CODBLOG 6 — Llandrillo College and CYMBA

Last June Llandrillo College officially opened its new MBEC Centre, for Marine, Building and Environment training and it is a first class facility. The Marine workshop provides training for NVQ levels in most aspects of boat construction and repair including wooden and fibreglass construction. Mechanical and electrical parts of the boat are also covered.

Our intention is to involve the students (and staff) in our project and in return provide sailing experience for them. Of course, they have a curriculum to follow and rebuilding a COD cannot be covered by it. Ability to do ONE rivet may get the box ticked but the 50 rivets per rib would be excessive! Nevertheless, they were very helpful in allowing us to take Cymba up there and they will help us with it.

Cymba had been sitting on a trailer behind the Doctor’s Surgery in Deganwy for several years. A syndicate of 3 of our well-founded members had intended to have it restored professionally but the estimate for repair was prohibitively high and that project was abandoned.

Cymba’s condition is bad but the priority was to get it under cover and supported correctly. The hull is out of shape due to it sitting or poor supports and full of water. We expect, with new floorbeams and ribs it should pull back into shape.

Using our lifting device and our trailer, Cymba was successfully moved to Llandrillo.