Gamecock progress

New Lease of life-again. Looking at the current state of Gamecock and thinking of all the work to be done can be a bit intimidating. This photo from the 1960’s shows what Bill Coleman took on the last time Gamecock was given a new lease of life Working as a shrimp boat, with a wheelhouse […]

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Gamecock progress

Hot Weather To keep the planks swelled and to generally create a damp atmosphere, Gamecock is lined with hessian. This is frequently hosed down with salt water. Water is pumped from the harbour at high-tide and stored in a tank. It is then sprayed into the boat when needed. In this current climate that’s quite

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July 2024

Have you noticed the vigorous growth of plants on the stable part of Whitstable’s shingle beach? Perhaps future editions of this on-line magazine could explore which species are taking hold and why. We could also examine the work of CCC in monitoring the effect of long-shore drift on the beach profile. Then there is the

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A Community Grant

Whitstable Maritime has been awarded a ‘Pride in Place’ Grant in support of the Gamecock’s restoration.    Canterbury City Council (CCC) is the local lead authority for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund which is a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March

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Gamecock progress

The Larch Planks arrived last week Having bought the tree, the sawmill cut it into planks These planks will be shaped and fitted and form the new hull. Once the planks start to be fitted it will be a visible sign that progress is being made. Up to now all the work has been taking

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May 2024

On Sunday mornings I am in the habit of walking along the seafront to purchase one of the national papers. I may meet a runner or dog walker but otherwise it is a silent world unless an Oyster Company tractor is struggling through the mud on the sea-bed.

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Gamecock progress

This week we are removing the gutter from the keel (see photo). The keel is one of the few remaining parts of the boat that hasn’t been looked at. Should there be any damage to the wood, it needs be repaired now, as to do it later would require quite a bit of backtracking. Unlike

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Gamecock progress

New Gamecock Cover What are we doing this week? The need for a cover on Gamecock is for several reasons. To keep the rain water off the internal woodwork. To keep the sun off. To allow work to continue in the rain. Why are we doing this? The previous cover was a lorry tarpaulin that

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