In the second half of September we started a large refit of Hawila in Holbæk that should last until October next year. A group of skilled volunteers joined the permanent crew and started to take down sails and rigging.
We gathered all our local friends over a long weekend to remove together the 30 tons of ballast put in the bilges in the 80’s by our predecessors from MBV. The pieces of iron varied in size and weight, oscillating between 30 and 300 kilograms. The smaller bits were carried by a human chain, the bigger ones were removed by crane. Thank you all again for this collective effort, after all this mass we removed, Hawila has raised nearly one meter above the water!
The work of the crane gave us thrills also when removing the masts. We gathered to watch this breathtaking moment amazed to find an impossible to read all rounded luck-coin under one of the masts- a maritime tradition dating as far back as the Roman times.
We are now dismantling the inside cabins to access the bare hull. During this week Hawila will be covered and we will remove all the midship and forward deck to assess properly the state of the vessel.
We are very much looking forward to being hoisted on the slipway on the 9th of November. The next challenge will be the necessary work on our keelson, galbord, keel bolts and frames.
Stay tuned, there will be way more to come in the coming weeks!
Fair winds
