Maintenance Day 3

It has been a busy few days, preparing for Lord Nelson’s last passage home to the UK. Many hands helped with various tasks, ranging in purpose and difficulty. Some enjoyed a leisurely ride upriver in the Doti and Work Boats, taking them to be checked. Others had the fun of a treasure hunt, searching for every fire extinguisher on the ship, so that they could undergo routine checks. As always there was lots of painting, especially in places it would be difficult to get at during a voyage. For those inclined, work aloft afforded lovely views of Halifax harbour, in between bending on a repaired fore royal, adjusting foot-ropes and repairing ratlines. A big focus has been making the ship look as good as possible, metal-brighting the topsides and anywhere else that Nellie’s steely nature was beginning to show. Many locals joined the fun, helping out either during the day or overnight, standing watches of three hours while everyone else got some much needed rest. On Tuesday, we all tucked into a delicious barbeque to thank our volunteers for their fantastic work. Chrissy and Andy, tirelessly working to co-ordinate stores and other sundry items, were instrumental in ensuring a great evening with so many of the friends we’ve made, from our local port security guards to new faces we seem sure to see in Lunenburg, our next stop.

Cato and JC, non-medical pursers