Seasonal winter work 2002 - 2003

The major task this winter has been to continue the work with replacing the upper-deck, a job we started the winter 2000-2001. The deck has been in bad condition with rainwater leaking in to the cookhouse and the passenger areas on the between-deck. The deck is a wooden deck on a framework of steal. Spin-off effects of the deck job has been to renovate the cap over the staircase up to afterdeck, the starboard ventilator and the tubing for the wires to the engine-room telegraph. We also have renewed some electrical cabling beneath the deck.
This winter we managed it all the way! All deck-planks are changed. Just some minor job remains to the next season: grinding the plank-sheer and make a stringer-plate under the stem edge of the deck and to cover that with a brass half pipe.
Other jobs in pipeline for seasons to come is to renovate the bottom parts of the steering house and to change the afterdeck roof.

Report #1, December 27th 2002.     In the days between Christmas and New Year a good deal have happened onboard. The work with changing the upper deck has started. The screw bolts holding the cover round the funnel and the screws that tighten the planks to the deck beams underneath has been removed so that it shall be possible to take up the old planks.
In connection with the deck work the door section between after-deck and between-deck together with the cap over the stairs down to between-deck will be restored. This results in a big hole in the after-side of the between-deck superstructure. To prevent unwanted visitors in the ship throught the hole we have walled in the working area with a little shed with a door towards the after-deck.


Report #2, February 1st 2003.     The work with the new deck continues. The rate of work is not as stressed as last winter when we had the boiler repair in addition.
After the previous report some old planks have been taken up and the deck beams beneath have been cleaned and painted. Three new planks have already been mounted and one is nearly ready. Some electrical wiring has been dismounted and replaced with temporary wiring until the new planks are in place so that new cables can be mounted. We have removed the starboard ventilator, the pipe leading air down to the boiler room, because of the deck job. It will later be scraped, grinded and painted before it's remounted through the new deck.
Another job we have done is to remove our life rafts, placed on the after deck roof. They are quite heavy and ungainly to handle. They will be sent for repacking as stated every other year.


Report #3, March 8th 2003.    Not so much to tell. The works go on and one by one the old deck planks are replaced. Six new planks are in place and there are eight to go. On the quay we have the last delivery of wood stored. Some of the deck beams have to be repaired since there is some corrosion there.
The cap over the stairs down to between-deck has been grinded and some rust holes will be repaired before its painted and remounted.
We are also tidying the toilet room up, among others the flooring is grinded and will be painted.


Report #4, April 12th 2003.     The summer season approaches by leaps and bounds. It's just a couple of weeks to the first trip. During the weekend we have taken up the last old deck planks, so now we have come to the point of no return, now we have to complete the deck. We also managed to mount a couple of new planks. Parallel to the deck-job some other activities is going on, e.g. making the boiler ready, painting and renewing some electrical cables, etc. etc....


Report #5, April 18th to 21st 2003.     During Easter we focused on two things, partly to wash and touch up paint the hull (spring preparations) and partly on the last planks on the deck and some deck related jobs such as repairing the cap between after- and between-deck and mounting the starboard ventilator. The last deck plank was fitted in on Easter Monday. Remaining now is the caulking of the deck, i.e. beating down thread of oakum in the seams between the deck-plank's and to seal the deck by pouring melted pitch into the seams on top of the oakum.


Report #6, May 1st to 3rd 2003.     In the time since the last report the seams in the deck have been caulked, i.e. thread of oakum beaten down in the seams, so, on Mayday we could start sealing the seams with pitch. Parallel to that, the job with fitting in the renovated cap in the after end of the deck and to re-mount the starboard ventilator continued. Something that was also remounted was the wires to the engine-room telegraph. The work went on smoothly and on Saturday evening we where almost ready with everything that had to be done before the trial trip.


Report #7, final report, May 4th 2003.     The day for the technical trial trip had come. A decent big gang gathered and started to clear away things that weren't supposed to be onboard and to tidy up. The duckboards where put back on the afterdeck. The lifebelts where collected from our storage and were stowed down in the lifebelt chests. The new deck was covered with masonite board to protect it from soiling since we hadn't had time to varnish it yet. The finishing touch was put to the adjustment of the steering gear. In the afternoon everything was almost ready and we could let go for our customary trial trip. It became a quite short trip since the weather, despite the weatherman promises, was gray, cloudy and cold with a quite strong wind.
When we got back to port we varnished the deck a first time. A lot of paint job remains before the opening journey May 11th but we hope to manage that in the following week.


Report #8, May 10th 2003.     After report #7 the things remaining, among other things some paint job, have been done, and Saturday May 10th our spring- tidy old lady was in Stockholm participating in "Putsat och klart" (polished and ready) an exhibition where the steamers from the Stockholm area display themselves to the public before the summer.
Our first regular journey is headed to Birka (the Viking town) Sunday May 11th.