Week 17 - The week the Haven 12 & a Half became Half a Haven.

This week we were fitting the coamings that frame the cockpit area and move forward over the fore deck to form the breakwater. The hardboard templates started by Nick were finished by myself over the bank holiday weekend so that on Tuesday we could start to cut out the actual material in Kaya. This was done by Wednesday which was a day which brought the worst news possible.
I was away in Southampton and while I was there the lead ballast keel arrived. While on my way back I got a call from Justin Adkin the the course tutor telling me that the keel had arrived (finally after nearly 3 months) but unfortunately it had been cast wrongly and he was sending it back on the lorry along with my male pattern to the foundary. This is absolutely disastrous as there is only now 4 weeks to launch and the boat is useless without its keel. There is no way the founday will be able to cast and deliver another one in a week or two which leaves the finishing really tight.
When I first spoke to Justin on the way back from Southampton, the question of who is responcible was my first and has been ongoing until late this afternoon. I was informed by Justin that the cast keel cast by the foundry did not match my male pattern and he went on to say that the centre board slot was skewed which would have made it impossible for the centreboard to drop down. While still on my way back from Southampton the MD of the founday called me asking why the keel was on its way back to them to which I just had to pass on what I had been told by Justin and that it would be best to speak to him. I gave him the number of the college and I made way back as quickly as possible. When I got back to the BBA to hear the outcome of the conversation with Justin I was told it did not happen.
On Wednesday evening I emailed the founday my concerns about the extremely tight deadline and what I was told by Justin caused the problem. I then spoke to the MD of the foundry who told me that he could not comment on anything until he received the keel back. I have been waithing until this afternoon to hear from the foundry with the staff who are in the BBA at the moment asking every few minutes what was happening and that I should be keeping on top of the foundry more. Well I had to give them time and I did hear this afternoon and the foundry are saying that they have cast a perfect representation of my pattern and went on the explain the exact details of what went wrong in terms of my pattern. This I could not really grasp and so I told the MD I could not really comment until it was explained to my course tutor. He has unfortunatley been off the last 3 days and the principle has also been on holidays too so I told him it would be Monday before I could perhaps obtain a member of the staff here to talk to him. We had a few more conversations today involving myself and an experienced pattern maker who is now on the staff at the BBA and the foundry. Basically the foundry are blaming my patttern (which it could be) and the school have been blaming the foundry but maybe not as much as the afternoon has gone on. In anycase I have to vist the foundry on Monday who are going to lay the keel on a marking table to show me the problem which is basically that the pattern I supplied is not symetrical and to discuss recasting it.
I stand in the middle as a student who made a pattern under the supervision of my tutor who passed it as perfect for casting before I delivered it to the foundry. Unfortunately it seems like I am the one who is going to be hit with bill for the keel that is useless and the re-casting of another. I have to visit the foundry on Monday to discuss the options and what can be done. I will be interesting to see who really is to blame but one thing is for sure, it aint me! I made the pattern 100% perfect the way I was instructed. Maybe things have come to a head on matters that have bugged me for a long time now! The BBA might not have 13 boats launching now on 7th June and I certainly will not be launching Half a Haven with concrete or any other crap other than lead in the bottom of it just to keep up appearances. It sucks that I might not experience launch day which is the pinacale and reward of the last 9 months rediculous intensity of work and humongous financial commitment. This is one mistake that I can not see a way out of due to the time scale left and the huge amount of money involved in putting it right. This is absolutely disastrous as there is only now 4 weeks to launch and the boat is useless without its keel.
Anyway I have another long trip to Cornwall on monday. The name I have had in the back of my mind for the boat I think needs to be changed.........I have thought several times about this......perhaps Gary's Folly would be more suited.