Stem Exploratory

What's happening with the stem? The surveyor sounded soft wood right at the top. Any rot could go straight down the end grain the whole length. This could be a big one. I asked Heron Scott, a shipwright that I know and trust to look at it:

Good news! After turning the bow of the Nautilus into a duck, Heron found that the wood used for an earlier repair was 'not of the best quality. It was epoxied, filled, rebedded, refastened, and refinished, and what could have been a very expensive repair turned out to be minor.