Restoration
November 10, 2003
The warm and breezy start to November gave the crew a chance to take Cherokee out Beaufort inlet and into the ocean for her first true sea trial. Except for a few kinks in the steering that still need working out, she did great racing the dolphins and plowing through the swells. Back at the dock, Bryan received the stainless steel burnished lettering, and laid them out to see how they look. Very classy and three dimensional! The large letters will be fastened to the stern, and the smaller ones will go along the bow.
Cherokee Lettering – Scrabble Anyone?
Making Trim
Tom is working on the trim around the settee and companionway in the galley. Above left, he’s fitting strips of mahogany to a jig to achieve that smooth and perfect bend. To the right is the bent piece, before major beautification. Below is Tom’s workspace, including the bent trim in place above the companionway to the fo’c’sle.
Companionway Trimwork
Below left is a closeup of the companionway trim. To the right, Bryan and Chris are gluing up the casing for the equipment-room door, located under the stairs.
Trim and Fo’c’sle Stair Prep
The stairs to the fo’c’sle can be fitted directly down from the companionway, or attached to the side wall when access is needed to the equipment room beneath the stairs. Chris built the stairs using the original Huckins rails and new treads of teak and holly. The equipment room door is Spanish cedar.
Position One, Secret Equipment Room Door Closed
Position Two, Equipment Room Open
Leonard is fiberglassing the threshhold of the transom door. Below he’s working a tricky area smooth. Leonard also assisted Bill Brown in aligning the engines and getting it all squared away.
Leonard Fiberglassing Threshold
Ellie Mae, faithful boatyard dog who never fails to show during lunch, belongs to Martha and Jimmy Lawrence. Hurricane Isabel destroyed Jimmy’s dock, so he’s made a makeshift landing on the bank near Cherokee. Most afternoons he’s there sorting his fish and straightening up his net. When he’s not fishing, Jimmy – Down East native and retired Washington D.C. firefighter – works at the Triple S pier on Atlantic Beach. “I love it there,” he said. “Used to, it was all farmers who’d come down and fish the pier this time of year after the crops came in. They’d bring loads of home and salt it. It’s not too different today, except for the salting!” The sportfishing scene on a pier is different from the scene at tournaments or on charter boats. “People will stay all night. It’s relaxing. I enjoy walking around talking to everybody.” Jimmy thought he’d talk to the owner about allowing veterens to fish half price on Veteran’s Day. “This is a military area and they deserve it,” he emphasized. “Give ’em a break fishing – that’s the least we can do!” Signing off for now, Barbara “Fish Doctor” Blake
