The building of the ship

In the various shipyards in and around Galaxidi hundreds of sailing vessels were built. Today not a trace of the former vast industry has remained in these places. The activities and functions of the shipyards and their workers have been described in many documents and texts that belong to the Museum and have been studied by Efthymios Gourgouris (“Galaxidi in the Time of the Sailing Ships”, 1982).
The master-shipbuilders made the designs and supervised the building and launching of the ships. Apart from the master-shipbuilders, there were the shipbuilders who designed and built smaller vessels, the master-workers who carried out the construction, and various specialized workers such as the caulkers, riveters, smiths, carpenters and sail-makers.

The building of the ship was carried out in the following phases: Design on paper from which the amount and kind of timber and cost of building could be estimated; tracing of the design on a wooden platform; construction of various parts of the skeleton; nailing of planks on the outside and inside of the vessel and on the deck; burning the timbers with a flame to sterilize them; caulking, a difficult and precise job to waterproof the seams; and fitting copper plating to the ship’s bottom for protection.

When the ship was ready but without any fittings, it was prepared for launching. This took place immediately after it was blessed and christened. It was then moored in the harbour, where the complicated and difficult task of equipping the boat was carried out (fitting the masts, rigging and all that was necessary).

Makaras or warp blocks are wooden pullies necessary in every ship. In the sailing ship the only source of energy, apart from the wind, was the human muscle power. The lifting of the sails, maneuvering, lifting of goods, or moving the anchor required the multiplication of strength by the blocks. Depending on their use, they were single, double, triple or quadruple.

Bigots are wooden extenders to stretch the ropes that hold the rigging.