Progress Report from Robbins Reef
Robbins Reef Trip Report, Thursday, June 30, 2022
Noble Crew: Andrew Quisling, Bagz Rylez, Gus Scott
Conditions: Sun and clouds, 80◦s
Access: Left Miller’s at 10:25 on the Emily Miller captained by James Hyndman and returned at 5:00 PM.
Purpose of the trip: The purpose of the trip was to haul out paint, work on the kitchen door, and start work on the underside of the Watch Gallery balcony.
Tasks accomplished: Andrew and Bagz raised the platform and rigged it. Bagz spotted Gus all day as he worked on other projects with Andrew. Gus attacked the underside of the Watch Gallery balcony which is heavily rusted. Using equipment loaned to us by the Noble Crew, and paint donated by our painting angels, John, Lou, and Pete at Armorica Sales, he used the generator, chipping hammer, and small hand chipping hammer, and chipped, scraped, and primed four panels along the underside of the Watch Gallery balcony.
After unloading more exterior paint stored at Erin’s house at the lighthouse, Andrew and Bagz went out and worked on the kitchen door. Andrew installed the locking mechanisms, the restored brass door plate and hinges, and doorknobs he donated. Bagz assisted and helped him hang it.
The door was in rough shape; there were no fixtures and one of the hinges was missing, as was one of the windows and the window molding and molding on a panel. Ken Johnson, with assistance from Carmen Campo, repaired it and installed the new window. Ken fashioned the new curved molding and repaired the sides and panels. Bulls-nosing revealed the colors the door has been over at least 100 years, and we chose this one. Armorica mixed it for us. Leslie Petosa prepped and painted the door, and we stored it up in the sitting room over the winter. That may be the original spring.
Andrew scraped the landing outside the sitting room; the area at the right shows the condition before he scraped it. The landings never had linoleum on them.
Back in about 2010, Peter Yuschak made a temporary door for the Watch Gallery; it had a 12” hole through it, and several thresholds and pieces of wood serving as jambs. It was a temporary stopgap. Andrew will make new jambs, a threshold, and a new door out of marine grade wood at his studio and install it in new jambs with the proper opening and closing mechanisms.
Next steps: The main thrust of our work will now turn to the exterior restoration. We need people to meet with Gus and go out to the lighthouse. Please let Erin know through this email and she will call you and put you in in touch with him directly when he is planning a trip. He will monitor the tides and weather forecast. He has thought about full-day as well as half-day trips. Erin will notify Miller’s, and they will help us as they always have, without question.
Gus is using the generator. As a spotter for the painting work, you would help set up the work up in the third floor equipment room and haul the platform up with the rigging. The platform is out on the caisson and ready to go, and unless we foresee extreme bad weather, we will leave it there.
You provide Gus with paint and equipment and regularly check the rigging.
If you are willing to scrape and paint, we have another platform, and you can do so. Obviously you must discuss this with Gus and Erin and make sure you have been to the lighthouse and assessed what we are doing before volunteering to paint.
For those of you who do not want to handle rigging—Erin, for example, will not—there are other ways you can assist Gus and help with other restoration work and routine husbandry. We will, for example, continue to restore the floors, which were once covered in linoleum, we think. We need circular floor fans for that, if you can loan us one.
Plenty of sunshine hangin’ around, fresh breezes, and breaks on the Watch Gallery balcony with its magnificent views. Satisfaction guaranteed.
PHOTOS: Andrew Quinsling