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Eagle
is grounded
Years in the water have seen the yachts deteriorate
but the work should be finished in about a month
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Navy
personnel watch and assist as the Sea Adler is lifted from
the water for the first time in a while.
Photo by ABPH Yuri Ramsey
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When
a crane lifted the nine metre Compass class yacht Sea Adler from
the water at Fleet Base East late last month, all present could
see she was not in good shape.
Her lower hull was badly encrusted with marine growth and her paintwork
looked dowdy.
A second yacht, a seven metre Swanson Dart called Wee Ripper also
looked poorly when she too was lifted to the wharf.
They will not look like this for long, however.
Over the next month, teams of tradesmen and women, supported by
Navy Youth Program youngsters and later “Work for the Dole”
participants will renovate both yachts.
The yachts belong to the Australian Naval Cadets and were operated
by the Sail Training Facility East based at Spectacle Island.
Years in the water have seen them deteriorate.
Refurbished they will again be used to carry out TL4 training under
the Australian Yachting Federation’s program during the upcoming
sailing season.
A number of people are behind the move to restore the craft including
LEUT Greg Read at Spectacle Island, LEUT Pat Marsh (TS Hawkesbury),
LCDR Rick Barnett and his FIMA/Sydney team and Geoff Reice and CPO
Mike Clement of Port Services.
First exercise saw the yachts brought from Spectacle Island to FBE.
They were lifted ashore, inspected and then measured by FIMA “chippies”
to make a pair of cradles in readiness for road transport.
NYP and FIMA staff then gave them a preliminary hull clean.
Next exercise will see the yachts loaded on to a pair of FIMA trucks
and driven to TS Hawkesbury near Gosford.
Here they will be used to provide work and a worthwhile project
for “Work for the Dole” personnel on the Central Coast.
“The refurbishment should be finished in about a month,”
LCDR Barnett said.
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