All of the reinforcements that we preformed on the Sea Stallion during the winter has been tested over the last day and a half, in the strong breeze and turbulent sea, that we have experienced. It looks like they are working as planned. The flexibility is more evenly spread out down through the ship. The areas around the forestem and the afterstem are not twisting back and forth as much as they did last year. A few of the new wedges in the treenails in the sheerstrake have worked themselves out - as they did last year. One of the longitudinal reinforcements, the stringer, has in one place lost its grib on the inner surface of the planking. When we reinforce the ship in one place, it reveals weaknesses in other places.
During the night before monday the new rope for the rudder, had stretched, so we had to tighten it around the rudder bulkhead. But that was not possible, while the ship was moving! In the strong breeze we chose to mount an emergency rudder-system - a chaintackle that pulls in the rope for the rudder - that solution was possible while sailing.
Did the vikings use a rope or a withy made of wood to fix the rudder to the side of the ship? The system we are working with right now on the Sea Stallion is not optimal, since there are limits to the possibility of tightening the rope with wedges.
For security reasons we have eight modern pumps for baling out, installed in the ship. When we only have a few pumps in use, pumping water out is done by the people in the 'dragrum'. We bale out every hour. In this way, we can control the level of water in the ship. For the latest day and half, we have been pumping out 2-300 liters of water per hour. We are taking in water through the oarports, even when they are shut. We also take in water through the ports for the shrouds, in particular when the ship pitches in the swell. Above that, there is of course the water from the rain and the crests.
When we docked this morning, we pumped out water - and we will do the same later in the day. After that we can check the hull for leaks.
Today in Kristianssand we will check the general condition of the ship - and make sure that it is fit to cross the North Sea... One of these days.
MT