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| Pioneer in winter - with an on-board workshop |
A bitter wind was whipping down the
creek bringing scatters of rain and the threat of worse weather to
come.
Pioneer was standing high above the mud under her winter covers
and I took several several exhilarating breaths of the sharp
winter air before retreating into Harkers Yard to curl my hands round
a warm cup of tea and talk to Aiden Lateward about his two years as
an apprentice here.
Aiden studied cabinet making at college
after he left school. That convinced him that he loved working with
his hands and specifically working with wood but the jobs available
in the furniture industry were mainly machine based. He spent two
years restoring donated furniture for the charity Emmaeus until
someone gave him a 'kick up the arse' (his words) and convinced hm to
carry on developing his skills. Boats are wood, boats have curves
(unlike most modern furniture) – learning to build boats offered a
possible way forward.
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| Bleak view at Brightlingsea |
After a false start with the Mayflower
Project in Harwich (then only at the workshop-building stage) Aiden
found his way to Brightlingsea and Harker's Yard. He fell for the
place and the work and the atmosphere immediately “I need to be
here,” he thought. Aiden was interviewed and accepted, then found
himself spending his first fortnight on board Pioneer scraping her
decks. This was two years ago in February 2013. It should have been
enough to put anybody off. There was snow and a bitter wind, whipping
down the creek ….
Aiden filled his big boots with socks –
four pairs, he recalls + two pairs trousers, T-shirt, jumpers, two
coats, hat, scarf, gloves – and carried on scraping,. He met John
Yarr, then first mate and Jim, the skipper. He asked them whether
there was any chance he could try a sail sometime. As soon as the
smack was ready to go back in commission they got Aiden setting up
her rigging with them. He'd never sailed before but was often out on
Pioneer during that first summer, and also sailed on board the
smaller Brightlingsea Smack, Iris Mary, CK105. It was an
extraordinary moment when his mother suddenly discovered that his
fifth great uncle, Joseph Alexander, had been master and owner of
Pioneer sometime in the late c19th.
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Aiden is using one of Liam's oars
as his model (3rd from left) |
In August 2013 Aiden was one of a group
of apprentices who brought
Pioneer back from Gosport (where a group of young carers had been taking part in the Round the Island race) to Ipswich Maritime Festival. He volunteered to stay on board over the
festival (with the help of a free beer voucher). When the smack left to
take a family group to the Walton Backwaters Aiden went with her
as volunteer relief bosun. He's since been working towards his watch
leader's qualification and dreams of sailing on board a tall ship one
day.
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| Aiden at work |
Meanwhile, back in the workshop, Aiden
was laying up the plug for the next gig. He describes this as a job
which tests your mettle; it's so repetitive and technically
undemanding yet the quality is vital. It was summer and the glue was
stickier than ever. He got glue on his arms and legs, on his new
Pioneer t-shirt, in his hair, up his nose. Then the gig had to be
taken off the plug and placed in the cradle ready for fitting out –
and Aiden's task was to scrape out all the glue residue, the classic
newcomer's job in the workshop. The heat gun burned his fingers but all the time he was enjoying learning the different
curves of the gig, how they worked together, how the idea of the gig
had been developed and designed. Aiden likes wood, likes feeling its
tolerances, practising his skills until they become an instinctive
part of him.
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| A hollowing plane |
Currently Aiden's making his second set
of oars and is confident that they are better than his first set
(something to do with the size of the handles). He's enjoyed being
part of an apprentices' team, rowing the Harker's Yard gig, Matchless and he spoke with real
feeling about the pleasure of making something, using it and also
seeing it being used by the local communities. The gig-rowing and
racing bring so many people together. Aiden's here until December. By then he'll have his watch leader's qualification
and his NVQ level 3 in marine engineering and yacht building. He
already has level 3 in cabinet-making. So what will he do then –
look for a job locally? Work
in a boatyard abroad? Join the Merchant Navy? Sail a tall ship? He
knows now that he he likes working with wood, working on the water, working with people. That should give him plenty of options.
