Discovery needs £300,000-worth of repairs to be shipshape

RRS Discovery is in need of more than £300,000 worth of repairs.

Officials at Dundee Heritage Trust are hoping to replace the rigging while the tourist attraction is in dry dock.

However, with the estimated cost of the work set at £340,000, directors at Discovery Point still have to find the money to fund the ambitious project.

Mark Munsie, operations director at the trust, said the process of re-rigging the ship could take up to five years.

“The rigging is open to the elements and we are continually having to work on it,” Mr Munsie said.

“We had an inspection of the rigging earlier this year and we have so far tightened some of the lanyards which hold the masts in place to stabilise it.

“We have now started work on the shrouds, which was one of the issues highlighted in the inspection.

“If you look on a ship, that’s the bit the sailors would have climbed up. We are working to make those safe, which will allow us to make a more thorough inspection of the rigging.

“At the moment we have had one estimate for the cost of taking down the rigging and refurbishment in the region of £340,000. That is for a three to five year rolling programme.”