no perverts – not in that way!!!!
cinderella is a yacht – cinderella II actually – a 100ft monster! tall as well. from ground level to deck was thirty feet in the air – the ladder was only just long enough to reach, and very shakey.
I never really thought i would be scared of working at height but this one did un-nerve me for a while. the only safety rig was the wire around the ships deck, not much good for me as it only came halfway up my thigh.
Of course it was shoes off again while we cleaned and fitted two reconditioned winches to her decks but then the next chore was to remove the rudder.
Before we did this, it was my first job to cover and protect the decks where we would walk, with ply wood. the harbour boys were building a staircase for the boat but it looked like i would have to go back down the ladder before they were finished – not a thought i was relishing, stepping over the wire, finding the ladder below, and then stepping down until my hands could reach the sides of the ladder below, the whol ebloody thing wobbling like a jelly!
by the time i had the ply, the stairs were built, the sun was out and i was ready to start covering the decks. By now, i was much more confident walking on the decks without shuffling along or constantly looking for something to hold on to. The weather was good so it was shirt off. Armed with a tape measure, stanley knife, adhesive tape and three boards of marine ply – i beavered away.
when it was covered, i lowered myself over the stern and into the `garage`with murdo and mike who had already started dismantling the steering and autopilot quadrants.
It was a four man operation and we lowered both to the floor but we were finished by four pm.
packed up the tools and headed out of the yard to get ready for the harbour fireworks later that night.
The November Archives 
Have a moan - the beers are on me !!