“Skifftastic stuff Lesley,
Good to hear from you.
We are progressing well with the building at NB, but falling behind on the curry front, which is something that we need to catch up with shortly. We have about 20 folk building so far. We have organised into three shifts, each with a foreman to co-ordinate, so that everyone gets to do some useful stuff while they are there. My first shift, we got to the shed the long way round (to avoid a steep hill) through a blizzard, only to have the power go down as soon as we got there. Other than that however we are doing well, and have something that is starting to look boat shaped.
Best of luck with your building, and we look forward to seeing you at Anstruther or Portsoy.  Cheers.”

Nice of them to message us back. I sent them our best wishes and good luck for their build. As far as I can gather they are making two, possibly three skiffs.

She’s shaping up well, which is more than can be said for my raging tonsils which have kept me out of the boatshed since Friday. But if  I am no good for anything else at least I can get some of Bernie and Anne McG’s photos up for you all.

Good shot of the boatshed. Peach tree pruned you'll note

State of the Lass as of Sat 30th Jan

Ron D and Ali Beag have been the major players in progress towards the end of last week. Chris Perkins kindly lent us the Balcotan glue to allow laminating to get going.

You can see all the clamps Ali has made hanging from part of the frame.  He made them from the waste laminate from the kit parts. They will hold the glued scarph joints on the planks together when the time comes.

Ali's babies

All the clamps, “G” and otherwise, in the district are being commandeered for use in clamping all the parts of the boat which are laminated – the frames (crosswise strengthening bits – see photos)   stem and stern etc.                                            Cromartie Timber Ltd, (Tel 01997 421 013) has come up trumps for us by sponsoring us to the tune of 50% of the cost of the timber we need to buy from them. Very sporting of you chaps at Cromartie, to support a community build! Thank you! Cromartie Timber Ltd’s details will be added to our Roll of Honour to be started soon on this blog. Well done Steve H for negotiating this with Cromartie.

Soon to be clamp city here

We will need to make a start on the oars soon. With Ron and Ali making great inroads on the Lass, another group could get on with poring over the oar plans and getting stuck in!

In order to set the balcotan glue for the laminations the temp needs to be 12 degrees. Luckily there’s a good temperature gradient created with all the passive solar heat coming in through the clear polycarbonate roof of the boatshed and an area of suitable temp was duly found. There has been no stopping Ali and Ron D over this last week.

Roddy Mac (down home in Kippen at the moment but often up in Altandhu) kindly made up a whole boxful of wedges to go with the clamps Ali has been making -and posted them up to us. Co-operation, effort and dedication from all round. Can’t be bad, eh? Thanks to Bernie and Anne for photos and the special honey for my poor, tortured tonsils!

Och, it’s all go down at the boatshed!  Or as Rabbie Burns would have said, ‘Fair fa yer honest, sonsie face!’ Well not exactly that.Ron D makes the first cut.

The first kiss of saw to wood. The first rap of hammer to …thumb? ..no … timber, was made on Sunday 24th January on a sunny afternoon. It was a real exercise in Scottish reticence…. the eager builders hanging back a bit….full of ideas, vim and vigour but just not putting themselves forward immediately.

Ron R makes his point-Steve bit bewildered, tho'.

Finally Ron R broke. He whipped out his crowbar and just laid in to cannibalising the wood out of old trestles for the building base. Good man! That was the ‘chocks away’ moment and suddenly there was a flowering of colourful plastic tape-measures being sprouted up timber lengths and pencils being purposefully pulled  from behind ears.

The cup that cheers.

Of course you can’t have a bevvy of builders without leeeetle contretemps; but slight differences of approach were smoothed away in the hammering and sawing and general banter.

Watch and learn, Grasshopper!

‘

‘

‘

And the cabin boys tested out the rowing machines…

…and did a bit of watching and learning.

When we all left the boatshed at 5.30 the building base was there, looking brave and stout. Just as it should.

Yesterday, Monday, saw the two Rons and Ali Beag busy fixing the base to the concrete floor to ensure no movement in the support for the ‘Lass’ as she takes shape.

And today I walked in after work…  lo!      The mouldings were up and there was the skeleton of the Coigach Lass before my (slightly damp) eyes.

Ron D and Ali had really hit the gas.  So there she blows! Thanks to Chris F B for the photies.

Look in later this evening for the first pictures from the action in the Coigach Lass boatshed…..

At last our boatshed is no longer ice-bound! …..I hope the peach tree has survived.. . .

How long will it take us to get to this stage?

Experienced eyes (not mine -  that’s for sure!) are scanning the skiff kit plans – and notes are being made ready to get down to the Hydroponic Boatshed on Sunday at 2pm, plan the build, make a final shopping/blagging list of consumables and wood…you know; epoxy, latex gloves, larch for stem and stern etc.. and perhaps get going on making the stout building base for the Coigach Lass. All and any donations of lengths of 2×4 for the base are most welcome! Also frame fixers needed, to firmly attach building base to floor. Bring’em along on Sunday.

Chris Perkins, who had such a big part in the building of the St Ayles Skiff prototype has kindly agreed to come out to see us and let us pick his boaty brain for hints and tips.

All the Coigach Lass builders have been asked to try to make this get-together as it will shape the way the build is organised and which days/evenings/times are going to good for most builders.

Anyone got a spare kettle? Hot brews will be needed as the build progresses. Bring your own mug. For that matter, bring your own hip-flask! Any new volunteers MOST WELCOME as always.

A very kind message from Newhaven skiffies…

‘Excellent effort on the fund raising, you are certainly a boat’s length ahead of us on that front. Nice prizes and very generous too. I think we will “borrow” your idea of the curry night, sounds like a lot of fun and a good way to raise funds.
We are about a month behind you, still a lot of preparation work to do and eagerly waiting the arrival of our Skiff kit, then it is full steam ahead and we should overtake you just before the finish line!
Best Wishes
Gert Riemersma
Newhaven Coastal Rowing’    Thanks Gert…. don’t know about the overtaking tho’…….     Click on  their blog – it’s in the Links/blogroll section on the right.

Coigach Lass  fundraising started the New Year . . . . . . . .

Di has won the year s supply of dog wormer!!!

. . . with a bang  (or rather a clink and a rustle!)  as pound notes and silver  in payment for Prize Draw tickets  just poured in! Click on Fundraising tab above for full list of lucky prizewinners.

The Grand Prize Draw raised £915 - a staggering amount given the time of year – and a real testament to the generosity of this small community. £156 of this has already been paid for the wood to make the 6 oars (four plus two spares!) and £400 needs to go to the Community Trust to repay their loan to the project and a further £80-odd pounds for the ticket printing.. however the remainder will buy the larch needed to form and laminate up the stem and stern posts, wood for the gunwales (?) and it will allow us to buy some of the glue and epoxy and other expensive consumables. ( Ok how DO you spell it?? gunnels?-gun-wales? … how! . ..how!)

A warm vote of thanks to all the local folk and small businesses who contributed prizes SO generously-and to those who bought so generously! Click on the Fundraising tab for the list of community-minded contributors!

The packed drop-in afternoon at the Hall organised by the Hall Committee went very well indeed with visitors and locals alike in good new year spirits… and the Prize Draw gave everyone a few laughs…….Di getting the year’s supply of dog wormer from MyOnlineVet was one of the more apt winners though we are all wondering how much young Seumas is going to enjoy Di’s Fruit-de-Route dinner!

Big Chris, Hamish and Anne in fine New Year form at the Hall.

Thanks must also go to the Coigach Lass volunteers who sold tickets around friends and neighbours -and to local teens,  Seumas, Joseph, Alice, Kelly and Abi who helped to sell tickets at local events. Some pictured below! Thanks to Chris F-B for great photos.

Future Coigach junior women's rowing team??

If you are up our way as a visitor for the holiday season please come to our Community Hall between 4 and 7pm on the 1st January and join the locals for some good cheer and the craic. All welcome to the Drop-in session, bring your own bottle .

The Coigach Lass Grand Prize Draw will be held before 7 so you will have a last chance to buy tickets.  Click on the Fundraising tab above to see the list of wonderful prizes all donated by local businesses and individuals- all funds raised to go toward our Community rowing Skiff, the Coigach Lass. See you there! Slainthe!

Thanks to Kevin P for getting the Skiff kit unloaded safely at Ullapool pier and brought to the boatshed all ready for the builders to fall on it eagerly after Christmas.

Seasons Greetings to one and all ! PS  When you are full of festive fayre click on Fun Stuff above.  I only just managed the rowing game for under 5s. . .

Getting stuck into the mulled wine.

We had a nice wee Christmas Party on Saturday down at the  Coigach Lass ‘boatshed’ – all lit up with festive lights (Alison brought down lots as she has enough to do the Christmas lights for Birmingham) and candles and smelling of mulled wine spices and a delish – nay exotic- selection of goodies.

What a picture of seasonal thingy from the boatshed party!

Topher Dawson had very kindly driven out from Ullapool with the lengths of Douglas Fir for the oars and was showing the buildy folk how the Ullapool 1 squad has laminated their stem and stern and shaped them using the jig (which they are generously going to pass on to us for a donation to their whisky fund.)  Nae bother!

Steve and Jock sample the grub.

We have solved the problem of having an unheated space to build in over the winter– just get into one of the two rowing machines and give it 100 when you feel a bit parky!

Thanks to James Muir and Sue Hopkins for  generously donating the excellent rowing machines which, of course, are not for training on to gain any rowing advantage over any of the other teams….nooooooooo……merely to take off those few extra pounds that attach themselves so stubbornly to hips and stomach over the festive season. Heh, heh……     Thanks to Chris F B for lovely photos.

Scroll down for previous items-photos uploaded for Curry night now.