In Your Shoes - Ali Gellatly

Monday

No two weeks aboard RRS Discovery are the same, and this week in particular is set to be very special – with the launch of a brand-new experience on Friday. 

Our new experience has been in the works for over a year, so it is very exciting to see elements start to come together. Today, Zone Events were constructing and set-dressing a special area on the quayside – a key part of the experience. 

Our ships crew are currently working on restoring various areas in the ship’s galley, to enhance the visitor experience and help bring stories from the Antarctic to life; you can almost smell the freshly baked bread!  

Every member of our ships crew is fascinated with the story of RRS Discovery, and have come from all backgrounds. Jimmy joined us through the Dundee Adult Employability scheme a couple of years ago, and was awarded the Dundee & Angus Chamber of Commerce Individual Impact award; a testament to the hard work of our ships crew. 

Tuesday

Aboard RRS Discovery, JPS Restoration have been focusing on caulking the forecastle. Caulking is the process of waterproofing the decks (and what lies below) by tightly packing oakum and tar between the deck beams. This is being done in the traditional way, with hand tools and steady balance. It’s a fascinating process to see in action! 

Wednesday

One of the biggest – and heaviest – parts of the current phase of restoration works to RRS Discovery has been assessing the ship’s hull, specifically the outer timbers. 

We are preparing to remove outer planking from Discovery. The team are currently freeing fastenings on this single plank which is estimated to be around 1 tonne in weight! This work will allow us to survey the inner hull timbers and prepare for phase 2 of the urgent works which will ensure Discovery is here for many generations to come. 

Another added joy to seeing the RRS Discovery being conserved in this way is meeting the heritage engineers working on it. JPS Restoration are based in Alloa, and when expanding their team aboard RRS Discovery have been recruiting young, local people with the skills needed.

As well as preserving the ship, the process is preserving traditional heritage knowledge and expertise, as skills are passed from generation to generation – many of which would otherwise be on the brink of being lost to time.  

Friday

Today’s the big day! It was an early start this morning, as we had the press call to launch the Discovery Mast Climb; a new, exhilarating experience aboard RRS Discovery.  

Who better to launch this experience than two of our Patrons, Dan Snow and Lorraine Kelly. Both did incredibly well, scaling over 80 feet of RRS Discovery’s fore-mast and tentatively wading out on the yard arm. It’s a hair-raising experience, and all the more-so when you remember that RRS Discovery could tilt up to 45-degrees in choppy, icy seas back in 1901! 

To the snaps of cameras, Lorraine and Dan zip-lined down onto the quayside, to receive their congratulatory glass of fizz.

And of course, I had to give the Discovery Mast Climb a go – awe inspiring! Walking in the footsteps of Discovery’s first sailors. 

Saturday

After the success of yesterday’s Discovery Mast Climb, it was now time to welcome our first round of guests ahead of the experience opening to the public later in the Autumn. 

There was a buzz throughout the Waterfront as the second day of South Georgia Heritage Trust’s ‘Whale of a Weekend’, bringing South Georgia to Dundee with talks, the launch of the Whalers Memory Bank, and stories from the sea.