Saturday 6 March 2010

A day trip to Cachoeria,Salvador,Bahia,Brasil.

Joy Nicholson with her back to the camera was off the yacht Rainmaker (durban)the guy she is next to is American,the two girls and the woman walking out of the picture are also American and from the city of Atlanta,Georgia,USA,I think her name is Rae Ellen Syvenson,she was working for an american company in Salvador.

An American we met in the city,he was working in Salvador,here he is trying a local rifle for size.




For a great day trip from Salvador, experience the fascinating city of Cachoeira. Soak in the city's unique history and colorful, mostly preserved colonial architecture. This tour also includes a visit to the town's churches - Igreja Matriz and the Ordem Terceira do Carmo.

During the Brazilian Empire, Cachoeira was Bahia's wealthiest and most populous town. While having been developed over time, its original character still remains in the houses, churches and historical buildings.

Protected by the National Institute for Historical and Artistic Heritage since 1971, Cachoeira remains one of the unique cities to display important Baroque architectural heritage in Bahia.

After crossing the colonial bridge (Ponte Dom Pedro II) over the River Paraguaçu, you'll visit São Félix. Included is a visit to a traditional cigar factory, founded in 1873.
Following on with the theme of slavery we were taking a tour out of Salvador to the city of Cachoeira in the heart of sugarcane and tobacco country and what once used to be Bahia's wealthiest and most populated towns. En route we stopped off at a little market town. Paula took us around the various market stalls to see the local fruit, palm oil, honey all of which was decanted into any container you may have brought. The kids were mesmerised by the mangrove crabs, which were strung together in groups of ten and coated in thick mud. One of Paula’s friends waved and we ambled over to his tobacco stall. Here were two enormous baskets made out of rolls of tobacco coated in molasses. He demonstrated crumbling the tobacco and making cigarettes. He also gave Ian some of his 'Viagra’ tonic (which gave Ian indigestion).

On arrival at Cachoeira we went straight to a converted convent, which is now a hotel for some lunch and then drove across the river to the cigar factory

Fynn and Root Vegetable!.

The Danneman factory came to Sao Felix in 1873. However as the work was to be done by women and the Portuguese women would not deign to lower themselves to work the work then went to the Africans. However the labour was paid and this meant the only Africans who could work here would be the freed slaves. The majority of the freed slaves were women, this is because they could sell their wares and earn money on the side to raise the money for their freedom. This city then became a popular place for freed slaves to live.

What was once a busy factory now houses a crew of about 20 women rolling cigars. We were shown how various tobacco leaves were selected for what type of cigar and then how they were rolled, then wrapped in stretchy tobacco leaves.

Didi mini drop keel foil order

This shot will give you a good idea on how we CNC cut the Iroko foil,its really accurate and very clean,including the top cut out as well.

This is a drop keel foil for a Didi Mini Cruise,we made it a year back and shipped it to Australia.






We often get extras on the base boat orders such as sails and deck fittings,sometimes Yanmar engines too,a kit sent to John in the UK has also resulted in an order for extras,being deck fittings,tiller,stainless chain plates,rudders and a drop keel foil,we include the 400 kgs of cast lead with the foil.

Dixi Dingy to Thailand

The Dixy Dingy is the most economical boat kit we sell,it comes out of two sheets of plys and costs R3299 plus vat for SA residents,or only U$445 for off shore buyers,thats little money to get you on the water.


This is Scotts Dixy Dinghy kit order being packed,we included the North Sail and Ronstan deck pack as well,in this one pack was all that was required to build his new boat.The crate was later steel band strapped and shipped by sea.

More racing to Maragogipe,Bahia,Brasil


Brahma Cerveza Logo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqyZb6FzSW8&feature=related

Check the link above to see the 2008 race,now a sponsered event and really well supported still.

The crews of Brer Terrapin and Preussen enjoy a Brahma cerveza (beer)


This was the fleet,we are in front,pity we did not stay there.

A local Saverio we passed on our way to Aratu YC.

Pruessen arrives from Rio de Janerio,they took five or six days and had a good sail.They later joined us in Aratu and entered the race with us.Those of you from Cape Town may remember a very large steel boat in Ravenscraig Road,Woodstock and opposit Ticktin Timbers,early to mid seventies,this is the same boat designed and built in steel by its german owner Coiler.

Brer Terrapin leaves the old city of Salvador bound for Aratu.

A Durban yacht with family on board,I can not remember the boats name.

The Aratu yacht clubs race to Maragogipe

Dennis stares back in disbelief as the following fleet catch us up,we were aground in fine soft mud,we felt no impact,just slowly stopped with all sails still full!

Brer Terrapin in the lead with a smiling owner and skipper Dennis holding out a sail with one hand with a gin and tonnic in the other hand,we then ran aground and the fleet sailed past us!

This brasilian chart shows the river on the other side of the bay from Aratu,the route was to sail the river untill we got to the small island,turn left and then anchor off Magrogipe which is on te right hand side but not visible on this chart.


The fleet on a very light wind day but we broke away and soon were in the lead of the entire fleet.

With now wind Dennis decided to motor to Magrogipe.

Wandrin Star in Aratu,Salvador,Brasil

A sad sight to see,an abandoned boat, being a Durban boat,this yacht had sailed 1000 miles further than ourselves when we started from Cape Town.
It was left unlocked and was leaking through the rudder stock,I went aboard many times and pumped its bilges,an attempt to contact the owners and have it gifted to me was made but with no success.It was really well fitted out inside too.

Left click the picture to view full size,in the left corner you will see a small section of its sister ship,also from Durban,Rain Maker which circumnavigated,then on another trip with new owners John Hemmins,was lost in hurrican Luis in St Maarten.

The Aratu Yacht Club in Salvador,Bahia

Our arrival at Aratu yacht club in 1977,things have changed,there is a marina here now and a block of flats was built just under the hill at the back of the club,the water will still be nice and calm though.
Left click the pictures and chart to view full screen size.
The large yacht center of the picture is the ferro cement yacht from Durban,Wandrin Star,it was abandoned.

Yacht Brer Terrapin an Atkin 38 design at anchor in Aratu.

Aratu is on the extreme right of the picture,seen as a a large expanse of land locked water,access is via the river to the right.

The yacht club at Aratu is a family type place,its quite a long way up the river from the city,just keep bearing right and you will find it just past a naval yard,some quite large coasters go up that river but not as far as Aratu.You can take a bus into the city easy enough,or a AYC member may offer you a free ride? We anchored off but there is a marina there now,slipping of yachts may now be a possiblity?The entire water space is basically land locked,the only movement is up and down with no tidal effect such as waves,its a nice place to take it easy and work on your boat,you can paint the water line its so calm.
Left click on the pictures to view in a larger size.



The large building is not the yacht club,its a block of appartments higher up on a hill above the club.
Brasils Salvador has many interesting spots to discover for a yachtsman,with Manfred Marktel about to sail single handed to Salvador today (6,03,2010) memory comes back of happy moments in Salvador on two yachts,Brer Terrapin in 1977 and Ocean Cloud in 1988,when I was there with my family.

Didi Mini Transat Cruise Rudders

We have done a good many sets of rudders to the Didi mini transats,the first were cut by hand using templates set every 200mm down the blade,just shaping took three days,they were never going to be perfect,close was as good as one could hope for. Now we have them programed into Nigels CNC machine,we just supply him with the oregon pine blanks and he cuts the shape and profile for us,we know that each blade is exactly the same and we save about two days doing the shaping too!

Rudder Foils pre cut by Nigels CNC machine,they will shaped by hand,glassed with epoxy and biaxial glass cloth,epoxy primed and when finished,shipped to John in England when ready.

Friday 5 March 2010

Toylander filler work starts


After removal of all the screws,cleaning up the joints with a chisel,then a light hand sand with a sander block and 60 grit paper,we were ready to apply the first mix of epoxy putty (we supply the parts to make this) there will be at least two more sessions of epoxy putty to apply,this is the part where things slow down as we sand and putty,its a 24 hr wait untill we can do the next stage,eventually we will use thin epoxy (supplied) and a 75mm foam roller to seal the entire Toylander body before we move to the painting stage.

Part one of the application of epoxy filler.

A smooth and level finish is what your trying to achieve,the epoxy filler will add massive strength to the Toylanders body,we use no wood cleats to support the body joints as with our epoxy and finger joint build,they are just not required.

Use a 50mm wide painters blade to apply your epoxy and micro balloons mix.

Filling and working cleanly is important,remember the finished surface will only be as good as your preperation.

An invite to the Wooden Boat Show

Dear Roy,
Maybe just fyi. This effort is going great. We likely will have a kit designer from NZ coming to participate. Surely you need an excuse to come to Mystic Seaport.

Carl of Wooden Boat Magazine has conntacted us in the past,this time he has sent an invite to attend the next boat show they are having,due to distance and cost,we will not be able to take up Carls kind offer but suggest to any of you in the area to drop in at the show and see all the families having fun building their various designs.

Family BoatBuilding 2010 at the WoodenBoat Show

This year we're going to take a slightly different approach with Family BoatBuilding at the WoodenBoat Show (if you haven't already, please see the website, at www.FamilyBoatBuilding.com). The WoodenBoat Show will be June 25-27, 2010, at Mystic Seaport.

For a variety of reasons, primary being to give our families or groups a number of great boats to choose from, we are asking numerous organizers to produce their own Family BoatBuilding event, within the Motherlode of All Family BoatBuilding events at the WoodenBoat Show 2010. I would LOVE to have 10 or more different organizers, each helping perhaps 5-10 families build the boat you decide to provide.

Ideally, each organizer will have a different boat design/kit.

The overall concept is simple: Provide a kit to the family or group, give them support and education, and help them complete the boat in 2-1/2 days, with a grand launching at noon on Sunday. The goal is to have the hulls primed before launching. (If you think your kit will require an extra day, we can arrange for a Thursday start. Although this may be difficult for some families' schedules.)

We will help you secure the families. The sooner we have enough organizers signed up, the sooner we can promote to enroll families. Our past history indicates this won't be a problem. In addition to our own efforts, we will embark on a nationwide and regional media blitz, in which your organization's name and mission will be prominent. But we can't wait until the last minute. So please let me know sooner rather than later. The absolute last day to commit to participate at the WoodenBoat Show in this fashion is April 15, 2010. (If the dates don't work for you or you'd have to travel too far, maybe we can help you find a northeast agent or friend.) BUT: Please be advised that interest is VERY STRONG right now, and we have a limited amount of space. The sooner you commit to your participation, regardless of the number of families you think you will have, the better we will be able to accommodate you. So just tell me “Yes” and the specs of your boat (not all particulars are necessary at this point – for example, the price. That can wait until April 15. But LOA and type of boat will help.)

We won't charge you for the space at the WoodenBoat Show, and we will give you four (4) free admission passes for the duration. Extra staff and your participating families must pay for their own admission.

So, we promote the different boats and organizations, and the families choose which one they wish to build. They will then contact you directly. You set the price for your kits and you collect the money. You may also secure sponsorship for your portion of the event, and display your sponsor's or sponsors' banners within your area (nothing too loud or commercial, please. I will be checking...).

We will also try to obtain some national sponsorships to help families who can't afford the entire cost. But this business climate is not very conducive at the moment.

I'm very excited by this new approach, and I hope it answers some of your needs as well. It certainly addresses our families' expressed desire.

We need to get more families on the water. We need to help them become boaters for life.

Please review the above and www.FamilyBoatBuilding.com. And call or email me with any questions you may have. We greatly look forward to your participation in this important component of the WoodenBoat Show 2010. Thank you for helping us make a difference to a lot of great people.

My very best wishes to you, Carl

carl@woodenboat.com
tel. 207-359-4651 USA.

Thursday 4 March 2010

Toylander kit glued up


CKD Boats are the official agents in South Africa for Real Life Toys,the designer and makers of the Toylander,we can supply plans only,a body kit,or a drive away car.

The proof of the pudding is always in the eating as they say,with this Toylander kit we did a lot of our own development and made it with finger joints,which is what we introduced the the Didi Mini Transat interior,the reason was simple,it saves messsy and heavy corner cleats,its also a lot faster to assemble,this glue up took less than a hour going slowly.

Tommorrow the screws will be removed,then the joints will have a light sanding,followed by gap filling with epoxy and micro balloons as a thickener,all part of our kit we supply.

T 590 as a kit boat

This Steve Thompson design will soon be available from CKD Boats in a plywood/epoxy kitset form,plans are from Steve.



LOA 5.86 metre
Beam 2.38 metre
Draft 0.3 - 1.6 metre
Total boat weight 230 kg
Crew weight 220 kg (3 people)
Keel weight 140 kg
Total sailing weight 590 kg
SA UP 25.4 sq. m
SA Down 62.4 sq.
LOA 5.86 metre
Beam 2.38 metre
Draft 0.3 - 1.6 metre
Total boat weight 230 kg
Crew weight 220 kg (3 people)
Keel weight 140 kg
Total sailing weight 590 kg
SA UP 25.4 sq. m
SA Down 62.4 sq. m

Sail with the sensation of going a million miles an hour with a keelboat safety.

This is one FUN little boat! Perfect for entry level sailing to regatta racing. The T590 can be sailed by any combination of two heavyweights, four youngsters, or Mums and Dads.

Anyone can get out and enjoy the simple pleasure of sailing.
It's fast and sporty but so easily sailed. Perfectly balanced with only main upwind, it really lights up when you pop the spinnaker for that downwind excitement.

Effortlessly towed behind a small family car the T590 can be trailered to your favourite sailing spots, be they harbours, bays or lakes.

You do not have to be large and powerful to sail this boat as it has been specially designed with the younger or smaller sailors in mind.