Robbins Reef Trip Report, Wednesday, May 29, 2019

Crew: Noble Crew: Megan Beck, Eileen Montanez, Erin Urban; Eight volunteers from the crew of the Katherine Walker.

Weather: Overcast, 60s

Access: Noble Crew left Miller’s at 7:45 AM on the Nicholas Miller captained by Rob Stumley and returned with him on the Nicholas at 2:00 PM. Katherine Walker crew arrived at 8:45 and 9 AM and left by 12:30.

Purpose of the trip: The Katherine Walker crew volunteered to work on the interior stairs and other jobs at the lighthouse. We needed to catch up with leakage issues.

Task accomplished: The Coast Guard crew scraped and cleaned the interior stairs. They also helped Eileen clean up three more windows in the Lantern Gallery. They removed the old caulk, sanded and painted the frames, and caulked them. Megan and Erin gave tours to the Coast Guard crews as they arrived. They also cleaned up the leak from the port light on the fourth floor landing and dog door. Erin removed the ramboard in the sitting room, and she and Megan put down fresh ramboard. Erin put another coat of varnish on the Watch Gallery hatch cover and window sills in the sitting room. Meg sanded and painted around port lights on the fourth floor and other areas.

Next steps: In the next few weeks, we will finish the Watch Gallery hatch cover and reinstall it, install the ventilation fan, and continue to address the interior stairs. Josh Puglesi will brick up Kate’s pantry. We have to find a carpenter to make a new door for the Watch Gallery.

We also have to plan the exterior painting. It will require power-washing, priming with white primer, and then painting. This requires professional assistance and we are seeking it from our patrons in the maritime industry with experience in painting ships. Erin cannot handle it alone. It is a massive, time-sensitive project.

Photos: One boatload of the Katherine Walker crew arrives; the stairs after scraping and sanding by the Katherine Walker crew; progress on the Lantern Gallery windows and the sitting room.