22 Jul 2016
Marketing Volunteer Gina has been on a mission to learn the secret of Cutty Sark’s survival. Over the past few weeks, we have followed her behind the scenes as she visited Cutty Sark’s workshop. Now, she wants to know what Senior Shipkeeping Technician Piran Harte and his team have in store for Cutty Sark in the future.
“Piran told me that one of the larger tasks to take place this year is the removal of the stunsle booms; these booms extend out of the yards on the mast and would have been used to give Cutty Sark a much larger sail span. There are six in total which need to be removed, taken to the workshop and re-varnished. What makes this project extra special is that the yards are going to be removed in the traditional way, so not by the use of a crane, but by using the winches seen on the Main Deck to lower them down, using rope.
Piran also revealed that the decoration around the ship, also known as the Gingerbread (as it looks like a decoration on a gingerbread house) is going to be given a ‘smarten up’. Both the stern and the bow decoration are going to receive a new coat of paint, and some decoration will be removed and taken to the workshop for further maintenance.
So, next time you visit Cutty Sark, do look out for Piran and the team, and have a chat as they will be happy to let you in on a few more secrets about why Cutty Sark looks so beautiful at nearly 150 years old.”
About Gina
My name is Gina and I have been working at Royal Museums Greenwich for just over a year. I am a Visitor Assistant on board Cutty Sark, which has been an amazing experience as I have met so many people from all over the world, who each have their very own fascinating Cutty Sark memory or story. I am also a Volunteer within Cutty Sark’s Marketing department, and I have been assisting the Marketing Manager on a one day a week basis since October. This role has taught me so much, and has given me the opportunity to work on some amazing projects such as this series of blogs - I hope you have enjoyed them.