The welding has continued but it has been frustrating to say the least. I am learning but the moment you think you have it nailed you do another weld and it looked like a welder with a serious twitch had been using using special 'troll snot' welding rods. Overwelding and then grinding off is the only (if slightly long winded option.

One of the porthole frames had corroded and allowed water in and had rusted the surrounding metal. The extent of this only became apparent once the porthole was removed.

It couldn't be welded as the steel was too thin so there was only one thing for it - cut out the offending steel and replace with a plate cut to the right size.

If I have learned one thing whilst welding it's that big gaps are a problem. You will be inviting everyone's worst enemy, slag holes, into your weld with gay abandon...

Anyway, the next big event is the removal of the masts which are due to take place on Monday 10th. I will be moving Zee into place next to the sling bay the day before to ensure that we don't get the crane there and end up having trouble starting and manoeuvring her into place and waste everyone's time. In order to be ready for the lift I have to ensure that everything that needs to be removed can be. The mast stays, large retaining pins, aerials, wires, lights etc all need either disconnecting or removing. I am leaving all the ropes and stays attached to the masts just for ease of identification when I come to put the masts back on.

The booms have had to come off in order to get the masts off. The hardest to remove (so far) have been the mizzen booms. The gaff was easy enough but the bottom boom was somewhat heavier than I had expected. Working solo and being unable to lift it safely and move it onto the main deck, I donned my boy scout woggle and rigged up a couple of ropes and blocks to lift and swing the boom out safely.

The Kleven (in between the jib and mainsail) sail has been removed and wrapped up with the aid of a friend (thanks Fricky) and the boom removed and stowed on deck. The main areas which have stuff to be removed are the foredeck and the skipper's cabin so I spent a fruitful day or so loading the rubbish into the car and taking it to the recycling centre. Now being able to get to some part of the steel floor in the skipper's cabin I started to sweep up the rust debris and remove the shower tray. Disconnecting any pipework which has had stagnant grey water in it is never a pleasant task and with a retch I vacated the area in a Usain Bolt type fashion to let the eye watering smell abate.

Once I had sifted through the debris and I started on the steel which was visible, lo and behold...

At least I don't have to worry about cutting a hole in the floor in order to remove the steel water tank underneath the skipper's cabin as it'll probably already fall away under my feet. Bizarrely there is what looks like a vent pipe coming up through the floor to where the worst of the rust was. If this is a vent from the steel water tank below then I think I may have found the cause of the severe rust.

Saturday will probably be spent grinding the retaining bolts off the large pins which hold the masts in place and labelling anything which moves so that I don't forget what is what. I also need to rig up some for of drain to catch the cooling water leak by the exhaust manifold so that it drains into a bucket and not into the bilge. Silicone sealer, some gash piping and zip ties to the rescue...