We continue with the jack hammer in the main hold (fish hold) and then, once the 4" of concrete is cleared, remove the tightly packed ingots of lead ballast to expose the top of the keelson. This is where we will drill four 1" holes through the 45" of keelson, frames, keel and false keel. You can see the original hold ladder to the right.

On the outside of the hull Dutch Maranhas and Bob Aufiero of Atlantic Coast Detectors volunteered their time to come by and map out the metal inside the keel so we would be able to bypass it as we drilled the holes for the keel bolts. Dutch runs his business based in New Bedford and offers technical support and sells detectors for all purposes. The ones he and Bob brought to Ernestina were high tech enough to indicate the type of metal and depth in the timber. We could tell what was iron and what was stainless steel.

Capt. Sophie Morse marked out the fastenings on the hull so that Director Gregg Swanzey could come along with the drill and run the holes. We hope to be putting steel beginning Friday.

Steve Kirk began reefing out the garboard seam in preparation for caulking next week.

Captains: Sophie Morse and Amanda Madeira

Schooner Ernestina on the ways at Kelley Shipyard.

Capt. Amanda Madeira and Franko Calascione jack hammer out concrete in the fish hold.

Capt. Amanda Madeira and Steve Kirk pull out lead ingots to access the keelson.

Capts. Amanda Madeira and Sophie Morse work with Dutch Maranhas of Atlantic Coast Detectors to mark out the existing metal fastenings.

Some the marks showing fastenings through the false keel and keel. The garboard seam is at the base of the plank at the top of the image.

Director Gregg Swanzey drilling a keel bolt hole up into the fo'c's'le.

The bit passes safely by the marked fastenings through a scarf in the false keel.

Steve Kirk reefs out the garboard seam (he pulls out the cotton caulking)