Mosquito wooden air planes

Wooden Mosquito Airplane Manufacturing in Australia -1944 de Havilland DH98

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7cVvYdLeek

Of course all these years later we realise that the construction in wood will produce a 'Stealth' cover that today is so highly required in modern war planes and boats.

Roy (thanks for telling me notty)
These planes were made in joinery shops for a ten year period,over 7000 were made,

de Havilland D.H.98 Mosquito


The classic DH 98 Mosquito nightfighter found few challengers in World War 2.

By Staff Writer

Few can find much fault in the de Havilland design of its Mosquito series of nightfighters featured so prominently in the Battle of Britain and throughout the entire World War Two campaigns across Europe. The twin-engine nightfighter offered up a level of protection unseen before and would solidify its place in the Pantheon of military aviation history with stellar sortie ratios and performance handling.

The initial design foray for Mosquito production resulted in three similar takes on the same premise - to produce a fighter / bomber capable of flying high enough and fast enough that no defensive weapon could threaten it (a common formula for much of the Cold War-era jet bomber designs). The three models became the Mosquito in dayfighter, bomber and fighter-bomber variants. Production proceeded on the bomber variant while designs for the fighter and a specialized photo-reconnaissance variant was drawn up.

A new drop keel foil for a Didi Cruise Mini Transat

We have exported two others of these keel foils,one is in the USA and for a Didi 26,the other is in Australia and for a Didi Mini Cruise,the length is longer on the Didi 26,this one is going to England.

Lewmar self tailing winches for sale

There are two Lewmar Chrome self tailing winches available,both have had very light use,one is the Lewmar cst 16:1,the other is a Lewmar cst 30,both are in excellent condition.

contact roy@ckdboats.com for further information. November 2010 they have been sold.

A Cape Cutter 19 kit nears the finish line

Ian tells me the interior is finished and as soon as his road trailer arrives he will take the boat to a pro paint shop for the application of the boats top coats on the outside,not a bad idea when a top quality finish adds a fair amount of value.

Ian in New Zealand, ordered our last Cape Cutter 19 kit,plus the mast,boom and deck package in 316 stainless steel,he also took our drop keel which was milled to shape and had its cable pin fitted.He has made a really fine job of his build,we are looking forwards to some sailing pics next.

Petr Muzik,delivery skipper

Peter arrived with some friends and the boats owner,Nick Taylor to do an over night sail Port Owen YC marina,where Nicks boat,Kalimba will soon be berthed.

The clients who commissioned this power yacht design are a retired couple in the Chesapeake Bay area of the U.S.A. They live aboard their boat and cruise the Bay and the Intracoastal Waterway on the East Coast.

The style of the hull is traditional eliptical stern tug above the waterline combined with a trawler-yacht underbody of much lighter displacement than would be found on a working tug. The superstructure is a blend of a traditional tug pilothouse with a deckhouse needed for the accommodation.

Hull and deck construction is steel using a radiused single chine hull form while the superstructure is aluminum. The junction between the two metals is either bolted, with isolation material, or welded, with a bi-metallic bonding strip. Both the hull and superstructure are longitudinally framed, i.e. the shell plating is supported by longitudinal stringers which are in turn supported by widely spaced frames. This permits simpler construction than transverse framing and presents less fairing problems.

As from July 2008, we now also have drawings to build this design from wood throughout. The hull is bead and cove strip plank western red cedar, with plywood decks and superstructure.

Taffy and Shirley arrive in the Galapagos Islands

Hi one and all, Hout Bay YC members and good friends of ours have sent news of their arrival,normally a windless trip from the Panama Canal area but not for them ,the boat is a Lavranos 39 named The Road (royal order of achient druids) they set off to go cruising about ten years back,their crew is a grey parrot named Rubbish!

As immediate family will already be aware (we hope) we arrived safely at Santa Cruz Island in the Archipelago of Galapagos Ecuador early Friday afternoon the 23rd April 2010, after 9 days of beating into head on South Westerly winds of strengths up to 25 knots.

Such was our angle of heel at times, that Shirley was torn between the options of leaving the boat and walking the rest of the way; or having one leg shortened by about a metre to even her up a bit (then I suppose her name would have to change to Ilean when we got to land); but in the end she stoically decided to make the best of things, and simply resort to nagging me to “do something about the strength and or the direction of the wind”. So if it is miracles you require, just ask and I will wave my Druid’s crook and there you go.

Despite entering into protracted e-mail correspondence with the obligatory Ecuadorian clearance agent whilst in Panama, (The port authorities in Galapagos refuse to deal directly with individual yacht skippers), and eventually receiving a written quotation for all costs, so far we have paid in excess of 180% of the quoted figure, and we still have the dubious pleasure of having to pay a fee for checking out of the country. Ah well c’est la vie, as they say on the south side of the English Channel . There goes another month’s budget spent in 7 days. Just as well the next leg is a long one, where we have nothing to spend it on.


I am almost afraid to put this in writing, but the only equipment failure experienced during our trip was the bulb lighting up the Binnacle compass, well that was true until we dropped anchor, when the (yes Vetus again) main engine exhaust gas and cooling water mixing box fell to pieces so allowing copious amounts of exhaust fumes into the boat, and vast amounts of cooling water into the bilges. Fortunately the blue exhaust fumes billowing out of the companionway hatch provided a subtle hint that all was not well, so we were able to control the situation before we sank. Who said this life style was dull?

As to Galapagos itself, let it be said that if it were in a more accessible location then there are many places with more to offer nature diversification wise; South Africa for example. But of course if that were the case then Galapagos would not be the unique place it is.

The island of Santa Cruz , and the area surrounding Admiralty Bay , was a pleasant surprise for us, as the literature we had read seemed to indicate that due to it’s isolation, there would be a marked shortage of general goods and foodstuffs available. Such is not the case, as the Saturday morning local market emphasized, where there was an abundance of fruit, vegetables, fish, and meat available, all to a standard sufficient to satisfy the most discerning of palates. To supplement this, there is more than an adequate selection of businesses of all types, hardware, small supermarkets, as well as the tourist trap emporiums and more excellent restaurants than you could shake a stick at. The only control on purchasing is not the availability, but the cost thereof. But I suppose taking the isolation factor into consideration this is to be expected.

The anchorage in Admiralty bay (sea conditions wise) is without doubt the worst we have experienced to date. Due exclusively to the prevailing Pacific Ocean swell rolling straight into the South facing bay. Giving swells and even waves of 2 – 2.5m. Unfortunately due to the Port authority rules, we are forbidden to up anchor and re establish in another more suitable bay or island. So this has had a profound effect upon our deciding to cut short our stay in the Galapagos, and leave this coming Sunday.


So far we have explored (and still are) Santa Cruz itself, including the famous “Charles Darwin Research Centre” A fascinating conglomeration of research facilities established in the main by first world countries, these centres essentially involve breeding facilities for various indigenous fauna ( various sub species of Tortoise, Iguana, birds etc) and flora where the introduction of goats has caused the depletion of flora essential for the nesting of numerous species of birds.

Shirley will attempt to include a few photographs at the end of this epistle, but you will note the arid cactus predominance of the landscape, which of course made it an ideal environment for the giant Tortoise as they can go for prodigious periods without needing to drink. (I would never make a successful Tortoise). However where there is sufficient rainfall, coupled with the nutrient rich nature of the volcanic soil, agriculture can be a more than viable option for human endeavor.

Once again due to the draconian harbour authority laws, we were obliged to hire time on a boat owned and skippered by a local tourist company to visit other islands in the archipelago. The one we chose was due south of Santa Cruz called “Floreana”. Where we were able to climb up and investigate caves created by sea farers of old who used them to corral the Tortoises they had collected for transporting back on to their vessels as a source of fresh meat on the hoof. Also we were of course able to observe Giant Tortoise, Iguanas, a multitude of local sea birds, including the famous “Blue footed Booby” all in their natural environment. But the most memorable of all was when we were allowed to snorkel in an area predominated by breeding “Sea Lion”. So comfortable were these pups with human contact, that immediately they became aware of human swimmers, they would enter the water en masse to frolic and play with their new “friends” and all without the aid of any form of Chumming. Without doubt it was worth the cost of the trip to see the look of sheer delight on Shirley’s face upon returning to the boat.

However as mentioned earlier on, we anticipate weighing anchor on Sunday next the 2nd May, and with in excess of 3000 nautical miles to go before the next stop (with nothing in between) we will be out of touch for approx 25 to 30 days, dependant upon wind strength and direction. For info’n purposes our next stop is intended to be the Marquesas Islands which are part of French Polynesia . More specifically the island of Hiva Oa, which for those interested lies at 09 degrees 48 minutes South; and 139 degrees 02 minutes West with local time Greenwich meant time (or UT or Zulu) minus 9.5 hours.

Will write again when we get there.

The Western Capes Marine Recources

Have you ever thought about why we spend money on marine protection vessels,well this group of cray fishing boats milling around the Hout Bay cray fish dock will give you some idea,they are all waiting to off laod the days catch.

Motor yacht,Amberes,a Banjer 37 pictured in Hout Bay

We do not see many yachts like this in South Africa, it would be nice to add a true motor sailer to our range of kits, we can source a designer I am sure.

This is a picture I found of the Banjer 37 builders yard.

LOA 36 ft 6 in 11,13 m

LWL 33 ft 6 in 10,21 m

Beam 11 ft 5 in 3,48 m

Draft 4 ft 7 in 1,40 m

Ballast 8.800 lb 4 Tm

Displacement 26.400 lb 12 Tm

Sail area (Gaff rig & small bermudan rig) 301 sq ft 28 m2

Sail area (Large bermudan rig, no bowsprit) 452 sq ft 42 m2

Sail area (Transoceanique version ) 807 sq ft 75 m2

Sail area (Trans. version A. Gérard Borg) 667 sq ft 62 m2

Sail area (Trans. version B. Gérad Borg) 1.000 sq ft 97 m2



I used to crew on Amberes each Easter TBA Regatta  for Rob, her owner,so I know the boat quite well. There was always a hot shower available when I was using another boat, this went on for about
four years while I was in between boats, thanks Rob!



Picture by R McBride using a Canon G11 set on auto.

This boat makes so much sense when the weather pipes up,the helm is fully protected, its faster under motor than sail and easily makes 8 knots with its 85 hp Volvo diesel.

Roy.

The Stadt Amsterdam underway

We had a SW breeze on sunday,so any chance of a tall ship sailing out of Hout Bay was lost,we would need a North for that,Stadt Amsterdam did set some sail however and once she was around the corner on her way back to Cape Town if the breeze came up strong enough she could sail there.

The last train to San Fernado

There are a number of references to the song but it seems one of the singers of the song about the last train to San Fernando,from Port of Spain,Trinidad,I assume ,was the original Cecil Anderson,I was told the credits to the words were never paid to him,he got paid for the original recording but never for the lyrics.

We had arrived on Ocean Cloud in Trinidad and decided to stay a while,we met some Trinidadians and were taken by car on some day trips,on one of them . I was surprised to know we were in San Fernando its self,when we were being driven around the Island by Diana on a tour of Trinidad,hand delivering invoices to every school on the island for company services rendered,it was the only sure way to know the invoice arrived,such was the state of the island postal service,it took us two days but we sure got to see all of Trinidad in the process!

DUKE OF IRON

REAL NAME: Cecil Anderson

DATE OF BIRTH: 1906

PLACE OF BIRTH: ..., Trinidad

EDUCATION: ...

CAREER: Anderson learned music from his father who was a musician; he went on to play the flute, clarinet, saxaphone, and quatro. He moved to New York, USA, in 1923 where he began playing professionally and, by the late-1930s, had become one of the best-known calypsonians in the USA. He was one of three calypsonians who operated from New York, in the 1940s; the others were Lord Invader and Macbeth the Great. He later formed a band and toured Europe before returning to the USA in 1956 at the height of Harry Belafonte's popularity singing calypso music. He appeared in the 1957 American movie "Calypso Joe" which starred actress Angie Dickinson. During the 1950s and 1960s, he performed regularly at numerous New York nightclubs, and appeared at Carnegie Hall and the Apollo Theatre. Anderson's calypsoes included:

Man Smart, Woman Smarter; Music Teacher; Man Centipede; Calypso Samba; Woman Police; Merengue Jenny; Big Bamboo; Last Train; Lost Watch; Creole Girl; Undercover Man; The Naughty Fly; Coldest Woman; Woman Love; Tie Up Me Dress; Wide Screen; I Left Her Behind for You; Postman; Parakeets; Druscilla; Walter Winchell; Calypso Invasion; Ugly Woman; Three Friends' Advice; Don't Stop the Carnival; Roosevelt in Trinidad; Fire Down There; Clear De Road; Zets Calypso; Gefeeltah Fish; Rice and Tanya; Song of Cecilia; Monkey See Monkey Do; Sally Waters; Samson & Delilah; Calypso War (with Lord Invader and Macbeth the Great); The GI and the Lady (with Lord Invader and Macbeth the Great); Edward III (with Lord Invader and Macbeth the Great); Happy Land of Canaan (with Lord Invader)

DIED: 1968

Were these  the original lyrics?

Mighty Dictator - Last Train To San Fernando




It's the last train to San Fernando

The last train to San Fernando

And if you miss this one

There'll never be another one

So let's bitty-bitty boom-boom

To San Fernando



Last night I met sweet Dorothy

Said, "Tomorrow I am joining in matrimony."

("Do it now, John!")

She said, "If you act right

You can take me out tonight

And we'll wine and dine but be back on time."



It's the last train to San Fernando

It's the last train to San Fernando

And if you miss this one

There'll never be another one

So let's bitty-bitty boom-boom

To San Fernando



Said, "I'm marrying right into society

Be careful of the place you are taking me

Because if you slip, I'll slide

And I'll never get to be a bride."

And we'll bitty-bitty boom-boom to San Fernando

("What is this?")



It's the last train to San Fernando

("Bitty-bitty-bitty!")

Last train to San Fernando

And if you miss this one

There'll never be another one

So let's bitty-bitty boom-boom

To San Fernando



("Sing it, Keely!")

Diplomatically, I asked Dorothy to dance

("How else?")

There was nothing on my mind but romance

I said to myself, "Oooh boy

Better beat this iron while it's hot."

And we'll bitty-bitty boom-boom to San Fernando



It's the last train to San Fernando

("Hush-a-baby!")

Last train to San Fernando

And if you miss this one

There'll never be another one

So let's bitty-bitty boom-boom

To San Fernando



It's the last train to San Fernando

The last train to San Fernando

(quiet)



Let's bitty-bitty boom-boom to San Fernando!

(loud)

______________

The lyrics as changed by Johnny Duncan and recorded in 1957,Lonnie Donegan sang the song too.


Last train to San Fernando, last train to San Fernando


If you miss the one, you'll never get another one

Bee-dee-dee-dee-bom-bom to San Fernando.



Last night I met my sweet Dorothy

She said, tomorrow I join in sweet matrimony

But if you act all right

Oh, you can take me out tonight

We can wine and dine and get back in time

For the last train to San Fernando.



Last train to San Fernando, last train to San Fernando

If you miss the one, you'll never get another one

Bee-dee-dee-dee-bom-bom to San Fernando.



Well, I married into high society

Be carefull of the places you're a-takin' me

'Casue if you slip, I'll slide and I may never be your bride

Bee-dee-dee-dee-bom-bom to San Fernando.

Last train to San Fernando, last train to San Fernando

If you miss the one, you'll never get another one

Bee-dee-dee-dee-bom-bom to San Fernando.

Last train (to San Fernando)

Last train (to San Fernando)

Last train (to San Fernando)

Last train (to San Fernando...)

From a distance,the ship Stadt Amsterdam

We are fortunate to live in a village that has such a lovely bay and attracts visitors,yachts and from time to time the odd tall ship,yesterday it was the Stadt Amsterdam,all 252 feet of her,she was hosted by the Hout Bay Yacht Club and was a fine site for us all.

All pictures taken using a Canon G11 on an auto setting but using three ranges,taken by Roy McBride.

The clipper ship,Stad Amsterdam in Hout Bay

More on this later but here is a picture to start with.

Jessica Watson is heading for Tasmania

My original interest came about due to Vesper Marines Watchmate AIS being installed on Jessicas yacht,as CKD Boats are the South African agents for Vesper Marine,that was over six months and 22,000 miles back,since then I have tracked this sixteen year old girl as she has worked her way around the world,starting at Sydney with the one and only stop being Sydney.http://www.vespermarine.com/buy.html  go to their web site and view the operating video on line.

As a father of two grown up girls myself,I can only sit in wonder at this girls acheivement,to dream of doing such a trip is one thing,to even make the start line is ,quite something in my mind but to do all the miles  she has with no stops and now be back in home waters is a fantastic acheivement,it would be a great thing to be there on the dock to welcome her home,if your in Sydney,why not get there yourself.

Roy

The galley after the knockdown. See if you can pick the things that shouldn't be there? To name just a few, there's the white floor board from under the nav table, the pencil sharpener pierced on the stove, the USB cord that was plugged into the Toughbook and see that bit of white string in the top right? I didn't drape it around the switch box like that.

Yesterday as the wind and sea was rising, with the mainsail lashed to the boom and the orange storm jib flying in the background

Saturday, April 24, 2010


Despite the fact that today started with a knockdown, a wet bunk, a headache and some pretty huge seas, I've had a great day. I know the words knockdown and great don't belong in the same sentence, but right now I'm feeling better than I have all week. And I don't mean that I've been feeling lousy all week, I mean that right now I've got sore cheeks from smiling all afternoon.

The wind started coming up yesterday and sat on about 35 knots all night with maybe the odd gust reaching close to 40, which isn't really a big deal with Ella’s Pink Lady sailing under just the storm jib, because I was being extra conservative (i.e. my nerves weren't really feeling up to any fast surfing!).

It was the swell that got interesting. The big seas were from a nasty low pressure system passing to the south and although we missed most of its wind, we sure copped some big seas. Probably the biggest I've seen so far (the sea during that storm in the Atlantic was nastier though because it was steeper and more closely spaced.) These swells were 10 metre liquid mountains, rolling past with tumbling white tops. Ella's Pink Lady was handling it all beautifully though and when we were knocked down just after it got light this morning, I'd actually started relaxing because the wind and sea had already started easing.

I was in my bunk asleep this time when we went over and was woken up when various objects (see Pic 2 below) and a whole lot of water landed on top of me. Seriously whatever happed to gently shaking someone awake and handing them a cup of coffee?

Anyway it wasn't too bad as far as knockdowns go. I'd say the mast only just touched the water and there wasn't any damage. But having a whole lot of bilge water in my bunk didn't have me thrilled. Annoyingly, I'd only just turned the outside cameras off half an hour before. If the cameras had been on just a little longer, you could well have been watching this instead of reading about it - how annoying!

After Ella's Pink Lady picked herself back up I figured there wasn't anything I could do till things calmed down a bit more, so I put my wet weather gear on, pulled up the hood and climbed back into my soaking bunk. It doesn't compare to comfy PJ's (pyjamas) and a soft double bed with fresh sheets, but I couldn't have slept better!

When I got up again, the sun was shining and the sea had dropped off some more but was still spectacular. Totally amazing to watch from under the dodger, which was what I was doing when the wind generator suddenly started roaring like crazy. I quickly climbed out into the cockpit to see that the roaring wasn't coming from the wind genny, but a plane just over head!

It was the Australian customs sent to investigate the suspicious looking pink boat. Nah, just kidding. They were on a routine flight and dropped by to say hi and to remind me to check into with the appropriate authorities when I reach Sydney, which seems kinda strange, seeing as I haven't stopped anywhere. But I suppose it’s regulation and my shore team has all that under control.

After that, with some more sail up as the wind kept dropping, I had a really fun afternoon hand steering in the sunshine, surfing along and taking in the amazing sea. The rest of the week isn't going to be any easier with another front and low pressure system expected, but unlike a few days ago, I'm not dreading it anymore. Just looking forward to getting down under Tasmania and doing some fast sailing.

It’s Anzac day tomorrow so I'll make a special effort to watch the sunrise, take a minute to think about all our soldiers away from home and maybe I'll have a crack at making some Anzac cookies.



Jesse

1966 Jaguar 3.8 S type in Duponts New Red

For years my car has done the the  Cape Jaguar Drivers Club concours event,it has won its class some five times but each year masses of points were knocked of the score sheet as the cars paintworks were judged to be  in a none original model colour?  I now find from a USA based Jaguar S type club,that a recent rebuild of a similar car, saw Dupont check the colour out as one of their original Jaguar shades and named New Red,it looks good to me anyway.The car is for sale,I can ship world wide,if your in South Africa,you can just drive it home.