We are very conscious that as most of the early restoration is necessarily the making good (read replacement) of a large number of her original frames and other key structural timbers, it has been going on steadily below decks and out of sight of those on the wharf.

To date we have had many milestone days since our trainees joined us and work on the hull began. The entire internal hull framing has been repaired which entailed the whole or partial replacement of some 110 of the 140 frames. New frames, or partial frames, from the best Tasmanian Bluegum, have been cut, fitted, fastened above the waterline, faired off and sealed with Epoxy 2 pack Wood Preserver and Timber Sealer, which is supplied as part of Wattyl’s sponsorship. All the timber for the 38 new deckbeams, and the total replacement of the SheerClamps and Beam shelves has been sourced, machined and readied for lamination.

The trainees continue to be of core value to the project, they proved themselves as very capable and have reached a level where they are able to make frame templates, mark out the curved and beveled frames and adjust the bandsaw for the required bevels, cut the frame and adjust it for an accurate fit against the planking. Our 2nd intake of trainees will start as soon as Covid19 restrictions have eased.

There have also been ancillary things happening as well, formulation of a plan and method, approved by Tasports for the safe removal of the old lead based paints etc , fitting of new temporary hatch and skylight coamings, construction and fitting of hatchcovers to provide better weatherproofing, and removal of other damaged timbers ready for replacement.

We are delighted to have restored and installed her original transom. Her original 1922 nameplate, recently discovered in Hobart, was reunited to Mistral after an absence of 65 years (another great part of the story).

We have now begun the process of “roofing” her over to allow us to remove the existing decks and deckbeams and complete this next phase of the project