Fernanda Lima on Ipanema Beach

Kiko cooks and shoots pictures. This one of Fernanda Lima on Ipanema Beach. After seeing her on the surprising video, with Seu Jorge on Elsa Soares' song, I remembered this beatyfull image. .... Thought you might enjoy it.

Elza Soares - Mandigueira

Enjoy this one.

Those are Seu Jorge and Fernanda Lima, acting. She not quite as convincing as him. But I guess that's allright.

And of course, Elsa Soares singing.

Blues - John Lee Hooker

KikoKakofonia

Ingredients:

3kg of fresh fish
500gr of fresh mussles
Lots of fresh vegetables (soy sprouts, acelga, champinons, tomato)
Glass Noodles
Lemon Grass
Onions, garlick
Coco milk
A big soup calderon, lots of friends, to get over the long time chopping and waiting for all to boil up and down. Good music to go with.

Chiled, white wine is optional, I think.

KikoKakofony Soup is a creation by Kiko, Christian Gaul.

He has given me great incentive throughout all the project. Here he is pictured doing what he does best on boats. Taking a nap, downbelow on Aleguá. The companionway of my fathers old 23 footer, reflects in the glasses.

Inside Arpex

Errata

I have posted a picture of a mysterious beach, naming it presoumptioulsly; "My beach".
It is actually a computer generated image, that mimics the brazilian flag. Sorry, Joe...

But, as a matter of fact, we have many beaches just like this one around here, in Brazil. It could easily be a beach of Ilha Grande, or Trindade, next to Paraty.

Tradução maluca

Look what happens if you put a beautyfull, poetic lyric into an online translator. This is the lyrics of the song "Meu tempo é hoje", posted before, as interpreted by Paulinho da Viola:

"I am thus, who to want to like me, I am thus.
I am thus, who to want to like me, I am thus.
My world is today, does not exist pra tomorrow me.
I am thus, thus I will die one day.
I will not take repentances nor the weight of the hypocrisy.
I have penalty of that if they agaixam until the soil
Deceiving itself exactly for money or position
I never took part of this enormous battalion,
Therefore I know that beyond flowers, nothing more it goes in the coffin.
I am thus, who to want to like me, I am thus."

Jack Sou Brasileiro

It is a great song by Lenine, with an amusing video.

Arpex structure

The structure of Arpex is now slowly showing up. Having all ribs mounted on the strongback, one can grasp the dimensions of the boat.

Two 15mm sheets of solid freijó wood will be laminated with the plywood. Just like shown on the picture below. The glue used for lamination of internal structure will be Cascofen. It will later be coated with epoxi. Seems they go together well. If someone knows different, please comment.It is very satifying to see the boat slowly taking shape. I am learning a lot about boat-construction.

It is a question of planning, taking decisions and constrant evaluation of alternatives. You need to decide on a infinite structural elements considering performance, compability with neigbouring elements, and cost. And this beeing an experimental project, the cost factor is relevant. I'm am trying to achieve a "cost conscious", but good quality product. It should last at least 15-20 years.

The ribs are equally distributed. Each one is 92cm apart form the other.

Next week we will laminate the keel, fix the wooden stringers on the chines and laterals. And then we can already start sheeting the bottom and sides. I think the inside space will be quite nice.

Arpex comming up

Belíssimo samba: Meu Tempo É Hoje

A beautyfull samba, interpreted by Paulinho da Viola.

Meu Mundo É Hoje
Paulinho da Viola
Composição: Wilson Batista

Eu sou assim, quem quiser gostar de mim eu sou assim.

Eu sou assim, quem quiser gostar de mim eu sou assim.

Meu mundo é hoje não existe amanhã pra mim.

Eu sou assim, assim morrerei um dia. Não levarei arrependimentos nem o peso da hipocrisia.

Tenho pena daqueles que se agaixam até o chão

Enganando a si mesmo por dinheiro ou posição

Nunca tomei parte desse enorme batalhão,

Pois sei que além de flores, nada mais vai no caixão.

Eu sou assim, quem quiser gostar de mim eu sou assim.

Ripples in space

Imagine travelling into a universe composed of endless, absolutely flat, sweet water, an sometimes pyrotechnic sky, with a looming border of untouched rainforest in the distance.

That's how it's like to travel on the Rio Negro during high water-season. Vast extensions of rainforest are submerged, while the watermasses drain through the Amazon bassin.

Animals are rare. Horizont is abundant. Forest is rare. You can't get too close to it, since you need to avoid running into the tree canopy, possibly submitting your boat to damage.

There is no anchoring. To stop at night you carefully approach an emerging tree top, grab a branch, tie up and rest. Pick your branch carefully. You don't want to get snakes and ants as late night visitors, and have them ruining your night peace.

Remember, that you need to provide some slack when tying up, due to the possibility of a sudden surge of "tide", caused by heavy rainfalls. You don't want boat boat to rip off that branch and damage the rainforest, do you?!

Of course you need an experienced pilot and crew, who knows the riverarms and sandbanks well. There is no navigation aid, charts, signalisation, or lights whatsoever - of course. Just endless. Quite a navigation challenge. Sanbanks change constantly. The landscape looks completely different during low water season.

The region is a paradise for sportfishing during low water. Barcellos is the regional capital.

The two weeks on the boats with family and friends were a unique travel experience.

In the rainforest

Click on the image to get to see a slice of the globe.

We spent 2 weeks travelling the Rio Negro, on invitation our our friend Walo Leuzinger and family. We travelled 3 days up the Rio Negro, into the Rio Branco and then into a secondary river to get to Caicubi. A tiny village, lost in the forest.

It is amazing to travel for days on neverending plains of sweet water. Since we went shortly after rainseason, great parts of the forest were submerged. Never ending, sweet water. A voyage quite different from any other voyage I did before.

Hello, Mom???

My Mother trying to phone home.
Yes, they do have a telephone in the tiny town of Caicubi, in the middle of the amazon forest. The building in the backround is the school house.

Canoes

I love canoes. This one on the Rio Negro, the biggest afluent of the Amazon river.

Traditional sailing

A nice, traditional sailing workboat lying on a mudbank in Alcantara, Maranhão. Tides reach up to 4 meters of amplitude in that region.

I'm not sure whether these boats are still being used now. But I guess so. They were used in 1996, when I was there.

Canoes with improvised sail arrangements are extensively used on brazilian rivers and estuaries. They achieve surprising performance sometimes.

My beach

Narwal

The Narwal, my brother's boat, is now for sale...

It's a brazilian built, Fast 395. Nice boat, that I loved sailing.

It is good to have Arpex comming up soon.

The built seems to increase in speed now. Seems were going to start sheeting the vaka by next week. I'm avid to see. Hope Luiz Fernando sends me pictures next few days...