Well a second visit to the Lads from the Family resource Centre saw us helping to lay out the bottom of their next Wexford sailing Cot, well we helped by holding a baton in a curve around specifically positioned nails to achieve the right line. There were three men there and they each knew their job working as a team,very welcoming and informative answering our repeated questions with enthusiasm.
The Idea is that the college has Funded the materials for this boat and will follow the construction through a group of Art students and by a group of Architectural students who are scanning in a previously built version into a CAD computer program. I personally had not heard of the Family resource center before starting this project and am learning a little bit about it and what it can offer the community, certainly the men involved in the boat building are getting not only practical skills but social interaction, not only with their local community but in the larger Wexford community. This particular Southend project is attracting attention from the Enniscorthy Family resource center who visited while we were there to see about the possibility of starting their own boat construction. I wonder if the Enniscorthy boats would be the salmon fishing boats, the rowing cot? And here is a nice site to visit and find out a little more about the types of boats from the South East;http://inshore-ireland.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=303&Itemid=143
In just a morning the men had fitted all five pairs of "knees" to the bottom boards and given the boat its "kick" the curve the bottom of the boat takes.It really is quite impressive to watch it taking shape so quickly.Apparently it is a tricky job getting the first planks on as they curve in two direction around the knees, I am looking forward to my next visit.
