Jane Hannah MacDonald III lifeboat boat is in good hands with our ship wright, Chris Frisby.
Chris has been working on JHM III steadily, as resources and time have been available to do so. Currently we are raising funds for a metal cradle to facilitate the next stages of repair needed. In the meantime Chris is busy applying his skills to save other wooden boats in the North Cornwall/Devon area. Chris recently had an article printed in the Craftsman, summarising his other work. The picture below on the left shows the lifeboat waiting its turn for his expert hand.
Chris is working over the winter on restoring Flying Foam.
Flying foam is the last remaining boat to have worked from Bucks Mills, she was originally owned by the Braund family who are synonymous with Bucks Mills. She was given to Exeter maritime museum many years ago, then was taken to Eyemouth in Scotland to another museum before returning to North Devon when the Eyemouth collection was sold at auction.
Chris is replacing the keel and some of her planking. She was heavily built for working off the beach at Bucks Mills but being probably around 100 years old she is feeling her age with some rotten and damaged timber in her.
Earlier in the year Chris built a replica of Flying Foam for a client who remembered her from his childhood. The new boat is Lily Joyce. Lily Joyce differs from her sister in two main ways. 1. She is a clinker rather than the rounder carvel of the original. She is lighter, constructed from Stika Spruce instead of Oak. Lily Joyce was launched with a naming ceremony in Clovelly in November.