How will we move the boat?

Once the new cradle has been installed (see below) we will be able to pull the boat out of the cellar and lift it out of the yard with a crane. In order for this to happen we have to make some preparations.



Archaeologist Andrew Johnson inspects the cellar floor

The first task is to have the floor properly assessed by Andrew Johnson, field archaeologist and Manx National Heritage Inspector of Ancient Monuments. He'll be able to tell us whether or not there is significant archaeological evidence there for the uses to which the cellar was put in the past.
Then we will lay railway rails on the cellar floor, under the boat. The rails will be secured to the floor in a way that doesn't interfere with any of the archaeological evidence Andy's looking for. It's on to these that we'll sit the new cradle.


Peggy in her cellar, seen from the yard outside

 We plan to remove Peggy from her cellar during 2014 . In the photo you will notice the photographer is standing on a sort of raised, grassy bank. In George Quayle's day we understand this area was a hollow, tidal pool. The bank of soil and rubble was added during the 19th century. We don't really know why it was added but we think perhaps it was to make use of the space for tethering farm animals. Anyway, most of it will need to be removed to enable use to extend the rails out of the cellar door. So Andy is also investigating the bank to see what it is made from and whether there may be interesting rubbish in it. He estimates there's about 30 tonnes of material there, and we'll have to excavate it with a mini-digger and take the material away with a crane - no mean task!
Once the rails are laid into the yard we can simply grease them and then pull the boat out, on its cradle, with winches (very much as George Quayle himself did 200 years ago). The cradle will then be reinforced with a superstructure of steel girders before being lifted onto a lorry.