December 2021

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Happy New Year to you all. 
December is historically a quiet time aboard the good ship Kerne as we wound down for the festivities and dreamt of what Santa would bring us. It appears that we may have put the funnel cap on too early this year as Santa did not appear to have been able to climb down our ‘chimney’ to deliver our presents. 
Thankfully, Santa is not the only giver of presents as we received the fantastic news in early December that we had been awarded £5000 by the Headley Trust, a Sainsbury family charity, towards the repairs necessary to the upper bunker steelwork between the Boiler and Engine Room Casings. The need for these repairs became apparent when the bunker bulkheads were cut away during the boiler tube project and we were able to assess the condition of steelwork in the bunker areas. The grant will enable us to employ an expert welder to work alongside our volunteers in replacing the life-expired areas of steelwork. 
Despite the setbacks and delays due to the Covid epidemic 2021 has seen Kerne finally returned to steam and successfully complete running trials which puts us in a good position for the 2022 season. Not that we are sat idly by, as the winter gives us the opportunity to attack the ‘To Do’ list, starting with Winter Layup. The Boiler is now empty and thoroughly dried out, the tubes and furnaces have been swept clean, cling film has been applied to the Engine and Boiler Room brightwork and gauges and de-humidifiers set up to reduce the effects of condensation. 
As has become traditional on the last working party prior to Christmas, a warm fire was set in the Forward Cabin, mince pies were distributed, and glasses of warm mulled wine (sadly of the low-alcohol variety) was consumed as we toasted the passing of a difficult, but ultimately successful year. 
So, in conclusion for 2021 – a big ‘Thank You’ to National Historic Ships, the Foyle Foundation and the Headley Trust, for the grants and awards, and to our band of loyal volunteers who have worked extremely hard to get the vessel back to operational condition in her 50th year of preservation.

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