The Mayflower Project Newsletter
OCTOBER 2011
After a hectic few months the Harwich Mayflower Project we seem to be in a slightly less frantic mode just now, although this could change very quickly. In essence we are awaiting final approvals from Colchester Institute (as we have been for some time) to commence a variety of training courses in Harwich. The courses will cover full apprenticeships as well as pre-apprenticeship training following a fairly substantial initiative from the Government to broaden the range of these activities, especially in relatively deprived areas such as Tendring district.
Sharp eyed observers will have noticed an additional small vessel in the railyard in the last week or so. This is the Dumbarton Venture which previously belonged to the Day family, who are close to the Project in many ways. This little vessel was originally a lifeboat on a US warship which was ‘left behind’ in Scotland during the Second World War and subsequently became a naturalised ‘Brit’.
The Dumbarton Venture lying in the railyard
Over the years there have been various additions to the fine wooden hull in order to provide shelter and power to the owners when she was used as a local fishing boat out of Harwich. She has been in the Harwich and Dovercourt Yacht Club for some years and in the light of the pre-apprenticeship courses she was donated as a work piece for young learners. She is smaller than her consorts in the railyard (the Good Intent and Karolyn) and will be more manageable to move and reconstruct; the reconstruction of the other 2 vessels awaits the commencement of the full apprenticeships.
The Dumbarton Venture will be moved to the Harwich and Dovercourt High School in the next few days. This is in the expectation that she will be used as a teaching aid on the first pre apprenticeship course which it is still anticipated will commence in mid November at the School. Petra Potasse will be leading on this course and all such training delivery; Jeff Webber will increasingly become responsible for the generation of new training opportunities on behalf of the Project in the Harwich area.
We are expecting the large lengths (c40feet) of oak sourced in Cambridgeshire over the summer to arrive in the railyard in the next week or so. The two largest lengths of these quite enormous trees will be processed to form the keel of the Mayflower and will be amongst the first to be reduced upon the delivery of a very large saw we are trying to source at the present time.
We will be filming the arrival of this wood; Chris Lysaght will be using the material to provide a mini-documentary based upon the felling and logistics of the wood delivery which will eventually (this year!) be the first of a number of short ‘rushes’ providing some different aspects of operations to augment the Project website. Other areas to be filmed will include volunteer work and a management perspective on the Project progress.
While talking of movies, the Project surveillance cameras are being updated this week after another visitation from unwanted guests. This pair of ‘hoodies’ chose to break a window and, even more moronically, tipped over the Portaloo. They didn’t even have enough initiative to try to steal anything. The new cameras will ensure that their identities, hooded or otherwise, will be clear enough to allow retribution. It is hard to be tolerant in the cisrcumstances.
We had a visit from our landlord Network Rail on the 27th of October to discuss the renewal of the lease of the railyard and also the construction of a fence between our expanding operational area and the active rail line at the station. The cost of the fence will be borne by the Project and be offset as part of the lease costs in the increasingly complex leasing arrangements between the Project and Network Rail. This is a pretty slow process but we seem to be on a co-operative course for a good result and longer term security of tenure. This is increasingly important given the broadening range of assets in the Railshed and the potential cost of shifting the oak elsewhere.
Network Rail were suitably impressed by the ever improving condition of the railshed. The small store room at the southern (station) end of the railshed is nearing the end of its refurbishment. Many thanks are due to the volunteers who have helped in the process, especially those involved in the very hefty work involved in digging out the cellar. Worthy of special mention in this regard are Bob Stewart, Ronnie Pratt, Tony Kerr and Doug Mortimer; apologies for any omissions!
The store room with a new roof; the windows are now complete and the main doors are next!
With the completion of this rather gruelling work the next jobs we anticipate are a probably a little less arduous and maybe more interesting; the painting of the shed’s interior and the reconstruction of the main doors, visible in the picture, which obviously need help after decades of neglect.
Looking forward the Project is operating a major fundraiser at Wrabness Hall, Wrabness on Bonfire Night, November the 5th. John Acton has very generously offered use of his home and grounds for the event and considerable planning has already occurred to provide a substantial firework display and a variety of food including a hog roast of monumental proportions. There will also be a raffle with an embarrassing number of gargantuan prizes. All of this is occurring with the assistance and aid of a good number of generous sponsors. It would be really handy if as many volunteers as possible could attend in order to provide the means of collecting money from the good burghers of the neighbourhood in exchange for the various commodities on sale. Needless to say volunteers will have free entrance to this extravaganza (otherwise £5) and no doubt some other benefits will accrue, beyond a guaranteed passage to heaven!
Don’t forget the members night at the Harwich and Dovercourt Yacht Club on Thursday 3rd November.
With best regards from all at the Project.
Harwich 31st October 2011
