Tha sgioba Ìlich a tha measail air pufairean a' strì gus seann tè mheirgeach [bho àm a' chogaidh], a' VIC 27, a shàbhaladh mus tuit i às a chèile. Air a toiseach tha an t-ainm Vital Spark - bhon àm a bha i ainmeil air sreath sgeulachdan 'Para Handy' a rinn am BBC ann an 1994.

Fhad 's a tha geamhradh fuar, cruaidh a' cur maill air obair air taobh a-muigh a' phufair, tha Donnchadh ga chumail fhèin a' dol, a' càradh seann làraidh Ford.

Nuair a gheibh iad tilleadh chun a' VIC 27, tha na balaich an sàs ann an glanadh is sgùradh an t-slige. Tha bliadhnaichean de mheirg a' falbh nan steall, a' fàgail tuill mhòra a' sgiabadh às an dèidh. Bheir e ùine mhòr clàir ùra a chuir innte - agus bi e daor.

A team of puffer enthusiasts from Islay battle to save the VIC 27 from the scrap heap. On her rusty bow she bears the name Vital Spark - a throwback to her glory days as star of the BBC's 1994 series The Tales of Para Handy.

A biting, cold winter delays exterior work on the puffer, so Duncan keeps himself occupied by taking on the restoration of a vintage Ford truck.

When work resumes on the VIC 27, the team set to power-washing and sandblasting the hull. This removes decades' worth of rust and scale - and leaves gaping great holes. The re-plating of the heavily corroded metal looks likely to be time consuming and costly. Show less