Pre-installation of new steel ladders.
With the corroded or broken ladders now safely removed and the old fixings cleaned off, the quay stones were marked out ready for positioning the new ladders. Pilot holes were drilled to position the ladder handrail bases.
Built at the ocal workshop of JT Fabrications, the new ladders have been designed to meet the current ladder spcifications for ports and harbours while making access to and from the decks of historic wrking vessels as easy as possible.
With the idea that the majotity of vessles maing use of the old quay will be historic fishing vessels, the ladders have been designed to allow easy access when boarding or disembarking. Luggers like the Barnabas and Happy Return offer trips to paying members of all ages and experience so the new ladders were built to best accommodate their needs.
Each of the ladders had to be temporairly fixed in place in order to position the quay side fixing plates which will hold them off the quay after the final fitting. Stainless bolts embedded in epoxy resin were used to fit those plates in place. The ladder rungs have to be a minimum of 200mm away from the facing stonework.
Cornwall is renowned the world over for its legendary hard-rock mining engineers. Working on an 11th Century stone quay proves no exception, they knew what they were using back then when all those years ago they built a harbour destined to last a thousand years and more!
Once all the ladders have been fitted in place and the mounting plates aligned they will all be rermoved and sent away for surface finishing. This will be a three-coat system – the same used to protect the steel base pedastels that support winfarm turbines at sea.
There are still plenty of jobs to be completed by volunteers, especially the removal of decades old undergrowth and rubble.
You can join the team every Saturday between 10am and 2pm in helping out with this invaulauble work to bring the old quay back into use.
