Each spring it is one of our “traditions” to run the mothership 12 hours south to the nearest marine haulout for our annual inspection and painting of the hull. Here Peter, the yard foreman greets us early in the morning on the high tide and helps us get positioned correctly on the cradle

Here we are just starting up the railway tracks as the winch pulls us out of the water.

While the crews were working below the waterline, Tavish and I were working on the roof. We unstepped the forward mast in preparation for installing hinges. We need to be able to lower the masts to get the boat into the new boat shed.

Here are a few shipyard shots.

A clean bottom is always a good thing.

Good for another year!

Every five years our insurance company requires a complete survey by an independent surveyor. Gord Morrow, came again this year and it is his 3rd inspection of the COLUMBIA III (2001, 2005, 2010/11). We all appreciated his written evaluation,

“This vessel continues to receive the highest level of maintenance available and is in better condition than when surveyed in 2005 and 2001.”

Just what I like to hear. I sleep better this way!

After years of dreaming, months of planning, zillions of phone calls for quotes and innumerable diagrams and faxes and measuring. Yes I measured everything 3 times. We ordered the covering and after 6 weeks it arrived in Campbell River, 3 hours by water away. Using our family mentor’s fish boat and herring skiff we picked up the entire building “kit” in one load

Steaming home with the next phase of the “project”.

We unloaded the trusses onto the boatshed float and organized the components.

There was just enough room to assemble each arch inside the boatshed walls.

And the first arch went up. It was pretty exciting to start to feel the size of the covered space. It was raining, of course, and our old fisherman friend, Dennis, declared, “I think it’s a little drier in here already”.

Our son, Tavish, accustom to climbing the rigging of a tall ship at sea didn’t have any trouble retrieving our crane’s hook line.

Then the second arch was up and we could start to join the arches with the connecting purlons.

We stopped for a meal break and admired our handy work. We are also getting use to the new feature in our landscape.

Because we had limited reach with the boom on the fishboat we had to place the fabric which weighed about 700 pounds on the structure when we had about 1/3 of the trusses up.

The fabric is very specifically folded and must be placed in the right spot. It is unrolled from the ridgeline to the ground.

Here the fabric is in place and awaiting unfolding along the lengthwise axis of the building. We lashed the fabric down to ensure it didn’t blow away whilst we assembled the rest of the building.

Finally the B.C. Pioneer was forced out of the “slot” and its work was done. We had lots of final tightening to do on all the bolts and we drilled and bolted the “feet” of the trusses so they became securely attached to the steel wall structure.

So! We were making great progress. The steel structure is completed and the fabric is ready to unfold and the gate which adds rigidity to the end walls is finished. BUT! the shipyard called on short notice and we had to drop our tools and head 14 hours south with the Columbia III for our annual spring haulout and inspection. Darn! So close to completion! Just a few steps to go. We have to unfold the fabric and winch it all tight. We have to unstep the masts on the Columbia III and install hinging mast bases and THEN! we can slide her into her new home. Unfortunately there will be no rest as we are behind on our regular spring maintenance because of all this boat shed construction. We will be very busy for the next 6 weeks!

But first we have to get to the shipyard, get painted and inspected and get home so we can continue!

So here is the winter’s news scoop. We are working towards our dream, a bit banal perhaps, but a big dream in my little world. 3 years ago we bought a bankrupt fish farm for the materials and it took two years (of winters, remember I am on the boat all summer) to dissemble the monstrosity. It is really a huge mechano set with component steel pieces that we rearranged into a big “U” shaped dock to fit the Columbia III. As well we were proceeding with legal permission to moor the structure in our bay . . . there’s a quick two years of bureaucracy pounding. And finally this winter after saving our seasons earnings for the last 5 seasons we are building a floating shed to house our heritage vessel. This will be like a garage to protect her. We ardently hope and believe this will extend her life and make our annual maintenance time and money be a little less arduous. We live in a very rainy place in the winter and 90 inches of rain over the winter is not uncommon. Water and 55 year old vessels are a labour intensive combination when you are trying to maintain a boat to the standards of the Columbia III. In between eating and sleeping and answering emails from potential guests this has been my whole winter. This is not a mail-order product, we are building this ourselves.

Because the structure is made of steel we have been doing a lot of welding to make the structure and to ensure it is strong enough to support the roof and survive the winter storms. Here our son, Tavish, (also one of our skippers, and guide and cook!) is welding a stub wall in place.

Working on the water has its challenges. We had to acquire a new bigger diesel generator and welder and housed them on my uncle’s herring skiff so the welder could follow us around the building “site”

Then a life long friend came to help out. He arrived complete with tug, barge, crane and pile driver. He delivered decking material and manufactured the galvanized steel stiff-legs that hold the boat shed float securely off the shoreline.

Finally the dock portion is taking shape and the new decking makes it alot easier to walk around!!!

And there is the Columbia III just aching to get out of the rain.

Believe you me, there will be more shots of this as it progresses . . . The most asked question in the summer is, ” what DO you do with your spare time in the winter?”!!