Disco-sphaera tubifera

It is marvelous how nature can be just so surprising. Look at this little trumpet ball. Chet Baker would have loved it.

It is the tiny "Disco-sphaera tubifera", a miniature type of algae, whith a very appropriate, and good sounding name. Try saying it out loud...

They are miniature in size only, being not smaller than a half split hair. However thay are gigantinc in numbers, living in great masses, throughout the our vast Earth's Oceans. One liter can contain millions of them. You can't really see them with the naked eye. But we all who go to sea, have seen tons of them already.

The family of the "Coccolithophorides", to whom the little "Disco-sphaera tubifera" belongs, form the very basis of the Oceanic food chain. They are also one of the main captors of CO2 from our atmosphere, and therefore an important participator in the creation of our climate. They lock the carbon into their very structure. And when they die, their carcasses fall onto the sea sediment, to form enormous submersed mountain ridges.

No work weekend

Last weekend passed without any work on the boat. I was just too tired from a quite exhausting week. I spent the weekend having fun doing nothing, and hanging around with friends. Good enough. Next weekend we'll have a 4 day holiday. I hope I can make up for the lost time.

Cat - Maranhão style

I made my first trip on a big cat, on a short crossing from São Luiz, Maranhão, to Alcantara. The crossing included a wild ride, on a wide river mouth eastuary, pressing against a strong tide, of up to 4 meters. The cat behaved valiantly, climbing over steep, high waves, offering a fun and safe ride. It sailed swiftly and dry.

Steering drum

Here is the steering drum that I have salvaged from an old powerboat, after authorization from the Club's directors. I don't see why it shouldn't do its service well for another couple of years.

Morning Glory

Every morning, I marvel at the beauty of the rising sun, on my way to work. I find it interesting to observe the changing rising point and height, as the seasons pass. Next Sunday Brasil will change its watches one hour forward, to the official summertime. Therefore, when I commute to work, at 6:30am, the sun will be down on the horizont again. So, the two pictures on this post show the highest point that I will see the sun in the morning, for this year.

Too bad that I will be on a training during this week, and won't be able to shoot my daily sunrise picture.

Dose of doggyness

Dose of awsomeness

Here is a little dose of awsomeness, provided by Julien Capmeil, on his FB account. It is "OK Go - This Too Shall Pass", a Rube Goldberg Machine version. This sort of art is allways stunning and entertaining. I saw lots of new and surpising effects in this one.

Arpex - Leap year project

I've been working on a photo-book, whith the images from the construction of Arpex. A very entertaining past-time. Renata Duarte is helping me with editing of images into the Digipix format, which seem to deliver impeccable quality. The result, I think, will be fabulous.

I was looking for a good phrase to open the book. While browsing in the "Sailors Wisdom" book, I realised that the construction started on the 29th. February 2008. It had never occurred to me before, that the construction of Arpex had started in a leap year (or intercalary or bissextile year). Therefore, I couldn't find a wisdom of the day for the starting day. So I just chose another one I liked:

Tweny years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the things you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the tradewinds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

Mark Twain

Daqui a vinte anos você ficará mais desapontado com as coisas que você deixou de fazer doque com as coisas que você realmente fez. Então, solte as amarras. Veleje para longe do porto seguro. Capture o vento em suas velas. Explore. Sonhe. Descubra.

Mark Twain

Adri Miranda in the movies

In mid 2009, my girl, Adriana, Adri Miranda was participating in the shootings of a Brazilian movie, called "Nosso Lar". The movie was being internationally produced, by Fox.

And guess what? The movie is this years' most watched Brazilian film, with more than 3,5 million spectators. Adri participated in one of the more interesting parts of the movie, when the protagonist goes through something like hell. A dark querry, full of suffering and pain.

All the makeup was not enough to make her loose her charm.

Timber Research

An interesting research has been conducted by the Brazilian Forest Service for the last 25 years, in the dephts of the rainforest in the northern State of Pará. They are evaluating the resistance of Amazonian timber. Samples of 120 varieties of wood are exposed to the effects of nature in the forest. Only 11 still stand. The study has no deadline to finish.

Only 11 species are still resisting: precious muirapixuna, jataípeba, tonka bean, Maparajuba, bay cinnamon, Abiurana, rosewood, Muiracatiara-striped, red angelim and maçaranduba. The samples are shown on the picture.

The majority of samples have been eaten by insects and fungi, or destroyed by the weather.

The experiment ends when all they are all degraded. Since the survey began in 1985, researchers at the Forest Service go to the site of samples every year to assess the wood. According to information from the researching body, the data generated by research can help increase the value of species by increasing its durability, since restrictions on the use of chemical preservation is growing in the U.S. and Europe.

What actually makes me think that this sort of information, created by the research, could be couterproductive. I'd rather have the forests still standing in Pará, than shipping towards Europe and America.

Red Angelim is among the 11 resisting species. I'm using Angelim for the interior bench-and-bed-seat. I'm not sure this is the same as "red angelim".

From: www.globoamazonia.com/Amazonia/

Steering Wheel

We had two important events today. First, the visit of my sister, Elisa. And then the purchase of a steering wheel! It felt like an important mark.

Fortune had it, that I went for a walk in the club, and saw, that an old powerboat was being scrapped. It had a piece I could use handsomely on Arpex. I went to the Club administrator, and also to the Directors, saying I intended to acquire the steering drum. They just told me to get it, and use it. Because the rest would burn.

All of a sudden, I had two important pieces for the steering mechanism. So, I decided to build a mock-up for the quadrant, and see how the whole arrangement would work out. And, luckily, all seemed to fall into place, just as I had planned for.

The block, that directs the cables to the steering drum, on the left, will be mounted within the box. The whole arrangement will be protected. safe, and easy to get to.

The drum came in, just in time.

Proa development

I find it interesting to watch the development of modern style proas. They are frequently testbeds for new, or old, rewamped technologies, like; foils, sails, rigging... These are supported by the development of modern, super-performing materials, which are also, pushing the limits, and easing former restrictions. Sometimes this goes so far, that old paradigms can be reviewed and eventually toppled. It is an interesting process, which can be seen often these days.

Who would have thought, 20 years ago, that big catamarans would go around the world, crossing the Southern Oceans, averaging 30+ knots for days?!

Sailing has been graced with a mind-boggling development in the last 10 to 20 years. Safety and most of all speed has been increased in many cases, through new designs. But also the preservation, new interpretation and general experimentation with classic designs, developed from a niche to a growing alternative to the plastic mass product. What seduces me in this segment of sailing culture, is the possibility of discovering and exploring the complete process of developing, building and then use. A unique joy, besides the sailing.

New Light

The presidential election, held on last Sunday, showed a new perspective here in Brazil. Marina Silva, the candidate from the Green Party, has recieved almost 20% of Brazilian votes. In this surprising scenario, she now has a great negotiation power, for the next, decisive election, between Mr. Serra and Mrs. Rousseff. None of both were able to achieve a total majority, to decide in the first run.

In a surprising move, Marina and her party are claiming, that they want to decide their adhesion based on programatic negotiations. She wants her potential, future coalition partner, to committ to ethical, democratic and republican principles. Along, of course, a government programm oriented towards sustainable development. That is unheard of, here in Brasil. And with that, Marina and her party are putting a great accent in the Brazilian political scenario. I suppose, Marina is the best news Brazilain politics has seen in the last few years. At least for us taxpayers, its great to feel that someone is actually acting in the name of a good project for the society, and not persuing a personal agenda, involving power and money.

The top picture was taken today, the lower one yesterday. It has been rainy in the last couple of days.

Voting day

Today is voting day. First results show a second round, for a final decision. Good news.

More Benchmarking

Before comitting to specific size, I've done some testing of the bed-and-seat-bench.

Angelim Bench Seat

Yesterday was a lucky day! One of my neighbors in the Club, gave me a batch of wood, which suited perfectly to produce the structure for the bed-and-seat-bench.

I've been trying to get started with its construction a while ago. But I was having a difficulty to decide which wood to use, which dimensions it should have, to be light, and yet still strong enough. And so it happend that the wood came to me in the perfect configuration, without me doing much more, than spend a few moments chatting with Cristóvão, the chap who is refurbishing his own fishing boat.

The wood is Angelim, a hard wood. Which I could confirm, when drilling through it, to place the screws. The plancs are 15mm strong, and 60mm wide. At first, I thought they would be too strong. But in the end, I came to the conclusion that it is perfect as it is. Afterall, this must be a strong structure, where I can confidently lounge and sleep on.

As a matter of fact, I could confirm, that this is a comfortable place to sit and lay on. Even in its current, unglued arrangement, it feels safe. A stout front, composed by a freijo beam, will be able to take a lot of load. I was also happy to see, that the bench will be good to sit on, even without the coushions. The dimensions are ergonomic.

I am considering to leave the wood untreated. Or maybe just well sanded and then oiled? This will improve sitting comfort, when used without matress or coushions. The good thing is also, that the bench creates good ventilation underneath the matress.

When opened out, the bench forms a 1,50 meter wide double bed. I need to come up with a reliable way to fold some support struts, for when the bed is fold out.

The bench will be foldable in sections, which will ease handling inside the small cabin much. Its use could also proove more flexible.

I have also prepared the two side-guides, which will form the box for the mast step.

Angelim

Nome científico: Hymenolobium petraeum duke leguminosae.
Outros nomes populares: angelim, angelim-amarelo, angelim-da-mata, angelim-do-pará, angelim-macho, mirarema.

Nomes internacionais: Sapupira amarela; erejoerde, lialiadan koleroe, saandoe (Suriname); angelim-pedra (Espanha, França, Grã-Bretanha, Itália, EUA); St. Martin Gris (Guiana Francesa).

Ocorrência no Brasil: Pará, Amazonas, Acre, Mato Grosso, Rondônia.Outros países: Guiana, Guiana Francesa, Suriname, Venezuela.

Granular Botafogo

Nicht vergessen auf das Bild zu clicken.