we’ll post those when that happens shortly.

Photos by Capt Jon Finger

Cabin Refresh

Details in the galley.  Details on deck.  Details in the cabins.  Some years we’ve got big projects which cause the little projects to be relegated to the bottom of the usually long list.  We’ve had a couple of those winters in a row, so things like peapod repair, settee cushions, and new navigation stations have taken a back seat to the big stuff that most people don’t see, but is part of being good stewards of a National Historic Landmark.  These would be things like planking and framing, iron work, rig replacement, new sails, etc.  When these big projects are part of our budget in a year, they matter.  It just means that the other (usually more visible things) need to take their turn and wait a little longer.  This is the year of details.  

Among the many details being tended to over the course of this winter are the cabins.  The little details in the cabins which make your home for a week (or 4-days) nicer, a little more special.  This year all of the cabins are getting a going over – new paint, new varnish… new sink skirts.  

In cabins 1 to 4, these beautiful skirts hide the plumbing to the sinks and add to the charm of the cabins.  This beautiful craftsmanship was done by Tyler King with an assist by Chloe Finger.

Photos by Tyler King

Sew Fun – SO Fun

While the barn is abuzz with activity and woodworking, there are other folks who are also engaged and actively planning for another fantastic summer on the water with the Riggin.  E (Elizabeth) is taking reservations at a rapid pace.  And Annie is, among other things, sewing.  Curtains, settee cushions, deck cushions, engine box covers, and so on.  The list of projects is getting longer by the day!

What began as a “simple” slipcover for the house turned into the list above, which keeps getting additions by the second as Annie gets more comfortable with the work.  Annie is lucky enough to have a friend with several industrial sewing machines and she’s always offered to teach Annie how to use them.   This is that winter.  When Annie isn’t on a horse, or cooking in the kitchen, she can these days be found behind the needle of a sewing machine.  

And a powerful one at that.  These machines are not your grandmother’s Singer, although they are just as dependable.  They are finger-eating, strong-engined machines for which Annie has found some serious respect.  They can sew through canvas, sail material, or 4 layers of upholstery material without straining.   Magic and terror all wrapped up in one tidy package.  

Here is a link to Annie on one of the machines and some photos of a few of the many projects in progress or completed.

Photos by Captain Annie Mahle

Peapod Gets Some Love

The barn is abuzz with winter projects.  While Louis and Chives prep and sand and scrape and fill, Capt. is  busy repairing the peapod.   A couple of summers ago she received some structural damage to her mid-section and while she has held up fairly well under the strain, it was time to address her needs.  

We carry this sweet little row boat on our davits and lower her all summer long for those who want to do a little harbor exploring or catch a bit of exercise to work off Annie’s meals, so she’s pretty important to our summer operations.  In addition, she’s a  Jimmy Steele design, one of the many built by the famous boat builder.  We are lucky to have such a special little vessel and we are happy to be taking good care of her.  

Here’s a little photo journal of the work and care she’s receiving.

Photos by Captain Jon Finger

Wooden Boats – Winter Projects

While the weather outside fluctuates between spring and the arctic, inside the barn, all is toasty and warm… and busy!  Louis and Chives, long-time Riggin crew, are both ‘on deck’ so to speak and in the barn full-time.  Right now, much of their work is about making dust as they sand and scrape all of the surfaces in preparation for their shiny coats.

Photos by Captain Jon Finger and Elizabeth Poisson

Wooden Blocks Hanging in the Shop