Drivers seat

Saturday was good to determine the hight of the cabin roof. For that, I've bought the beach seat, which I'm going to use on the boat. It will be a flexible asset, which can be used inside the cabin, on the deck, or even on the beach.

Chico Science - Maracatu Atomico

Essa moça tá diferente...

Do Leme ao Pontal

It is a beautiful Sunday.

...

And I'm going to the beach!

Deck stringers

During the week João has removed the "guides", which had been screwed to the outer sides of the hull to align them. They had some inverted camber in them, which looked crooked. This is now fixed, after gluing the deck structure. He has also fitted the deck stringers which will take the compression from the forestay. They look strong enough.

And today Jonas and I had another day of good, productive work. We managed to glue the rear cabin-deck and the cabin side-panels. We first applied resin, let it penetrate into voids and into the wood, and after some curing, but still sticky, we put on filetting epoxi.

Making all the wooden parts fit perfectly toghether is not easy. It could have been done better, I guess. But it could have been much worse also. In the end, I'm happy with the quality. It is a good compromise, and certainly strong and stout. All is well glued together. And I'm very happy that I hired João. Work is advancing swiftly, which improves motivation. And many things have been executed much butter than if I had made it.

Meu limão meu limoeiro

Wilson Simonal was one of the first great artists of the Brazilian pop. On top of beeing a blessed musician and phantastic singer, he was an incredible entertainer, who mesmerized his audience with a contagiating charm and sense of humor. His live concerts were events of outstanding joy. People spent the whole time dancing and singing.

His career was marked with a tragic end. Accused of cooperating with the secret service of the Brazilian dictatorship, he was suddely banned by the artistic community and fell into a void.



He was also internationaly recognized, and sang a lovely duett with Sarah Vaughan.

And I couldn't leave this one out... Enjoy A hymn that all Brazilians know by heart!!!

Preciso me encontrar

See also this amazing video with music by our master composer Cartola.

O que é que a baiana tem?

I'll start a musical weekend with the Brazilian interpreter Carmem Miranda, from the 30-ies. Carmem has recorded many songs which are notorious in the carnaval season.

Roraima Proa

Some might have wondered about the proa content of this series. Now, here it is. This formation os called the "Proa" of the Roraima Tepui. Proa is the Bow in Portuguese. And it is quite appropriately named, indeed, as you can see in this picture.

The picture also shows the rugged terrain of the Roraima plateau. We made our way through the labirintic, rocky formations, through valleys of cristals, until we reached the proa. I took an ice cold swim in a lonely lake, surrounded by a prehistoric landscape. I didn't swim for long. Unconsciously I feared to be swallowed by hidden, aquatic dinosaurs. Consciously I was freezing.

Finding the right way on the Roraima is difficult. One walks either over rugged rocks or else through extensive swamps. Below my friend Kiko is tackling a swampy strech with a flying jump.

Obs: The aerial picture on top of this post was taken from the internet

Arpex video

Another video, where I have included images of the early stages of my project.

Cabin monster II

Just in case you are wondering... NO, this is not the inspiration for the cabinhouse on Arpex. I hope I can achieve a more harmonious result. ;-)

It is a delicate game. The cabin for Arpex has allways been thought as a minimal accomodation. The extension of the pod is sized to accomodate the lenght of a bunk. The hight of the cabin is just good enough to give confortable sitting headroom. What I need to decide now, is whether this sitting height is to be achieved over the bunk or in the central area of the hull, where it can be considerably lower.

The inclination of the front "windshield" is also a criterium of the sleekness of the overall looks of the cabin. Having it very inclined makes it sleeker. But then, on the other hand, extreme inclination will make wisibility throught the windshield worse, and it will also create a greenhouse effect, due to sunlight throught the window. In a relatively small interior volume this reduces liveability.

I will not rush the decisions I need to take.

Cabin monster

João is doing his job, and is building up the cabin structures. Do not get shocked over the exaggerated, boxy dimensions displayed on the pictures. I asked João do cut it higher than needed, so that I gage and ponder over things.

To be honest, I had to get used to the seemingly enormous structure. But I will trim down a lot of this, to get a more harmonious result. Compare the image below, with the image above, which I have edited a bit, to get a feeling for what will be the real thing.

I did the same editing job on the picture below. I'm sitting on the steering position, where I will cutt a footwell.

Roraima ascend

The ascend to the Roraima Tepui, to the flat table top of the Roraima, is possbile without ropes and climbing equipment. Despite its vertical walls, the Roraima has a break in the wall, that makes it possible to reach the top via a very steep and rugged trail. But without ropes. If you got good legs and some healthy determination, you can make it. And we did.

My brother Andreas, my friend Kiko and I forgot the hardships of the climb the moment we reached the top. The breath-taking vertical drop, the feeling of total isolation, the desolate, rocky, swampy environment made for a very special moment, which I will never forget. It was a precious moment with my brother Andreas and my friend-brother Kiko.

Yesterday was my Andreas' birthday, and I dedicate this post to him. May we, one day again, share adventures, and repeat such moments.

Andreas leading the way, as we penetrate into the plateau of the Roraima. It is a rugged, rocky environment, cut by swamps which are covered by endemic orchids and meat-eating plants.

The view from the Roraima to the Kukenam Tepui. The Kukenam is only accessible via a tough and technical climb, or by helicopter. Only very few scientists have been on the top, to explore its endemic fauna and flora.

The highest point of the Roraima reaches 3.000 meters of height. The altitude, constant wind and daily rain makes for cold and damp nights.

Tikis

I have never made a secret, that I really like the Tiki series, designed by James Wharram. In my opinion they are simple and capable boats, which are easy to build. Any medium talented amateur builder can follow the detailed instructions supplied by the James Wharram Office. I have also already seen very well executed projects by professional builders.

The Soft Wing sail, which was developed by Wharram is a handsome rig, which offers good performance for little money. It is the type of rig that I will put on my boat too.

The shallow draft and external living space offer great benefits for the tropical coastline of Brazil. It's affordability puts it within reach of sailors who want to get out on the water without needing to sell a house, crack the jackpot or wait until retirement.

This is why I never really understood why there are not many Tikis sailing on Brazilian waters. Therefore, I'm happy to see that some people do promote Tikis in Brazil. Roberto Costa Souza Filho is the man behind the "Estaleiro Artesanal", which builds Tikis in Florianopolis, the South of Brazil. Roberto is building his third Tiki 26 to order. I have added his blog to my blogroll. Check it out.

I hate Mondays

Sometimes Mondays feel like this, don't they. Did you see the tiny surfer there...?

Another amazing picture by Clark Little, from Hawaii.

Gluing the cabin deck

The boat is taking shape. It's looking good. Adriana helped me today, which I found excellent.

This was a busy weekend. João had prepared all cabin deck parts. The cabin entrance, the drivers and the cockpit seat for passengers can already be recognized, on the left hand side. The image above was taken before gluing.

Now it was my time to work, and glue all parts into place, so that João could continue, and build the deckhouse. On Saturay I've glued all structural elements into place, to be able to achieve a good bond, using clamps. It was hard and concentrated working. Thankfully we had excellent weather, dry and slightly on the hot side. Therefore I had to work quick, which was very tyring.

I took the time to pre-coat all under sides of the decks and parts with epoxi. This has reduced my finishing effort significantly. It would had been much more work to coat these in epoxi with them already in place, working over my head. Wanting to have two coats of epoxi, I coated them all on Saturday, gave them a second coat today, Sunday, and then I glued them into place. The bond is good. The finish is so-so. But good enough for my purposes.

From dawn 'till dusk

Today I had the good fortune to see the sun rising and then going down again, on the other side. I think both moments were gorgeous. It reminded me of the times out on the Pacific Ocean, when life was dictated by these events. And every day I took carefully note of the exact time and wheather conditions.

Rio de Janeiro, 7 Day Tide Chart

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Brazil 7 Day Tide Chart - Tide-Forecast.com

Roraima approach

The Monte Roraima is located on the border between Brazil, Venezuela and Engl. Guyana. But the only possibility for ascent is from the Venezuelan side, where a track starts at the tiny indigenous village Paraytepui. Here we left our Landrover and shouldered our backpacks. We carefully devided our tents, sleeping bags, equipment and food between our backpacks, which, at the end, each weighted 20kg.

It didn’t really feel very heavy at the beginning, and we confidently started walking the small trail, which winded between moderate hills, covered in low grass and vegetation. The high towering Roraima, with its 3.000 meters of hight, looming in the distance. After about 10 to 15 minutes novelty was gone, and we felt our shoulders crumble under the weight. Gravity was mercyless doing its thing. After about half an hour things started to look much worse! And after 45 minutes we wanted to drop the bags, lay down and die - lone explorers, rotting forgotten in the wilderness!!!

Instead we kept our thoughts to ourselves. Each one of us too determined to be the one to give up. Or maybe even just too proud to be the first to complain… We started to motivate ourselves and keep our morale up. Soon we fell into a stubborn walking mode, in indian row, each one stepping into the others footsteps, rarely looking up or sideways. And, after 2 hours of ordeal we gave our sore backs a little rest.

We would have to keep the rhythm up for 4 more hours to reach the first camp, were we would spend the night. From there we would track a moderate ascent to the second base camp, at the foot of the menacing walls of the Roraima, which rise 1000 meters, vertically up into the sky. An impressive view from any angle.

But the Roraima was still very distant indeed. And before reaching the base camp to get some well deserved sleep, we would have to cross the Kukenam River… carry our tired bones over slippery rocks and through rushing, ice cold water… Ah! The wilderness, what a joy!!!

Brazilian Classics - Class Guanabara

Guanabara is the name of the bay where Rio de Janeiro was built - Baia de Guanabara. These homely waters gave name to the Guanabara Class boats. They followed the sucessfull Carioca Class. Carioca is name given to the inhabitants of Rio de Janeiro. The Guanabara was designed along the same line, but, at 7,20meters, it was slightly larger.

The forst two hulls were built in Germany. But all following hulls were built in Brazil.

The mast I had on my target, as a candidate to come back to life on Arpex, is a Gaunabara class mast. And, when I look at these pictures, I think that it must be to frail to work on a multihull. specially since I do not plan on using spreaders due to the Wharram Soft Wing sail. I think I will have to build my own spar. My preferred option is to build a laminated, hollow wood, spar, following the birdsmouth technique. It looks difficult. But all website state it is failry easy...

I do like the tabernakle arrangement for the mast. But since I'll build my own mast, I prefer to have it keel stepped. I'll play it safe.

I have two of these funny two-some-tillers in my box, in the Club. I inherited them as club junk.

Ipanema

My boss sent me this beautiful image taken in Ipanema. A friend of her took it. Sorry, I can't give the credit.

Growing up

João has worked on the fore, stern and side-cabin decks. I'm starting to work out the lines for the cabinhouse. They kind of naturally fall toghether.

Jonas has made good work on the reinforcement of the for stay base, on the bow. It looks strong and stout.

The interior looks more like a working space now, since João is doing his work on the boat. I'm really looking forward to finish it all in bright white epoxi. I'll do that before gluing the decks up. But I want the main woodwork done and dry fitted, to minimize damage to the final epoxi coating, due to working activity.

I like the plasticity of the deck form, like shown on the image below. Slight torturing of the plywood deck makes for a smooth transition between the cambered deck and the straight upper deck.

Destination Unknown

I am a regular reader of Sailing Anarchy. They often do come up with great sailing videos, like this one. Enjoy.

Roraima - North! You got to go North!

Once we reached Manaus, after six days of travel, and several thousand kilometers covered on land and river, we still had a long drive North to reach Venezuela. But since we were travelling and not on a run, we stopped for a bit of relaxing and visiting of the Amazon Jungle. We stopped at the tiny village of Presidente Figueiredo, which has innumerous small scenic rivers and waterfalls. There we made extensive jungle walks, allways taking a local guide. Then we took the long stretch North, on an upaved road, until we reached Boa Vista, the capital of the State of Roraima. It was our last station before we entered Venezuela, and the Gran Savanna National Park, were the trail to the Monte Roraima starts.

This was our first sight of our destination, the Monte Roraima. The mountain is, more often than not, covered by clouds. The region of the Gran Savanna National Park is a former Ocean bed. Its soil is formed in great parts by plain white sand. The Tepuis, or table mountains themselves are among the oldest geological formations of our planet.

Mast ???

This weekend I took a closer look at the old wooden mast, which is stored in the ceiling, right above Arpex. And I have also started talking to people, sounding the possibilities.

As you can see from the pictures it looks straight and sound. And apparently, there is no "owner" to it. That means that the Club is the owner, which could facilitate aquisition.

It sure is a good looking mast, nicely shaped in wood. But I'm not totally convinced that it is stout enough to work on my boat... It is an oval section of 10cm x 14cm. It is those 10cm lateral section which worry me. I would surely have to beef it up with glass. But does that really make sense? Wouldn't it be stone heavy in the end? Is there a point it beefing it up with carbon? Does that make any sense?

On the other hand, the mast is right there. Howering over Arpex as if it was just waiting to be brought to life again... Questions and ponderings I need to think about.

The French Multis

The development of the great french trimarans is probabely one of the most interesting marketing cases ever. A couple of financial institutes and big corporations from France is continuously achieving outstanding results from its long term committment to the sailing sport.

The values embodied by the activity are the sort of positive values any company would like to incorporate into its brand; outstanding performance, teamwork, reliability, cutting edged technology development, environmental sustainability, committment, excitement,... the list goes on and on... The results that are being achieved are convincing. Every year one of the French cats and tris is breaking another record. The public responds enthousiasticly and is mesmerized by the images of the flying multis. These guys are heroes! And there seems to be a great interaction between the image of the teams, the individuals actually sailing and manning these machines and the brand displayed on the hull and sails. At 130 ft. these boats are generously sized outdoors. If I were the president of a Brazilian Bank, I would sponsor a big cat to break a few of our South-American records...

My company has sponsored the Brazil 1 Team, which achieved a 3rd. place in the last edition of the Volvo Ocean Race (2007). And I'm very proud about that.

Now, watch these guys at work.

World Record - 907 miles in 24hs

The french trimaran Banque Populaire 5 has broken the world record in distance covered in 24 hours. On its way chasing the west-east transatlantic record, the 131 feet multi has avaraged 39.79 knots and peaked at 46 knots. Imagine; the straightout world speed record is only 4 knots faster that that, at 50 knots!!! And these guys are in mid North-Atlantic, not a sheltered waveless bay!!!

The images from this video are absolutley mindboggling. Watch the french sailors have a good time, relaxing and enjoying the ride at 40 knots. Like having a calm drink sitting on a blazing rocket. But make no mistake. This is a highly trained and fully alert crew. The first guy to be interviewed, is holding lookout for whales, ships and ice, and not just enjoying some fresh air. The second guy is probabely manning the mainsheet, and is able to let go at any moment.

Note, how the leeward float keeps its bow out of the water. It is actually kept above the waves by the curved daggerboard and hydrofoil. See board slicing the water under the net.

Banque Populaire is competing against the watch, the brakages and also against another trimaran, Groupama 3. If things stay positive, it is likely that one of these boats will make the record and push the time from New York to the Lizard to just under 4 days. But things can change change dramaticly fast; ice and other ships are a constant threat. Hitting a growler, or maybe a whale, could be catastrophic at 40 knots. A close encounter would probabely scare the shit out af a unattentive whale. A colision would kill it - and the boat.

Gluing it up

Last week was absolutely miserable. Rain and cold temperature have made it impossible to work with epoxi. João, the carpenter was also feeling sick - he had a flue, like many in town. Therefore, nothing had been done during the week.

While talking over the structure and what needed to be done, João admitted, that he was not feeling confortable in gluing with the epoxi. He had never worked with this material before, and found it hard to deal with. He asked me whether I would mind doing the gluing up, while he would only do the wood working.

To be honest, I was not so unhappy about this proposal. I know only too well, that epoxi needs a little work experience for one to achieve good results. And I was not feeling too confortable having João make his first experiences gluing up the structure for my boat! I therefore happily agreed to this.
And since the weather was fine, Jonas and I glued everything up. After a sluggish start, we soon fell into a good working mode, and achieved good productivity. By the end of the day we had the forestay support structure and deck structure glued up. The epoxi cured nicely, and everything looks plenty strong.

DengueMag #2 - Tropical Lifestyle Magazine

Dengue has issued the second edition of its digital magazine. It brings an interesting article about carioca funk and other features. Make sure you check out the podcast. I love it.