Happy 2009!!!

Sun going down behing the "Dois Irmãos" and "Gávea" mountains.
Image by Chico Lima.

The Navigators: Pathfinders of the Pacific

This video is the preview to a beautiful documentary about the navigators from Satawal, Carolinean Islands, in Micronesia. There are nices video sequences of a sailing proa. The video has 7 minutes, and is very much worth a view. I'm very tempted to buy the documentary, which has 59 minutes in total.

Last sail of the year 2008

This year I had only very few oportunities to go sailing. That was the price I had to pay to go building my boat on every weekend.

But the other day my brother showed up, gahtered the family-crew together and we spent a happy day on the water. We were lucky and picked the only sunny day in a long, long sequence of rainy days.

Gentle sailing towards Ipanema Beach, with "Dois Irmãos" in the backround.
The Arpoador Rock in the foreground.

Copacabana Beach with the Christ statue, on the Corcovado Mountain, showing in between the clouds.

Narwal sailing out of the Guanabara Bay.

Paraty - Mamanguá - Trindade

This year we escaped from the Christmas frenezy. We spent a couple of calm and beautiful days exploring the surroundings of Paraty, a small colonial village. The village and its paradisiacal coastline lies 3 hours from Rio, by car, at the Western extremity of the Ilha Grande Bay.

The image above shows the pristine beaches of Trindade. A former pirate hole, back when the gold from Minas Gerais was shipped to Rio de Janeiro, out of Paraty. Legends of lost treasures abound. I kept my eyes open. And indeed found lots of beauty - but none I could carry away with me... except for the pictures...

The steep hillsides were heavy with the lush vegetation, which was glowing in all shades of green after weeks of rain. Our best christmas present were 2 days of sunshine.

Paraty-Mirim: Small valley, with river and beach. Its where we established our basis, in the small pousada Vila Volta. Secluded and hidden in the hills isolated by the forest.

Saco de Mamanguá: The somewhat exaggeratedly called "Tropical Fjord". Nonetheless the bay that reaches 2 miles inland between high hillsides, is of amazing beauty.

Paraty - sleepy colonial village.

The Raft Men

"A raft fisherman catches a wave. It's hard not to like them: strong, masculine, they drink, smoke, and even dance. They may remind you of the American Cowboy but instead of rustling cattle, they wrestle 500-pound wooden rafts up and over crashing waves to harvest shark, eel, stingray and more. Like the West the wilds of Brazil are finally being tamed but not without a price. "

Jangadas, and their sailors from the NorthEast of Brazil are allways a great inspiration. Find more pictures and a great video by the journalist Paul Lima, under: http://www.endangeredcoast.org/index.htm


Thank's to Bob Holtzman, from the Indigenous Boats Blog, for the find.

Life, Family, New Generation

New Generation of sailors: Mariana,

Matthias e Leonardo

New and old happy together: Mauricio, Leonardo, Mariana, Andreas, Lisa e Matthias.

A happy family day, sailing on Narwal. A rare occasion.

Life

Diving with sharks

"One of the most sure ways to embrace risk is to free dive with big gray sharks." That's what they say in this Latitude Index post. Its a good way to get stunning pictures too, I'd say.

Well, ... I felt related to the picture. Reminded me of amateur boatbuilding... ;-)

Rato Skipper

Gustavo Pacheco, a friend and frequent contributer to this blog, has now opened his own blog. He shows us lots of his cool sailing pictures, talks about his rich experience in the sailing world as delivery skipper and boat builder. Gustavo is one of the pioneers of the Open 6.5 construction here in Brazil. Check it out under: http://rato-skipper.blogspot.com/, and find the link on my blogroll.

Image: Of course by Gustavo... Nice...

Still under way...slowly

The last few months have not been to easy. Lots of changes on the project, lots of work and end-of-year related obligations. Therefore, not much has happend, workwise. But all is prepared for me to actually start. Tools, protective equipment, the boat hull and shed -all is in place.

On the other hand, the climate has not helped much either. It has been raining constantly in the last 2 months. I have never seen so much rain in Rio! Due to all the resulting humidity, epoxi work would not be recommended. I'm using this to confort myself a little. It's not helping much. But,... well I tried. Keeping cool is important.

Considering this cenario, I can say I'm still under way. Slowly but still moving. Waiting for the breeze to increase, so I can get up to speed again. Wait and see.

Cute litlle cat

I found this cute little cat on the net...

It is called Aventura 20, desigend by "Martin Defline". find it here: http://www.defline.com/gammes/serie/Av20/aventura_20.htm

For some reason it has attracted my attention. It think mainly because of the rig arrangement. In a way it ressembles very much what I have in mind for Arpex. The main difference, except the smaller size, being that this rig uses a fat-head main, running on tracks, while I have in mind to use a soft-wing sail, with a short gaff - Wharram rig style. I prefer that, because of the cost of the tracks required and, foremost, because a softwing-sail can't jam, and will reef quickly, due to the weight of the gaff. Let go the halyard and the sail WILL come down. I am a bit traumatized by mainsails that won't come down. A bad habit I experienced with my brothers 40ft. mono. Unpleasant...

Nomadness

"Nomadness" is the name of a blog I've been following. The author, Steve Roberts, is also the owner of the fine yacht called "Nomadness". The blog reports about his sailing trips in the State of Washington, USA. And foremost it also gives a deep sight into the many of the technical aspects of the yacht. Steve is obviously very much technology orientated and seemingly a gifted engineer. It gives a very interesting perspective on the possibilities of technologocal applications on a nomadic, seagoing yacht.

Personnaly I have a more simple approach to life at sea. But, nevertheless, I find it intersting to watch someone explore the possibilities. I am convinced that all theses equipments and applications will slowly trickle down to a wider user base.

... I love the view from the pilothouse. Reminds me of a well protected cocoon. A place to tackle the elements from a well controlled drivers seat.

I recommend you take a look at Steve's blog. Try the link http://www.nomadness.com/blog/, which I have also included into by blogroll.


BTW: There is more about Steve's activities here: http://microship.com/

Fight Kids

Pictures I took from the TV screen, during a documentary which I found shocking. I've been keeping them for a long time. Today time has come for posting them. The world is definietly marching, head up, into a very wrong direction. It often seems that the dark side is gaining the upper hand.

Where to go, what to do? What is the answer to the escalade of violence? Some events make this a question which needs to be answered on a very personal basis. How can we take care of our loved ones, when others are educating their kids like the ones we see on this images? Or worse not educating them at all. Leaving them, therefore us, at the mercy of their most primitive instincts?

New tools

Yesterday I did important steps towards the actual restart of the construction. I bought a couple of tools, a bigh bucket and sweepers.

The place where I have the boat now was a mess, with dirt accumulated in years of careless use (and no use). Working there was not an inviting prospect. I like to have the place where I work clean. Therefore, I went to it with fervour. In a couple of hours (4!) of furious sweeping, and after carrying away a few buckets-full of dust and litter, I am happy enough to say, now, that the place is ready to see some action. Unfortunately I forgot the camera, and therefore, couldn't register my day's work in pictures. I was proud!

And apart form those sweaty tasks, I went shopping for tools. First on my list was a sander. I was lucky enough to find an orbital finishing sander from Makita on promotion. Can't live without one of those... well, maybe live, but not build a boat.

Next on the list was a hand plane. And I also found an adequate one. Less expensive than I expected. It's a brazilian steel. I thought I should give our national manufacturers some confidence, in periods of crisis. If the steel blade doesn't work properly, I'll change it.

Else, I got some general wood-working tools. I whish I knew their proper english names. Now I still need the eletronic scale for the epoxi.

Rocket Man

See these cool images showing International "flying" Moths!

Found it on Sailing Anarchy.

New activity plan

I'm developing a new activity plan to get things going again. Hope to get some ticks on it during the next weekend.

Saveiros

"Saveiros" are a traditional form of working sailboats, originated in the State of Bahia/Brazil. They were used to haul general cargo, people, animals and also to fish. They are built of wood and carry gaff sails.

Most saveiros nowadays are adapted for turism, daytrips. Equiped with powerfull diesel engines they carry large crowds around the bay. Their masts mere mood enhancing adornment. But some are now used as family boats or luxury cruisers. The image above shows one of those. And the picture below shows one used for daytrips around the bay of Rio de Janeiro.

To be continued...

Rio from the air

This is a beautifull view of Rio de Janeiro, as seen from the air. The image was taken from a "blimp", which is a zeppelin-like aircraft. Its slow navigation thourgh the air allows for some unusual views and pictures.

My home is almost in the middle of the picture. The Arpoador Rock is up on top, at the end of Copacabana Beach. The Sugar Loaf sits in the middle left.

Boxed

Steps towards the restart of the construction are painfully slow - but we're moving. Today I got acess to the box and brought the material into it.

I'm actually taking my time. After almost a year of pushing construction forward, not allways sucessfully, it was time to dedicate a little time to my wife, relax a bit, party with friends, and do all those things that amateur boatbuilders usually don't. Sadly, partying hard and getting up early to sand and glue doesn't seem compartible.

I'm taking the short break to ponder about the priorities regarding quality of finishing vs. time and money spent on the project. The first laminators which I asked for quotings, delivered a much too high price to finish the hull. So, I will take my time and slowly work on the boat myself for now. This way I will have time to see how the economic scenario develops, before I put my money on an experimental project.

So, I'm not too worried at the moment. What I consider important right now is not to stop moving.

My little mermaid

This is my little mermaid. It was given to me as a gift, by a friend, artist Paula Gama, back in 2001. She, the mermaid, sits in a little wood and glass box, and seems to enjoy herself.

Catch a cat

The other day I got a fascinating mail from my friends Lucas and Musa, at the Barranco Alto farm, in the swamplands of the Pantanal.

The mail reported from a 3 day chase of a fabulous female jaguar (Panthera onca, onça-pintada). The one seen on the picture above. "Barbie", as she is called, has made it to the pages of this blog before. The animal was chased in cooperation with the Jaguar Conservation Fund. It took us 3 days, 6 dogs and 12 people to track her down.

When found she was sedated and marked with a lightweight radio collar...

Read more about it on their blog: http://pantanal-lodge.blogspot.com/

Bugs!

It's a drag; Some bug is keeping me lame, at home.

The bug on the image above is a box jellyfish, it is rather smal, but it's stingers can take you right out. They make swimming in North Queenland, Australia quite an adventure in some periods of the year. When travelling there, I was very surprised to find the warning signs on some beaches. Protective swimsuits seem to be mandatory in some places of higher incidence.

Mermaid

This mermaid has a name. It is Jessy Milley Dyer ducking a wave.
I've got it from: http://surfedeluxe.com.br/

Arpoador

Arpex in a calm period.

Image from: http://www.surfdeluxe.com.br/

Images from the amazon

This nice picture was most probabely taken somewhere in the Rio Negro region. I lost track of where I've picked it up, and do not know the name of the author. But it looks so much like as if I could have taken it myself! Even the paddle looks identical to my own paddle. I mean identical!

New start of building

The new beginning is slowly, but steady taking shape:

The boat is back on the ground, on it's new building location.
The box for my material is free, empty and I will start moving the stuff into it on the next week end. Then I'll still need to by this and that in terms of tools (scale, for example) to do the lamination.

I started talking with candidates to work on the boat, they gave me their proposals. Of course it was more than I have planned for. The proposal refers to:

1. Finishing of lamination (correct blisters and put 2nd layer of cloth on extrusions)
2. Glue keel on and laminate
3. Finish and fair hull

Most of the work refers to finishing and fairing the hull. I can do the first 2 by myself. So, I will do that and then decide on how much time, effort and money I will put into finishing of the hull. I definitely want to bring in some external opinion from friends on that question.

Spi

Another couple of nice pictures by Gustavo Pacheco.
Thanks!

Razzle Dazzle

Of course "Guilty", by Jeff Koons is not to everyones taste. Not to mine either, actually...

But this razzle dazzle thing produced some interesting results here and there. See these nice prints that you can buy here: http://www.scari.org/razzle-dazzle.too.html

I think they look nice. It's funny to think that they actually painted warships like that - see the image below. Just imagine the art of persuasion needed to convince a militay mind, from the navy, to paint a ship with such a color scheme! Must have been a convincing person! The event of the radar technology brought the creativity within the navy to a sudden halt.

Arpoador

This beautifull image was taken by Carlos Secchin, a gifted marine photographer, who has a series of books published. I own one of his books about underwater photography in the Ilha Grande region. I didn't ask for permission to publish this image here on this blog. I hope Carlos does not disagree.

It is a nice image of the great "Cisne Branco", "white swan", the Brazilian navy's school ship, passing the Arpoador Rock, on a foggy morning. A lonely observer stands on the rock, watching the tall ship ghost by.

....

I was maybe 10 years old. We were sailing the 23ft. "Aleguá", on a family afernoon. We anchored on Itaipú Beach. A beautifull day. All of a sudden, one of those surprise "Sudoeste" winds came in, for an afternoon shakedown. Our anchor didn't hold. We didn't have an engine, or it didn't fire, I don't remember. In a quick, hasted maneuver, we hoised the mainsail. With a loud bang! it tore in two. The boat drifted towards the beach, fast.

The powerboats around didn't seem to mind. They responded to our waving and shouting, a call for help, with ammused cheer. There was ony one sailboat around. A marine shoolship, called "Cisne Branco". It was a former "Cisne Branco" - not the tall ship we see today. It was a 60 or 70ft., beautifull classic yawl. They came, and rescued us in the last minute, like the cavalerie. I'll never know how they managed to handle the ship that fast...

They had come to Itaipú for an afternoon picknick entertainment for high ranked officers. Instead, they left their drinks and canapes and rushed for a family-boat in need. They gave us a tow until the Bay of Rio de Janeiro. Shared their sandwiches with us. I'll allways remember this when I see a "Cisne Branco".

Beleza é essencial - como diz o poeta...

Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. I'm blessed, since I don't have to look very far to find one.

Hoje é o dia de nosso aniversário, meu bem! Beijos!

Guilty

I admire people who think out of the box. Just for the sake of it. Taking a new approach to established things, be that behaviors, objects, theories – whatever. Of course it is even more admirable if they are successful. But to me it doesn’t matter much. Just the courage of going a different path than the old beaten one is something that most won’t dare to do. For different reasons. Fear of failure and fear of what other people would think about it would probably be the main reasons.

“Guilty” is the result of a comissioning made by a probably very rich man, art collector Dakis Joannou, who certainly does not care a penny about what others think, and the artwork of well known modern artist Jeff Koons. The 114ft. long superyacht is an art object in itself, filled with works of other renomed artists like Anish Kapoor. The paintjob is based on a camouflage scheme called Razzle Dazzle, used by the EUA and UK during WorldWar 2. One thing is for sure; the camouflage thing is a bit perverted here. The yacht will stand out for a sure - as a bold statement.

Like it or not, the man has some big “cojones”!