Hallelujah! For all intents and purposes, Rosslyn’s gangway railing v3.0 is complete. Or…*ALMOST* complete. And, while it’s been an epic adventure of unimaginable duration from inception to completion, the final results are outstanding. As good or better than the original that we constructed a decade and a half ago. Identical to the eye, but more robust. Hopefully longer lasting. And beyond beautiful!
How, you ask, is the newly completed boathouse gangway, v3.0? What about the second version? Why have I skipped directly from the first to the third version?! What about v2.0?!?!
As I’ve hinted over the last year and a half, v2.0 was a dumpster fire (aka cataclysmic clusterf**k) that involved an OPUD failing to communicate for months, finally cob-jobbing a fraction of their overdue commitment before having a temper tantrum and quitting, etc. The dismal drama didn’t end there as contractor after contractor reviewed and veered clear of the OPUD’s mess which ultimately failed and/or required removal and replacement.
A sordid tale at last eclipsed by a superior replacement. Rosslyn’s boathouse gangway v3.0 exudes the elegance of the original with the benefit of improved engineering and materials. And we are profoundly grateful. Thank you, Peter and Supi.
Gone is the TimberSIL. Gone is the punky rot. Gone are the spongy decking boards. Gone are the excuses and blame, the mistakes and delays. Returned are the tasteful proportions and the classical lines. Returned is the silhouette and the well proportioned massing we conjured into existence more than a decade and a half ago. Reused are the original gates and the handmade copper post tops commissioned when Essex and Rosslyn were still new to us.
True it’s been almost a year since Peter and Supi inherited the OPUD’s muddle and initiated a painstaking rehabilitation. But that year was interrupted for many months — we’ll over half a year — when they temporarily suspended their work on the boathouse to advance the icehouse rehab. Kudos for agility!
There are still a few loose ends. A Dutchman here. Paint touchup there. But the lion’s share is behind, and it’s time to honor the accomplishment, the perseverance, the job well done.
Now we turn our attention to the waterfront stairway…
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