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42 st / November 2016 www.sea-technology.com off with a brand new varnished tiller arm. Further details in- cluded new fuel tank straps, new stainless fixings and new lifelines spliced and threaded down the outside of the hull. Of the cuddy cabin, the first part of the boat to take the brunt of the impact, there was little left. Shattered beyond any hope of repair, the only answer was to mold a com- pletely new cabin top complete with new windows and rubbers. Full-length hand rails were added, and the whole ensemble topped off with a brand new mast carrying the requisite navigation lights, requiring sections of the electri- cal loom to be replaced. Completed to Lloyd's Register Marine Inspections stan- dards, the entire project was subjected to independent scru- tiny for quality of workmanship and seaworthiness. "You've done a great job," said Lloyd's surveyor Matteo Fasce to Landau UK. "It's impressive to see her back in the water now compared to how badly damaged she was." "Well beyond our expectations" was the effusive verdict of the Warsash cadet officers, who have since been sending photographs of the boat back in action to Landau. "Although this is not the sort of vessel we normally work on, it is great to see how our skills on larger boats can be transferred and that the final finished product is better than the customer anticipated," said Metcalfe, who believes Lan- dau UK's new contract with Babcock will mean more of these types of operations in the future. ST the country, manned by 9,000 volunteers. And local busi- nesses still get involved, such as Landau UK, which was called shoreside to see if anything could be salvaged of the wreck of Warmish unit's Cheverton Champ. Landau was on the scene the very next morning. "Tech- nically, the boat was a write off," said Metcalfe, "but that wasn't going to help the Sea Cadets since boats like this are pivotal to the great work that they undertake with young people, so we decided to see what we could do." Working in partnership with (and partly funded by) Bab- cock, Landau UK's first job was to retrieve the motor launch from what could easily have been its final resting place. Landau UK's custom-built trailer was hitched up behind its powerful Land Rover Defender, and the remains of the boat were lifted gently into place and repatriated with dry land. Once the many gallons of rain and seawater were pumped from the bilges and various broken bits of boat and pier were removed, work could begin in earnest, starting with a thorough steam clean to really expose the task ahead. The structure of the boat was the first element to be tack- led. Fiberglass and gel coat repairs to the hull were neces- sary where it had pounded the ground on the falling tide, and to the gunwales, engine box and deck where it had ground against the pier. The deck was a particular challenge as it was impossible to repair something that in many cases simply wasn't there anymore. Molds had to be made to rec- reate sections of it, and deck hardware like cleats, bollards and rubbing strakes had to be sourced and replaced. With the boat structurally sound once more, the finished deck and engine cowling were gel brushed over their en- tirety and then painstakingly polished to create a new finish that color matched perfectly across new and old sections. The rudder was removed and the rudder shank repaired, the skeg was reconstructed and the whole ensemble topped After two decades in the marine industry as a yacht broker, Nick Burnham applied his experience to de- velop a career as a freelance marine photojournalist. He now writes and photographs for many high-level marine publications worldwide.