Annual refit and maintenance
Volunteers needed
In-season maintenance days 2008 - help always needed, call the skipper on 07771 771864 if you can come along.
28 April: Southampton
8 June: Southampton
6 and 7 July: Gosport. These two days involved intensive preparation for the Tall Ships races - including loading two months' food on board - and we need all the help we can get.
4 Sept: Southampton
11 Oct: Southampton
The next full-time refit period will run from November 2008 to March 2009.
Core team volunteers wanted - could you work full-time on the refit next year?
Could you donate small items like binbags, gloves and cable ties? See here for a list of equipment needed for refit.
If you can't join the full-time core team, don't worry: most volunteers come to refit for the occasional few days or a weekend. The following sections tell you more about how our annual refit works and how volunteers can help.
Refit volunteers
Why do such an extensive refit?
What do volunteers do?
Who can help?
What does the refit cost?
2007-8 refit appeal (pdf)
Priority sea staff bookings
Refit location
2007-8 refit timetable
John Laing undergoes a major refit every year from November to March. The refit and maintenance is carried out almost entirely by volunteers.
In 2006-7, ninety-five people contributed a total of 381 days of volunteer labour (skilled and unskilled). Even at the low end of unskilled boatyard rates of pay in the area, this would have cost us over £22,000 if we had had to pay for it, instead of using volunteers. We are just compiling figures for the 2007-8 refit.
Most people come to the refit for a weekend or a few days, but some come for longer - and a few core-team volunteers get involved full-time.
Refit details will be advertised in the weekly newsletter each week, including locations and contact details. But we shall be looking for help on most weekends and weekdays unless otherwise advertised.
Why do such an extensive refit?
As a steel boat, John Laing needs to be lifted out of the water each year and stored in a covered environment so that she can be completely painted, inside and out. Without this work, she would rust. In addition, there is a rolling programme of replacements of major and minor items. A great deal of machinery and equipment needs annual testing and servicing.
If this level of work is not undertaken every year without fail, John Laing will rapidly deteriorate - she needs to pass rigorous inspections every year under the MCA Small Commercial Vessels Code to be allowed to carry out sail training for young people.
A replacement vessel would cost around £2 million, and would have its own refit costs. Therefore, although the Trustees of OYT South are making long-term plans for an eventual replacement vessel, they believe it makes sound financial sense to keep John Laing in good condition for several more years. Failure to maintain John Laing in condition to keep her delivering adventure under sail to young people would be an appalling waste of a valuable resource which has the potential to give hundreds more young people the experience of adventure under sail.
What do volunteers do?
We have teams working on the boat five or six days a week (but almost always including both Saturdays and Sundays, so we can get as many volunteers as possible) from November to March, except holidays and other days off which will be announced in the newsletter.
We need both skilled and unskilled volunteers. Jobs on board range from those which require an experienced marine engineer through to those which can be tackled by anyone prepared to wield a sheet of sandpaper. There is really no need to worry if you have never worked on a refit before, or have limited practical experience - there will nearly always be something you can do. Even simple things like helping with shopping and cooking for the refit team frees up others to work on board. There are also items which can be taken off the boat and worked on at home, in your own time. Oilskins need to be washed and any tears stitched up; someone has to sort through the medical kit and list anything which needs replacing; charts have to be corrected and kept up-to-date.
If you can come for more than just a weekend, it will be greatly appreciated. People who do a lot at the refit will get priority when sea staff bookings are taken for popular voyages in the following season.
We provide food for everyone who turns up, and sometimes we are able to provide accommodation too. You have to book dates with the skipper by calling on 07771 771864, so that he knows how many people to expect and with what particular skills, on any given day.
Who can help?
Provided there is room, we welcome offers of help from anyone: sea staff, crew members, parents, group leaders, employee volunteering programmes, shorebased volunteers, longstanding OYT supporters and people who are new to the charity - including both skilled and unskilled refit workers. Just call the skipper on 07771 771864 and discuss what you can do and when you could come along.
The only significant restriction to this invitation to volunteers is based on age. Generally, to come to a refit, you should be aged 18+. Volunteers aged 16 and 17 may be allowed to the refit at certain times, at the skipper's discretion - this is because someone needs to be available to supervise you, for safety reasons; but 16 and 17 year olds who have previously sailed in John Laing and are hoping to be relief bosuns next season should certainly make an enquiry about coming along. Sadly health and safety rules mean we are unable to accept refit volunteers under the age of 16.
What does the refit cost?
The 2007-8 refit will cost up to £60,000 - see here for making a donation.
Priority sea staff bookings
Volunteer sea staff are all expected to come to the refit for at least one weekend over the winter. Those who help will get priority in the following year's sea staff bookings over anyone who doesn't turn up; and those who give the most help will get the first chance of booking on the most popular voyages, such as Tall Ships races.
Unlike some other sail training organisations, OYT South does not charge sea staff for each voyage – mates pay a flat rate sailing fee of £100 (£70 concessions) plus annual membership of £36, and can then sail as often as they like. A weekend or two at refit is the price you pay for such cheap sailing opportunities! We cannot keep John Laing in good working condition unless people come and help.
Refit location
In 2007-8, for the main part of the refit, the boat was at Hamble Yacht Services, and we had a rented house within walking distance of the boatyard to provide accommodation for staff and volunteers. We will hope to have a similar arrangement for 2008-9.
2007-8 refit timetable (2008-9 should be broadly similar)
Weds 31st October 2007: refit begins.
11 November: move boat from Ocean Village to Hamble Yacht Services
13 November: masts lifted out
14 November: John Laing lifted out of the water
15-18 November: refit closed (staff attending Sail Training International Conference).
22 December: Christmas break begins
3 January 2008: Refit re-opens
10 March: Refit tent down
11 March: Scaffolding down
12 March: John Laing back in water
13 March: masts back in
17 March: compass swing
19 March: coding inspection
21-23 March 2008: shakedown sailing weekend and end of refit.
24 March 2008: first voyage with young people starts.
Please tell the skipper in advance on 07771 771864 when you are coming to the boat: it is easiest for him to plan the order of work on the boat if he knows how many people and what skills will be available at certain times.
