Oodles of Noodles

Who knew Domino would be so ravenous for cable? Just when we think she had enough spaghetti for the day, she belches out bits of heat shrink material and asks for seconds.

It was another week of electrical and electronics connections, one of those weeks that melted down in the calendar and vanished in the abyss of the planning; one of those weeks that labeled us "liars," or at best "optimists." We had scheduled 4 weeks to do all the electrical and electronics connections... we've been at it for over 3 months. Although we do our best to use forethought and planning, diagrams and schematics, when the actual plugging happens the playing doesn't necesserally follow. So we (literally) keep plugging away at it.

Example? Yesterday, while doing the final install of the exhaust pipes, we noticed that the starboard pipe was dangerously close to the electrical (less than 23 cm)... ouch. There was nothing else for Catalino to do but rip out all of the electrical lines that run along the engine room bulkhead and re-route the entire circuit. Time tax? Four days.

Yet, things are going up, lighting up, and making noise: search light, MOB, Navnet 3D, and - oh the joy of sounding the horn and sending my call sign on the VHF - KI6DDI, Miss Kiddy to you!

All with the help of Betsy Crowfoot who just joined us after her adventures in the Deep South- See Betsy's blog at The Upside Down Summer .

We love Betsy's company, a breath of fresh air, friendship and good humor. We promised not to make her sand the decks but she is allowed to snip-snip into curtain material and use the sewing machine. Just hoping that she won't pierce her fingers with the needle, lest she'd fall asleep for the next 100 years or have a need for Prince Charming to come to the rescue...

Welcome, Betsy!

CHANGES of DIRECTION

What a difference a week makes. Last Friday in full command, today relieved.

Last Friday was the happiest day since our arrival in Paraguay, three years ago. We were presenting DOMINO to the Naval Authorities as they honored us with their participation and presented JP with the Paraguayan flag. We united in pride while all our guests joined in singing the Paraguayan anthem.

You couldn't have stopped the tears of pride that rolled down my cheeks: pride in our teams, our "muchachos" and their families who sacrificed so much in the last 4 years: the wives who let their husbands get up a 5 AM and return home well after the children were in bed; the kids who sacrificed their weekends so that Papa could finish the task he had set out to do. I was proud as a mother hen and, from the look of the officials' faces, I know they were proud too.

Last Friday was a day to remember; a good day; a day of pride for the country; the day I told possible investors, "See, you can do it in Paraguay." That was Last Friday, October 30th, 2009, the day we Christened Domino.

Saturday was Halloween. Dressed in our costumes, still high on the emotions of the the previous day, we sat with our friends on the golf course, listening to reports of "Badam-bang-bang" coming from the North East. Cell phones were ringing, "What do you know? What's happening?" The Internet was cut most of the day. Helicopters had been flying overhead all day. The radio was talking about "worrisome events," without details. We took our costumes off and, sober, sat pensively through the blackout. Not a light to be seen; only a full moon... on Halloween night. This was as eery as it could get.

All week, the weather was as heavy as the political climate. Hot, humid, sticky, with promises of a thunderstorm soon to come. And it came, politically at least.

Last night, President Lugo decapitated each branch of the military, relieving from their command every single Commander: Army, Air Force and Navy, military men with a 30+-year career, only to replace them with Generals who 10 months ago were only rank-and-file. As if this wasn't insulting enough to the military, the President removed Commander Cibar Benitez from the General Command of the three branches. All of this in 3 days-time. And if I'm to take a clue from the weather, we haven't seen the end of it. Outside my window, the Charlie-Bravos have collected, I can see the lightning streaks in the distance, but the rain hasn't come yet...

What does it mean for us and how do we deal with it? The insecurity is troubling. What will this unpredictable and unstable president do now? Declare Martial Law? Seize properties? Allow for more kidnappings to happen in order to fund the EPP (Army of the Paraguayan People)? Fidel Zavala has now been held hostage for 3 weeks, and today another prominent businessman was made aware of having made "THE LIST" of planned hostages.

We are living extraordinary times. Of that, we are very aware. Lugo and his government seem to be taking an increasingly Marxist stance. All we hope for is to finish the job and be able to leave the country safely.

Just a week ago, we were telling prospective boat buyers to try Paraguay... No longer.

What a difference a week makes.

Until next post, I hope,

domino marie

Lo logramos

El 30 de Octubre 2009, el Equipo Domino presenta el Catamaran Domino en Paraguay.

JP presents the team to the Paraguayan Friends who joined us in the christening celebration of the M.V. Domino. Here's a reprint of the welcome speech.

"Quien hubiera podido creer?"

de Marie Dufour

"Quien hubiera podido creer, hace 17 anos, cuando llege a casa y pregunte a Jean-Pierre si el sabia algo de la gente que vive en barcos, y el me contesto "Te gustaria, Marie?"... quien hubiera podido creer en este momento que estariamos hoy en Asuncion, a punto de presentarles el Catamaran Domino?

Y quien hubiera podido creer, hace 10 anos, cuando encontramos a Malcolm Tennant en Long Beach (California) y le preguntamos si se podria hacer un catamaran para 2 personas con autonomia de 4,000 millas, y que el contesto "Si, se puede"... quien hubiera podido creer, en este momento, que estariamos a punto de presentarles con el diseno numer 253 de Malcolm Tennant, el Catamaran Domino?

Y quien hubiera podido creer, hace 5 anos, cuando encontramos a un Paraguayo, Norman Hellmers en Miami, y que el estaba mirando los planos de Domino, diciendo a Malcolm Tennant, "Yo quiero hacer este barco," y que Malcolm le contesto, "Tu dia de suerte: aqui estan JP & Marie, habla!" y el hablo... quien hubiera podido creer en este momento que estariamos presentandoles hoy con el casco numero uno de l'astillero, el DOMINO?

Llegamos a Paraguay hace 3 anos, sin hablar castellano, con nada mas que un sueno, una possibilidad, y un deseo compartido.

Este enorme desafio, no lo confrontamos solos. Cada uno de ustedes presentes hoy hizo algo para asegurar el exito del proyecto. Ustedes, you, vous, voce, toi... hicieron lo que hicieron no para nuestra gratitud, pero para demonstrar que hoy en Paraguay, a pesar de lo que estamos viviendo y escuchando en los medios mediaticos, todavia hay gente con honrad y honestad, que hace lo que hace por que es lo corecto.

En el nombre del equipo, Jean-Pierre, Norman y los Muchachos, les agradesco por su amistad y su apoyo."

Hasta el proximo blog

domino marie

Christening DOMINO

October 30, 2009, exactly 17 years after deciding to retire on a boat to provide health missions in the South Pacific, we finally completed construction of the DOMINO CATAMARAN and had a happy christening ceremony.

When our friend Stella Maris and her husband paid us a surprise visit on a chilly morning a few weeks ago, we knew something was up. Stella Maris, named after the Virgin Mary Patron of the Sea and Sailors, had talked the Chaplain of the Paraguayan Navy, from the very Capilla Stella Maris, into blessing the boat and crew. We were so touched that we decided to have a very special celebration.

At 11 am on Friday, our guests were prompt and this is how it went.

CEREMONY OF CHRISTENING - DOMINO CATAMARAN

To the memory of Malcolm Tennant

Godmother: Marilu Spalding

Welcome Address - Marie Therese Dufour

Team Presentation - Dr. Jean-Pierre Dufour

DOMINO Presentation - Ing. Norman Hellmers

Blessing:

• Rev. Padre Antonio Romero. Capilla Stella Maris
• Rev. Padre Julio Rojas. Parroquia Espiritu Santo
• Procession with Stella Maris & Dedication

Flag Presentation:

• Paraguayan Flag - Cmd. Cibar Benitez Caceres, PY Armed Forces
• US Flag - Eernest Abisellan, US Consul in Asuncion
• Star Spangled Banner (US MArine Corps Band music)

Christening: Sra. Marilu Spalding , skipper JP Dufour

Closing: Paraguayan Anthem

Toast: Sra. Nunes, AKA MAMMA, 99 year-old matriarch of our little group

When Mamma Nunes spoke, just about everybody cried. She actually addressed the ship, renaming her "MACARAN" and it was just perfect.

We feel absolutely blessed to have been able to complete this project. It was an enormous challenge, with hurdles that we couldn't have cleared without the support of each one of the eighty-or-so friends who joined us in the celebration.

We were honored to have in our presence the Commander of the Paraguayan Armed Forces, the Admiral in Command of the Paraguayan Navy, the past Admiral (ret.) of the Paraguayan Navy, the past Captain of the Naval Prefectura, the US consul, the past Paraguayan Ambassador to the US, the Representant of the French in Paraguay, and many loving friends.

We are especially thankful for the support of the Armed Forces and Navy, for taking the time to meet every single one of our men and their families, and share our pride in a team that has sacrificed so much in the last 4 years just to demonstrate that YES, even in Paraguay,

DESIRE + DEDICATION = SUCCESS

It was a memorable day, and we only wish our children could have been with us. They were in our hearts, though, and we thank them for understanding our dedication to the DOMINO projects.

And now.... to the water!

Until next post,

domino marie

ALL DECKED OUT

Roll the gelcoat, sprinkle silica, roll gelcoat on top and you have an anti-slip deck...

The choice of anti-slip material was not easy. Since we are totally inexperienced in boat building, we took ideas from boat shows. The prettiest anti-slip was the diamond-shaped material, made out of gelcoat, that we could see on the big Nordhavn and other fabulous boats. When we researched the fabrication method, we found out that we could do it ourselves with the Gibco Flexmold system. Off we were, then, getting the flex-molds (twice: purchased the male mold instead of the female mold... or was that the contrary?)... finally got the secret recipe for mixing the ingredients (Marine gelcoat, 20% Duratec High gloss, 2% MEKP, but no paraffin... here, I just gave it to you for free and in the nick of time.....) Problem is, molding each panel "in situ" take a phenomenal amount of time. As pressed as we are, we abandoned the whole idea (mine, anyways....) and went for JP's initial no-nonsense approach.

Light grey gelcoat + silica. JP & the boys made some samples on Friday, decided on the color, the mix, the size of the silica and the density of the sprinkling... and off we were on Saturday morning, with 12 muchachos sanding the decks, taping the floors, protecting the walls.

All weekend, you could hear the grinders, compressors and air hoses, and our lunches were just a big asado-picninc in the grass. We started with refinishing the wood floors inside, and by saturday night Pichon was spraying his last coat of polyurethane. We continued on sunday, with more titanic efforts, yells of "pintura!... arena!..." but by Sunday night at 9 pm, with 280 man-hours behind us in the last 2 days, we actually were DONE!

A celebratory beer, and we were back to work on Monday morning at 7 AM. The gelcoat hardened (phheewwww, no error in mixing!) and we were able to add several coats of BlueKote for protection.

DOMINO is all black-and-blue, we feel bruised, but as they say at the gym, "No Pain, No Gain."

TOMORROW, CHRISTENING>>>> and the entire team is looking forward to sharing the success with the people who saw to it that we should meet our goals.

But that's a story for next time....

domino marie

Wear a White Ribbon

Another kidnapping, this one of rancher Fidel Zavala.

And more: the kidnappers had booby-trapped the rancher's truck, and the grenade exploded into the face of the 2 investigating policemen - What''s going on in Paraguay>

Paraguay is a world of contrasts, with extreme poverty and galactic wealth, but whatever side you are on, no end justifies the means of kidnapping a man.

I reported a little over a year ago the hopes of the Paraguayan People to see some improvement of social conditions. To the great disappointment of the people, this has not happened. Security has become extremely worrysome. During the last year, I have seen a friend assassinated, another one shot, another robbed; I have spent a night of terror listening to a young woman being tortured outside my windows for hours, while the police did nothing to stop the action, only to find her body 10 days later, raped, strangled and mutilated in the most horrible ways. Was justice done in any of these cases? No, because here, "you know, but you don't tell."

The wave of violence and lawlessness is escalating daily. On one hand, the government promises agrarian reform and lets big landowners from Brasil make fortunes on the back of the Paraguayan Nation. On the other hand, armed rebel bands of the EPP (the Army of the Paraguayan People) seize landowners for ransom. Last year, the rancher Lindstrom; now, the rancher Zavala.

I would expect President Lugo to show outrage at such despicable lawlessness; instead, the President laughs and makes jokes of the subject. Despicable behavior in a country that wants to prove itself democratic, with justice and freedom.

What can citizens do? Raise their voices, and make their messages heard. Here, we are wearing WHITE RIBBONS for peace. Perhaps we can shake the masses out of their lethargy... perhaps not.

Meanwhile, here is a text I received this morning, hoping for the safe release of Fidel Zavala.

Llevemos una cinta blanca.

En el pecho, en la mano, en el espejo del auto, de la moto, de la bici...

Por la PAZ de todos.

Porque no queremos más violencia.

Porque Fidel es un paraguayo igual que otros.

Porque mañana puede ser otro si ese grupo no termina con esta práctica.

Porque solo la PAZ construye. La violencia NO.

Porque sin PAZ no llegamos a nada.

Porque no podemos quedarnos de brazos cruzados.

Porque tenemos una voz y con una cinta podemos expresarnos.

Porque debemos sentirnos familia entre todos y se solidarios.

Porque es hora que nos involucremos con lo que sucede en el pais

Porque tenemos que ser ciudadanos

Llevamos una cinta blanca...

Por la PAZ de todos...

Until next post, God Willing,,,

domino marie

Genious at Work

What would DOMINO be without the engineering genius of Eng. Norman Hellmers? Here, Norman reviews all instructions for the Glendinning actuators and the John Deere engine connection... concentration power!

A boat is not really a boat until the last cable is wired, the last lug nut tightened and the last harness is secure. That's what Eng. Norman Hellmers concentrates on. Norman not only built the hulls (using his home-built C&C machine!) to the millimeter precision, not only taught and supervised hull lamination to the highest standards, not only supported our tempers and tensions... he is here when we need him, always. Now more than ever, his skills are coming to the rescue... wooohooo, I hardly dare tiptoe around when JP and him talk shop. Alternators, chargers, transformers, boosters, reducers, ground & grounded, and all the ABYC twists and turns make me dizzy. Thankfully, somebody has a level head around here!

So, here we are, with all engine and propulsion systems connected, expecting to fire up for testing any day now...

Meanwhile, Norman is also engineering the trail that will lead DOMINO to the water, and that's no small feat. The grader was here on Sunday (yes, on Sunday) and started the launching ramp. Exciting times...

The sleds are finished, with cross-beam and reticulated steel support, "innies" cradles, and whatever other safety contraption Norman and JP will come up with.

An engineer at work is a sight to behold and we're lucky to have Norman on our side!

Next? Vroom vroom....

Trailering Domino

This is not a recycled swingset; or perhaps it is. This colorful 4" reticulated stainless steel tube structure is the triangle that will serve as tow bar for the launch.

Our daughter Stef reminded me this morning of our trip to NASA many years ago and how shocked she had been to learn that it took one month to transport the space shuttle from its hangar to the launch pad. We feel a bit like rocket scientists these days, and we too are planning a month to transport DOMINO from its hangar to the Rio Paraguay just about 500 yards away.

Yesterday, we successfully raised the DOMINO on its skates. Did you hear SKATES? Yes indeed. JP wasn't a hockey coach (Go Avalanche!) for 14 years without learning a few things. Skates, yep yep, and this is the plan.

1. Build 4 skates. Take beams of reticulated re-bar and weld steel plates to the bottom. Add wings to the sides to avoid sharp angles, and curve the tips softly to allow surface glide. Pad the tops with a 4-cm thick roll of recycled tire rubber, a grab-pad for the beaching skegs. (California surfers, you dig?)

(Insert tech note: the skates carry equal loads, each with a pressure of 600g/square cm. which is also equal to the known resistance of the soil of the land that we must cross, thanks Mr. geological engineer.)

2. Lift the boat with jacks and slide the skates under the 4 beaching skegs: their steel shoes sink into the rubber and lock into the fore and aft security cradle.

3. Link the fore and aft skates on each side with more of the reticulated re-bar.

4. Link the forward skates with an I-beam to prevent skates inversion. Ditto aft.

5. Reticulate some more between the center beams. You now have a sled.

All's left is to attach the towing triangle to the sled's eyes (2 forward, 2 aft) and to a smooth-motion tractor and GO.

We are waiting for the niveladora and the topadora to grade the S-shaped trail that will take us through the swamp and to the Rio Paraguay. We are also waiting for the barge and its excavator to dig deeper into the river bed and make sure that we have sufficient depth. That's all...

As for the installations, the engines and their controls (throttle, gear, trolling valve) are plugged and need final programming: that is eng. Norman Hellmers' domaine and he is the KING! Electronics are installed, need final plugging and playing. Electrical is all in place. I think Electrico Catalino Ramirez is about to sigh a big sigh of relief with only the navigation lights left to install. Electrical was HUGHE and Catalino did a beautiful and safe job, we're thrilled with his patience.

Engine testing should happen within the next few days, and we are rounding up garden hoses while hoping that the ESSAP will not cut off water service in the middle of our testing run.

Oh, I almost forgot: WE HAVE WATER>>>> see the Testing the Water video below...

FEDEX is here just about every day and I can't stop marveling at the little white truck hiccuping along the rutty trail to the hangar: I'll say it again, Port Supply and FedEx are our saviors ... you too, Peter Kennedy Yacht Services and Gemeco and Phantom Marine Electronics. And now that I've refilled my wardrobe with T-shirts and sponsored hats and jackets....

I'll say .... till next blog!

domino marie

PAGO PAGO NEWS

Good news! We just heard that DOMINO's sister ship, the Tabby Cat, and her owners are safe in Pago Pago. Their associated fishing fleet is sound, although one of the boats suffered some damage when the water receded before the tsunami wave. Fortunately, all souls are safe.

AMEN!

***TSUNAMI ALERT***

**FLASH** 

 

Domino's home island, American Samoa was devastated by a Tsunami last night.

We lament the loss of 141 lives in the island that we had selected as our new home.  A five-foot tsunami wave swept DOMINO's home port of Pago Pago and 15-foot waves were reported in other areas.

Our condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones and we can't wait to get there to help rebuild.

See the scoop at http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=amELwcVlZEvI

FEDEX to the Rescue

From Domino's foredeck, I anxiously await the almost daily deliveries from Asuncion Express, the local FedEx associate.  Here, the FedEx kids take their first look ever at Domino.

It's not over till the fat lady sings... or, in our case, the slender girl hits the water.  "One more month," says JP every day, when we ask him how much longer till we "splash."  I see that as a huge improvement.  Just a few weeks ago, the answer was "one more year."  Tomorrow, the standard answer will be "manana," and it REALLY will mean "tomorrow."

To speed things up, we rely on Port Supply and FedEx.  Of course, we always think we have everything on hand and that "this" is the LAST order.  But morning comes and we're missing a nylon T-connector, a brass HEX bushing, ten feet of marinized #6 green battery cable, or a couple packs of stainless steel screws.  Just in case you are just getting on board: there is not a single marine specialty store in the country, and we've spent the last 3 years building this gigantic cat picking everything out of catalogs and websites, packing them into containers and shipping them thousands of miles down the Atlantic coast, to the Rio de la Plata and up the Rio Paraguay.  Are we bound to miss a few things? Sure!  But --and that's where JP is amazing-- not too many.  And for the late-late stragglers, it's Port Supply on-line late-night orders and FedEx delivery 3 days later... all under the careful eye of Franz, our dedicated Port Supply Guru. Awesome!

Ah, but you ask, "How come you're not ready yet?"... uh, uh... well... uh... things take longer than we plan, always.  You know the joke about how building the first half of your boat will take 90% of your resources, building the second half will take the other 90%, and building the third half will take even more... We hope we're at the end of the third half.

What's going on, anyways? All the major electrical is in done and Catalino Ramirez has done a fabulous wiring job, very clean and I'm impressed.  Only the general lighting is left to do, but we have all the locations marked and all the appliances ready, so it's just a matter of running the cables and connecting the IMTRA lamps.  Target date: October 3rd.

JP is finishing to install the HRO 600 reverse osmosis unit.  Wow! This thing is complex... and huge, but it will fit snugly below the starboard hull floor.  JP and Lucio pre-installed it months ago, so it's just a matter of running the electrical and the water hoses, and screwing it all in place.

I have the pleasure to tell you that we were able to LOCK the boat tonight. That's right!  The Diamond Seaglaze aft door and the four aft windows are sealed in place and locked.  Check the photo album and see the dogs on that door: I think we can hit a hurricane!  Not that we're planning on it, though.  Regardless, we have a home!  I asked JP if he would carry me over the threshold, but he took one look at my quinquagenarian frame and shrugged me off.  Oh, well...

What else is going on?  So many little things.  Finding a spot for the Zodiac Extreme Solas 6-person liferaft; placing the last antennas: WiFi booster and Iridium; finished the air conditioning, freezer and refrigerator; started the cushions; planning the window treatments; and (see the video) we HAVE WATER!

Meanwhile, Gregorio is arming the sled (upcoming "Launching Domino" video and photo album) and Caceres is preparing the trail between the barn and the river.  But, and we like this, many people are coming to see the Domino.  Now that we are almost done, DOMINO is getting a bit of a ***STAR*** status.  Yeah!  We like her glamour, and we welcome her admirers and all those who want to contribute to her success.

C'mon... we are so close we can taste it.  

Until next post,

domino marie

Plug & Play

Installing electronics is child's play for JP... or is it just the result of good planning and a year of research an preparation?

How different can a boat look once the antennas are up, the burl helm panels in place and all the instruments are in their final position!  It looks so DONE and I'm already smelling the salt air.  

Catalino has just about finished the electrical installation and JP takes advantage of working with the electricians to run all the electronics cable.  Really, all there's left to do is to connect, plug and play.  The marvel is that it's all falling into place, without a hitch so far.

So, once more, it's time for kudos.  Albert, from Phantom Marine in Newport Beach (Ca) and his buddies had worked with us in order to prepare a full electronics suite and its connection scheme.  They shipped the equipment in boxes that included not only the equipment, but also the proper wires, cables and connectors.  So it was just a cinch to open the boxes and install the toys.  Our boys built the proper reinforcements and pedestals, and JP positioned the antennas according to the specs we learned last year at IBEX.  It all fits.

What a change from just a few months ago when you could cut the tension with a hacksaw.  JP has a big smile on his face and is pretty relaxed, especially since he found out that Port Supply ships to us in 3 day with Fedex.  Good thing too, since we find out every day that we're missing a special screw, a hose fitting, or a brass connectors impossible to find in the entire country.  What would we have done without Port Supply on line?

And now, it's time to build the skates and sled that will carry Domino's 24 tons across 500 yards of swamps to the Rio Paraguay and its 2 to 5 knots of current... launching promises to be the most challenging experience yet!

Stay tuned,

domino marie

American Flag

On this September 11, 2009, eight years after the events that changed the course of America, we reflect on our flag.

"What flag shall we fly?"  Really, we had a choice: French, Paraguayan, US, or any other corporate-friendly offshore: Caiman, Cook, Marshalls...

Ten years ago, the choice was easy.  The US flag was respected around the world and US yachts were a welcome sight in all the harbors of the world.  Things have changed.  US yachts and cruisers have become targets for attacks, vandalism, murder and piracy.

We will not discuss here how or why it happened.  We have vowed to be apolitical.  Today, as we mourn the men and women who perished on 9/11/01, the servicemen and women who gave their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the thousands of Iraquis and Afghans who have lost their lives and are maimed, we also witness the continued anti-Americanism around the world.

We built the DOMINO to be a world ambassador of good health and goodwill.  With that choice, we also want to promote the idea that Americans are a generous and tolerant people, free of racial, political or religious bias.

We are proud to announce, then, that the DOMINO will be flying the 

AMERICAN FLAG

DOMINO 

 Pago Pago, American Samoa

May we never forget, but forge ahead with fraternity and compassion.

Until next post

domino marie

POWERING THROUGH

DOMINO is starting to look like what she was intended to be: a tough boat for isolated anchorages.

August is gone, and with it disappeared my deadline.  So, JP revised the schedule and is thinking that an end-of-September launch is within reach.  We agree that, although timing matters so that we respect our commitment with the Ultimate Ride, safety comes first.  If we need more time to finish the electrical or test the fuel lines, so be it.

The main electrical distribution circuit is finished.  Starting shorepower this morning, followed by lighting.  Domino is swallowing spools of Ancor cables, from the big 4/0 battery cables to the tiny multicolored 18 gage, white triplex, and various harnesses, she's digesting it all with the help of Dr. D, Ingeniero Norman, and Electrico Catalino Ramirez.  Catalino is a laid-back Type A, if you can imagine that, and is a perfect fit for JP's personality.  Nice to see flowing current between them, better than sparks in this electric context!

Between spools of cable, JP is wrestling with lengths of fuel hose and I make regular runs to the Casa de las Mangueras for elbows, Ts, connectors, hose-to-hose stuff: my car is dusty and I've busted the shocks, but as long I see the blue "West Marine" sticker on the rear bumper, I'm satisfied.  Most of the parts come from West Marine/Port Supply, valves from Groco, ITT filters, Parker solenoid.  We may be thousands of miles away from home, but DLH and Fedex bring us close to home in a pinch.  This is to say, the fuel distribution system is in place, only need to connect with hoses (in stock). Should be done by the end of the week.

As for me, I'm chasing window installation team #3.  The first two never showed up.  I had a nightmare last night, team #3 telling me they could not do the job today... manana.  Really, I'm anxious to see the result of months of communication with Diamond Seaglaze (Kim Parley) and Sika (Brian Begg, thank you!)  Hopefully pix coming to you later ... or manana.

I'm off, working on boat documentation... another type of fun, but with the marvel of Internet, friends, and able professionals, everything is possible.

Until next post,

domino marie

ELECTRICITY IN THE AIR

Finally, after months of search and close to desperation, we find our electrician: Catalino Ramirez (center) to execute the plans drawn by Ing. Norman Hellmers (right) and ABYC standards watchdog Dr. JP Dufour (left).

We thought it would never happen.  Where to find a marine electrician up to ABYC and ISO standards in landlocked Paraguay?  We looked high and low, deep and shallow: nothing.  We were fielding applications from US- or Australia-based marine installers when we suddenly came across Catalino Ramirez.  His impressive resume, 20-year experience and local knowledge of products and available resources were only matched by his reputation.  Catalino came, saw Domino, and joined our team.  Welcome!  (and now JP can sleep a little...)

Things are moving quickly now.  On the electrical side, the plans conceived between Arild Jensen, Ewen Thomson, Norman Hellmers and JP are under the scrutiny of Catalino Ramirez and his trained team.  Things are going up and linking up: the Northern Light 12K genset, the Magnum inverter-charger, the 2 Victron Centaurs, the 6-Odyssey 1600 house bank, the 3 Odyssey 1200 starting batteries, and other charger controller, 24-12 & 12-24 converter, 110 & 220 shore power, and all the stuff that makes the two John Deere 6081 purr.  

As for the propulsion system, it went up amazingly quickly.  It took Alcide, the marine propsmith, not even a day to install the entire system.  Shafts, props, and the rest (technical me...) fit to the millimeter.  JP and Oliver let out a big sigh of relief when Alcide gave the thumbs up and I was quite proud of the guys when Alcide confessed his amazement at the precision of the alignment.  Way to go JP! 

On deck, the 2 Maxwell 4000 windlass are up forward, 2 more 1500 aft, and a small one at the transom.  The 3 bow rollers are up, ready to receive the Rayas (42 & 75) as well as the 21" Fiorentino para anchor.  Gregorio Mendoza finished installation of everything steel: railings, ladders, and crane.  Julio labored through hundreds of Sugatsune hinges & push-lock buttons, GEM slam latches, and Southco latches while Garcia had his way with more Sugatsune drawer slides.  DOMINO shines with all this jewelry on.

Waiting for the window installer... manana maybe!

Until next post,

domino marie

The Little Scrap to be

JP is taking to boat building.  Here's his own first design,  the "Little Scrap."

When I told Bill Shuman ("HERO") that JP wasn't happy with any dinghy on the market and that he was planning on using our leftover foam to build his own concept, Bill quickly named it "The Little Scrap."  It stuck.  But while Bill and I joked around, JP's brain kept cranking up designs of tenders.  Inspired by his years of windsurfing, he also studied the Thomas Hill designs, aluminum fishing "lanchas" we saw in Brasil, as well as various rowboats, canoes and RIBs.  The cocktail shook in his brain for a few months and he finally launched himself yesterday into the raw cut-glue-and-laminate of the Little Scrap.  It's a 15' foam sandwich tender, rowable, with canoe entry and a thick foam bottom (buoyancy 350 lb).  It will be fitted with a 4 hp Mercury engine and 2 sets of oars.  This will be our workhorse of a dinghy.  

But, now that he's into it, JP decided that Little Scrap needed a smaller version, a super-light soap-box to take us on very short runs.  I'm trusting Bill Shuman to name that little tender.  Well, the boys are having fun anyways.  What they just can't understand is that JP bore a scupper in the transom.  They are terrified that we're going to sink Little Scrap at the first launch.

Meanwhile, Norman is hard at work on the inlay work of the galley counter and the saloon table.  He is doing a fantastic job of maple burl, cancharana, cedro, trebol and guatambo.  It's always fun to see an engineer in his element...

Lucio and his team of painters are putting the finishing touches inside the cabin and we should be able to store away the paint guns by tomorrow night.  Two full months of painting, a bit longer than expected.  But no damage done, since we only got our shipment out of customs today, after almost 10 weeks of paperwork.  

The real fun starts Monday, when we finally install all the toys.  I can't wait to see the engineers, mechanics and electricians plugging-and-playing!  That should be fun...

Until next post

Domino Marie

DOMINO in Black and White

Domino's black and white hulls are signaling the last yards in this marathon custom building process.

   Given that we had no experience in painting a boat, you can imagine how nervous we were before we started.  The local painters knew how to paint cars and airplanes, but none had ever painted a boat.  Using the Awlgrip Hullgard (sealant & primer combo) was a novelty and it took us a while to figure out how to apply the product to recommended thickness.  All the paint guns on the market had openings too fine for the product and we were forced into slow applications and up to 4 coats instead of 2 in order to comply with Awlgrip's recommendations.  It was slow, but it worked.  But when it came to the AwlGold antifouling paint, no dice!  No way!  Impossible to spray.  

   After two weeks of searching, calling dozens of paint stores and tool distributors, visiting even more "ferreterias,"  we finally located a retired painter who was liquidating his stock of unsold paintguns for thick paints: nobody was buying them... we bought his remaining stock!  Problem solved and the antifouling came out like a charm.  And now, so is the HullGard for the rest of the boat, all in record time.  We think we'll be done painting (inside and outside) by the end of July.

   Meanwhile, JP continues to install the systems.  Oliver-the-welder is sizing down the shafts (sadly, the US provider had built them too long); the Glendinning actuators are finding their spots; the Fireboy system is up; and the fuel distribution system and valves are decorating my office/dining/living room table.

   Customs, of course, is holding on to our last shipment and I make the regular trips to the city and the customs agent to find out what "manana" will bring.

   Since the London-Sydney Sea-Doo portal and docking stations are finished, we are really concentrating on the details. 

  In the galley, since there is not a square inch of synthetic stone to be found in the country, we went to plan B: formica.  But the laminate from Argentina did not like the glue from Brasil, and it did not stick to the counters.  So we decided for plan C: gelcoat... which didn't glue either!  I should have listened to Malcolm Tennant who had said,"For Chrissake, Marie, Paint everything!"  Yeah, we're going to plan D-that-should-have-been-A: painting.  

Launching date?   Is end of August ambitious?  Definitely!

Till then...

domino marie

DOMINO Floored

    At last, we're finished with the wood flooring!  One full month of work, much much more than we thought.  JP is about to strangle me for not having put carpeting or vinyl or just painted the floors with a little non-kid sand.  Can you imagine building a boat in Paraguay and NOT having wood flooring?  That would be an insult to the country.  The variety of woods here is just flabbergasting (that's a word I can still pronounce): cedro, trebol, tatare, lapacho, yvyrapyta (that's a word I can't pronouce).  We picked a red Cancharana and a white Guatmbo ['wa'tmbu'] to mimick the teak-and-holly.  Slats 5mm thick were epoxied to the floor, then sanded down to 4mm and we had red dust all over.  I never knew that sanding wood floors would be so messy and take so much time.  The most difficult part was to make the hatch openings into the floors, a puzzle and work of art for Julio and his helper, Kily.  But, here we are, finished, and our Pichon has already sprayed 1 coat of polyurethane.  A fine sanding and another spray tomorrow, same thing next day and VOILA, a fabulous wood floor, all hecho en Paraguay.

     And, since we're into dust and powder everywhere, Lucio and Angel have been hard at filling and sanding all the decks, getting ready for gelcoat... that's right: GELCOAT.  The plan is to spray one coat on all decks, then to go back and sand the non-slip patterned areas and finish them with Gibco FlexMold non-skid patterning.  I know they're all going to wonder WHY, oh why did we let Marie talk us into this.... painting and spraying a little sand on decks would have been fine!  Yeah, but I like to walk bare feet and I don't have calluses under my feet, boys!

    Meanwhile, JP has finished to install all the seacocks and, if it ever starts to rain and the rio rises up to the hangar (in my dreams!), we could just float away... Nah, not going to happen!

    Until next post...

domino marie

Taking it up a Notch

Francisco, Julio, Garcia, Lucio & JP warm up with a shepherd's pie in our kitchen.  It's cold out-there!

Well, winter is slowly opening its chilly doors.  After a week of torrential rains that filled the swamps below us and allowed the Rio Paraguay to rise somewhat, we experienced a very cool 4 degree celsius (39F) last Saturday morning.  Added to the humidity of the swamps, it made for an uncomfortably chilly day.  Nevertheless, motivated to see the DOMINO finished by August, four of our team members showed up to work.  We have such an incredible group of people working on this boat!  The least I could do was to fix them a man's meal.  Cooking a shepherd's pie served two purposes: feed my boys a hearty meal and warm up the kitchen.  Oh, they loved el pastel del pastor, a dish none of them had experienced before.  No left-overs that day!  A can of peaches, a cup of coffee and we were ready to go back to work.  Some of them even showed up on Sunday!

   Fortunately, the temperature started warming up on tuesday, the humidity lowered to 65% and we were able to take the next major step: PAINTING.  We're using 3 coats of AWLGRIP HullGuard BWL, followed by 3 coats of AWLstar GOLD anti-fouling (1 red, 2 black); AWL, after 1 coat of HullGuard and 2 coats of 545 primer, we're doing 3 coats of Awlgrip topcoat.  Interior paint will be one coat of primer 545 followed by 2 coats of Awlgard interior paint.  Total estimated time: 6 weeks, minimum.  Then will follow the gelcoat deck treatment...

   Inside, we finished the floors, our version of teak and holly, with Cancharana (reddish) & Guatmbo (white), all glued with epoxy.  Fabricating the access hatches to the fuel tank inspection ports below is a challenge but Garcia is a master carpenter and is having no problem finding solutions.  The floor is done and we're waiting for the big sanding machine to finish sanding.

   The counters have been my personal nightmare.  Not a single Corian or equivalent synthetic stone to be had in the entire country.  Too late to import from the USA and prohibitively expensive.  We hoped that formica would be the solution.  Heck, we grew up with formica as kids, and it was really tough stuff.  I purchased the 3 best possible samples, but all are pretty fragile.  Oh, well, we'll just have to deal with it, be careful, and it will be a good excuse not to let anyone in MY galley!  The formica is glued and pre-installed.  Done deal, no looking back.

   Meanwhile, other jobs are going on all over.  Francisco epoxied all the supports for the 13 bilge pumps down below.  Oliver Koop tinned the brass plate for grounding and it's ready to be installed.  And Norman is working with JP on more electrical.

  The Sea-Doo docking stations for the London-Sydney by PWC ride (www.london-sydney.org) are just about done and we tried the hoist yesterday.  The truck supporting the winch needs to be better balanced, but we're getting there.  Regardless, the stainless steel Sea-Doo portal and docking stations, complete with riveted aluminum maintenance platform are quite a sight!

   Less and less dust, more and more paint... the entire team can see the end.  Which brings us great excitement, but some nostalgia as well.  When Kily was telling me that he had almost finished "my" boat, I choke, wondering what would happen to my little Kily after DOMINO.  Almost three years with these boys and we've seen them turn into men.  We're gonna miss them...

Until next post

domino marie

SEA-DOO Portal & Docks

Athwartships, between the 2 boarding platforms, the SEA-DOO portal and the 2 SEA-DOO docking stations are taking shape.  LONDON-SYDNEY, here we come!

OK, so, we're not painting quite yet.  Although I gave my best shot to painting inside all the cabinets and managed the galley and stateroom furnitures, I stopped midway through the head cabinets, dislodged from my cosy squatting by Garcia and Juan, our carpenters, who shooed me off to work on the floor planking.  The sanders invaded the boat with their whine and "polvo" for the rest of the day.  With the dust now settled, we're all sanded-off and start gluing the planking today.

So, jobless for the next week and finished with coating the engine room fire doors solenoids, I picked up my cameras and went around the boat.  Didn't go far, as I sat the rest of the afternoon watching Dionisio build the Sea-Doo docking stations across the aft boarding platforms.  Take a look at the slideshow, or even better, at our entire LONDON-SYDNEY Picasa album at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mtdufour/LondonSydney?feat=email#

As you know, DOMINO will be the support boat for the LONDON-SYDNEY by Personal Watercraft event to raise cancer awareness worldwide.  Slated to start August 2010 and the brainchild of Jeremy Burfoot, the event will go through 5 continents, 3 oceans, 22 countries.  Every evening, the Seadoos will be hoisted on DOMINO for docking and maintenance. Every morning, they will be lowered and the 2 riders will be off for a 200 mile ride.

The DOMINO had to be modified to accommodate the docking of the skis.  The SEA-DOO GTX155 is one mean machine and we need 2 on board -  More on the machines at:

http://www.london-sydney.com/machines.htm

 JP, Jeremy and Norman got together a couple months ago and envisioned the portal and docks.  JP then hired structural engineer Juan Bautista Perez and steelworks master Gregorio Mendoza and the 3 of them came up with the final design of the PORTAL.  Strong, light and very very Art-Deco, the Sea-Doo Portal is now anchored into a high-density foam reinforcement block originally designed for our docking cleats (bakcing plates included) - Cool thing!  (Mes amis francais l'appellent la Bouche de Metro Londres-Sydney)

But the real marvel is the dual SEA-DOO docking station.  Made of stainless steel square tubes and reinforced with a web of small SS tubes, the 3.35m stations (11') span the entire width of the cat.  Again, JP and Gregorio purified the design and materials to obtain the lightest possible structure while giving it maximum strength.  The SEA-DOO Docking structure was supposed to be a removable appendage to the DOMINO.  However, we could gain much strength and save more weight by making it a permanent structure until the end of the LONDON-SYDNEY... which means traveling all the way from Asuncion (Paraguay) to Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador de Bahia, Puerto Rico, Canaries, Gibraltar, Malta and Istanbul with the PORTAL on our tail before even picking up the rider.  That would be a good test of endurance for the portal and for the boat.  By then, we should be old friends!

Yes, it's all an incredible experience.  And we welcome our readers to join us in any capacity they choose in this modern day adventure, one of the last world records and a world premiere: the LONDON-SYDNEY by PWC (SEA-DOO).

Until next post

domino marie

Ready to Paint

All faired and ready to paint.  Ah, but where is the painter when we need him?  Meanwhile, JP loses no time and is messing up the flybridge... WHY?

Fitting the boat to support the London-Sydney adventure is no small feat.  While Gregorio Mendoza is fabricating the portal and crane at his shop, JP is reinforcing the flybridge on port and starboard.  That's where the 2 tanks of gasoline for the seadoos will be installed.  At 1,000 liters each (250 gallons), the tanks needed to sit on some stringers to spread the weight across the structure.  JP is done with the basic wood stringers; they will undergo lamination and fairing in the next 2 days, still ready on time for painting.

Our team really needed a break and we all spent the 1st of May (Labor Day here) participating in a friendly soccer tournament against Norman's parent company, Parque Serenidad.  We were intent on defending the runner-up cup we had won last time and started well, at 1-0 at half time against the Administration team.  Unfortunately, our little Pitu --who had scored the 1st goal-- tried to reach up from his 4' and scored a head... against us.  It was 1-1 when the ref called a penalty (bogus of course!) in favor of the Administration team and... we lost 1-2.  I must say that the Administration team was tough and went on to win the cup.  All was not lost for us and we spent the rest of the day eating, drinking and visiting with families.  Instead of taking the rest of the weekend off, the entire team was back to the boat early in the morning to finish sanding and meet our May 15th deadline.

And here we are, at the deadline, and the job's done.  The interior woodwork is finished, the hundreds of hinges and buttons pre-installed on all doors and lids, the hatches finally fitted with their hinges (that was the most tedious work I've seen Lucio do).  The Steelworks team of Gregorio Mendoza finished the gangplank fittings and swimladder, and all upper deck stanchions, down to the flagpole.  

Monday, the carpenters are starting the floors and will lay down the formica in the galley (travertine-like) and in the helm (flat gray) - Marble? Corian? No, too heavy.  We decided to shed a few pounds more by selecting formica laid over laminated and faired foam.

So, where are the painters?  The ones we had selected are suddenly unavailable, so we're searching again.  The best laid plans...  What's the shelf-life of AwlGrip?  Just kidding....

until next post,

domino marie

DOMINO: THE FINISH LINE

DOMINO's anchoring plan takes an aggressive look, while the fairing team races against the clock to meet painting deadlines.

  DOMINO is only 20 meter long, but lately she has felt like a 100-meter mega-yacht.  I never imagined that fairing and getting ready for painting would take so much work.  We are running so tightly on schedule that I wanted to show our team a little support, so I showed up to the boat last week, ready for 3 days of wet-sanding.  I now understand why our boys don't have an ounce of fat on their bodies and I feel 100 years old... that's HARD work! Another week of prepping and we'll be ready to paint.  

 

   Really, there's so much going on that I don't know where to begin, so I'll just list our progress from bottom to top.

- Fishfinder:  The in-hull Airmar-Furuno 2KW R199 has been glassed in place and pre-installed.

- Fuel tanks: during our last IBEX trip, we found out that the epoxy-laminated fuel tanks should be coated with ProSeal to prevent deterioration.  Our little Kily and Pitu are currently snaking their way into the tanks, giving them a light sanding and a good coating.  

- Engine rooms: all doors and floors are in place.  All equipment supports in place, and pre-wired.

- Plumbing: all pre-installed.

- Cabin: all ceiling moldings in place, ready for headliners (Vinyl-covered foam)

- Electrical: all equipment pre-mounted and pre-cabled.

- Windows: all framing finished, ready to glue in place.

- Arch: JP decided to add some structural support to the center of the arch, due to excessive motion.  This has radically changed the look of the flybridge, but will ensure stability.  

- Floors: we are starting our own version of "teak and holly" with a "cancharana and something-guarani-impossible-to-pronounce" for the entire cabin.  Cancharana is a reddish wood, with volute-like grain, and will give a rich tone to the cabin.  We've been tramping on our sample at the bottom of our stairs for the last 2 years are are yet to make a dent in it.  hard stuff.

   Meanwhile, we're also making modifications to accommodate the London-Sydney by PWC needs.  We have removed the aft bench (sorry, no fishing from there for a while) to make room for 1 Seadoo.  JP is working with structural engineer Juan Bautista Perez on the building plans for the crane.  This crane will have to lift the 350 kg Seadoos out of the water and make them travel 1.5 meter or so to the aft platform where they will rest.  Since there's only room for 1 Seadoo on the current platform, we are building a temporary structure athwartships to house the second seadoo.  Of course, Gregorio Mendoza will build it out of steel.  

   If this seems orderly to the point of boring, it's because it is a methodical process, with a narrowing scope as we close in to the finish line.  Our desktops are a testimony to our progress> jumbled stacks of magazines, flyers, catalogs and other scribbled note have been replaced by detailed and organized construction files.  That's a good sign. 

   Hmmm... how does your desk look?

Until next post,

domino marie

 

DUST STORM

FLASH - FLASH - FLASH

(Photo courtesy of abc Color Newspaper)

Last saturday, we witnessed a spectacular phenomenon, never seen before in Paraguay:  a dust storm.  From Domino's flybridge where we were working, we saw it coming.  A brown front, tens of miles wide, quickly sweeping over Asuncion (10 miles away) and moving up in our direction a 90km/h.  We could smell the dirt and the smoke and the trash and the tar way before the cloud got to us.  The hit was violent.  We seeked refuge inside the DOMINO, plastered our backs against the walls, and let the draft through the structure.  The shaking was formidable.  It was hours before the rain came, short-lived, thick and black, with a smell of "cocido" that still lingers.
Thus it was how we experienced our first storm: dust storm on dry land.  What a paradox!You can see photos of the dust storm at:

http://www.abc.com.py/fotonoticias.php?fec=2009-04-06

Till next post 

domino marie

WINDOW FRAMES

This mold generates the various corners for the window frames.

(See our new video "fitting the sliding door" in the left side bar)

  Finally, after almost 2 months of paperwork, negotiation and teamwork, our customs agent ("despachante") managed to release our supplies from customs.  Awlgrip paint, Diamond Seaglaze fritted glass, Sika adhesives, Indel refrigeration, and Ancor cables made the bulk of this load and relatively little was missing, which is a miracle, considering that the container from Miami is repacked in Montevideo and the supplies are literally up for grabs if they're not safely packed.  Fortunately, most of our suppliers do a great job packing and I now insist on shrink-wrapping and crating as much as possible.

  But, on to the windows.  Preparing the frames to support the direct glazing once more tested JP's burgeoning engineering skills and creativity.  Ideally, each glass pane should have rested in a recess of the structure and the glazing would have been flush with the sides.  But that's not the way the plans came and we just were not equipped to re-design and cut a recessed pane.  So, JP did the next best thing: design an exterior frame to support the glass, its adhesive and filler.  Following the exact direct glazing instructions from SIKA, JP drew a frame.  Building the straight baguettes out of resin/fiber mix was simple enough for Lucio who had made a couple straight molds.  But when it came to the corners, JP had to calculate each of the 3 different corner radii.  This led him to design a mold: 2 concentric circles and one arc.  He then presented his drawing to Norman who loaded the data in his Autocad and fired up the C&C machine.  Within minutes, we had a mold, ready for Lucio to wax, gelcoat, fill with fiber, foam and resin, and VOILA!  Curved baguettes and circle ones, ready to glue in place at the window corners. 

  Now, why do I bother telling you all this?  Simply because I find it fascinating.  So much is involved in window glazing alone.  From the cutting of the first window opening, to the fabrication of the glass templates, ordering , calculating thickness of glass and its glue-and-filler space... it's all minutia.  We have to get it right.  Having never done any of this before makes it a real challenge.  There is no returning anything to the store.  

  While fitting the window frames, we had to make sure that the port side escape sliding door from Diamond Seaglaze would have enough room to work.  With a little adjustment here and there, it all worked out.  It took an entire day to glue the frames, which is a lot more time than we expected. But they are now faired and ready to paint.

   While this is going on, JP continues pre-installing.  This week: finishing the plumbing.   

The boys are on target to finish all the fine fairing by the end of the month and we are planning May 15th as our start-up date for painting.  We still are on target for an August launch!

Until next post

domino marie

Electrons

With the structure finished, the furnishings ready for hinges and latches, the air conditioning units and vents in place, DOMINO looks like a ship.  We could think we're almost finished. but NOoooo.... here come the electricity and the electronics!  Above, at the San Diego Trawlerfest with Albert Talerico, PHANTOM MARINE, who helped me through the maze of selecting the right electronics suite for DOMINO.

    A few weeks ago, JP and Norman sat down to finalize the electrical.  There were some lively discussions and, of a common accord, we all decided we needed help.  A quick SKYPE message to our friend Bill Shuman, who builds his own motorcat HERO in Pensacola, and I knew whom to contact for help.  Arild Jensen is the name, and he lives somewhere up-north, far far away, in British Columbia.  A quick email and within minutes we had a response.  Yes, Arild was available; yes, he would be glad to help us.  After a month of back-and-forth emails between JP, Norman, Arild, Ewen Thomson (Marine Lightning Protection), and John Deere, we now have our system in place... on paper at least.

   Once more, we heavily depended on our suppliers' technical help.  Capt'n Ralf at ODYSSEY batteries was a great resource.  We had considered the Lithium batteries from Mastervolt, but the technology and use in marine application is, in our opinion, lacking background and depth.  Perhaps we would have chosen the lithium battery for a smaller, recreational craft, but we didn't want to take any chance and selected the Odyssey TPPL batteries.  This said, MasterVolt's lithium batteries look very promising.

   While the boys were making sense of the 12KW Northern Lights generator and finding ways to boost its charging efficiency by adding 2 x 100 amps battery chargers to the system, I was calculating amp loads: 110V, 12v, 24v and drawing lists of equipment.  Sure, we had drawn lists before, but this was "IT."  This is now the point of no-return and we're all under pressure.

   The good news is that we have completed the selection and ordering of all our electronic appliances and figured out all the cabling (at least, we think so.)  Selecting an electronics suite is not just about picking out a few radars and screens here and there.  On a project like DOMINO, it means integrating all the systems: radars, autopilots, compass, all sensors, VHF, etc.  Is it all NMEA compatible?  Is it NMEA 1087 or 2000? Are we running 12, 24, or 110v?  It took us over a year to find the right components and the right professional for our application.  We selected to work with PHANTOM MARINE from Newport Beach and Al Talerico has got to be the most patient person I know with superlative customer service commitment.  

  But wait, there's more!  We really are working ourselves into a frenzy and my computer is steaming.  See what else is going on:

  - Complete outfitting: fenders, lines, dinghy motor, gas cans, and all the little stuff.  Between Gordon Christie at my home-town West Marine store and Franz Steidl from the Port Supply International Team, I'm in good hands.  The Port Supply on-line store is working wonders.

  - Sourcing and purchasing battery cables:  we discovered Peter Kennedy Yacht Services in Annapolis, MD and are very impressed with the service and prices we've gotten.  

  - Emergency and Safety: while at the San Diego Trawlerfest a few weeks ago, I re-discovered Landfall Navigation.  I love their pre-assembled personal safety kits and their prices are competitive.  

  - More stuff: the Zodiac 6 person SOLAS is coming from Canada, more rigging and lifelines from Brooks at Sailing Services in Miami (Brooks is really awesome), converters from Gemeco, chain counter from Maxwell, latches from SouthCo, headliner and cushion fabrics from International Fabrics, stainless steel insect screens from TWP, one more ITT floodlight, Parker valves from AccuTech, the Fiorentino para-anchor, OMT filters from Great Lakes, more stuff from Grainger, Groco and ITT, and what else????? Who knew how much "stuff" goes on a boat?

AND .... as if we weren't masochistic enough, we are totally into preparing DOMINO for the LONDON-SYDNEY by Personal Watercraft Rally  -- www.london-sydney.com

But more on that in the next blog.

Until next post...

domino marie

   

    

Jeremy Burfoot & DOMINO

London-Sydney by Personal Watercraft - 28,000 km on a Seadoo - That is the Ultimate Ride that Aussie/Kiwi Jeremy Burfoot has planned for himself... with DOMINO as support boat.  Start date: Summer 2010.

When I got the email almost a year ago, I thought it was a joke and was ready to spam-trash it.  This guy "Burfoot" wants to sell me "The Ultimate Race."  Sounds like Spam to me, but I'd just backed up my hard drive, so I decided to live dangerously and opened the email --Besides I work on a MAC...

  Attached to the link to The London-Sydney Race website www.london-sydney.com , is Jeremy's intriguing question: "Would DOMINO be our support boat?"  It took a few minutes for that to sink in - 28,000 km on a Seadoo?  All to raise Cancer Prevention Awareness and raise funds for Cancer Research?  That's totally down our alley, 100% dead on our goals for the future, we built DOMINO with that kind of project in mind... we are so ready for it!  One problem though: DOMINO is a year away from being finished.

  So, I respond to Jeremy a "thanx-but-no-thanx" mail, yet stay in contact with him via his blog for months.  For some reason, I really want to get involved.  When Jeremy announces us that he'll wait for DOMINO, I now find all kinds of excuses.  How are we going to fit two 350-kg machines on the aft platform?  Thinking of it, there is NO aft platform?  How about a crane?  How are we going to lift and retrieve?  And what of the 2,000 liters of gasoline we need to carry?  And 1/2 ton of parts?  And 4 more people and their stuff?  This seems impossible.

  But, after long discussions between JP, Anthony Stanton (MTD Designer) and Jeremy, it seemed possible.  And, to check it out, Jeremy came to visit DOMINO and see for himself.  And, guess what?  DOMINO is perfect for the job.  Yes, we'll have to make some modifications, eliminate our fishing bench, build an Eiffel-Tower-looking parking rig for the skis, and an I-beam crane, but it's possible.  

  Excited about the project, Engineer Norman Hellmers joined the fun last Saturday and got into the mechanics of the building the right type of crane/hoist/lift... Nothing has been more exciting than watching JP, Jeremy and Norman cooperating in finding a solution.  Steam was coming out of that aft platform!!!

  Jeremy is back down-under doing what he usually does (fly 747 for Qantas), JP is in Asuncion putting together a team of painters, and I'm in Huntington Beach, CA, selecting the last of the electronics, fenders, lifejackets and flares, with a jaunt down to the San Diego Trawlerfest... oh, I forgot, enjoying kids and grandkids.

  Busy times.... and our stuff is still in the grips of Paraguayan customs... JP can deal with that!

Until next time

domino marie

Things That Shine

Gregorio Mendoza, G.M. Arte (Paraguay) and his team is crafting the beautiful lines of Domino's railing.

Master craftsmen are a rare breed.  We hear about them; once in a while we glance at their work and gawk; we chase them around like a chimera; they are so elusive that we end up thinking they are but legend.  Yet, I can assure you they exist.  Gregorio and his two assistants, indeed, breathe in the rarefied atmosphere of technical craftsmen.

We had a hint that all-things-steel were going to be OK when Gregorio showed us his steel-art portfolio immediately after showing us his industrial work portfolio.  He could manage any kind of steel, any size, any shape, not only with technique but also with intelligence and style.

He started small, with the bow roller base.  Nothing fancy, just the exact angles.  Then followed the mast: perfect placement, nice curve, beautiful soldering and finish.  The real test was with the curved railing.  We saw the stanchions getting cut, the steel tubes getting curved this way and that with only a hand-cranked shaper, and watched the raw steel morph into an elegant railing.

Our initial plan was to only do a top railing and use cables for the lower stage.  But, seeing Gregorio's work, we decided to go all-out and do a full, 2-tier SS tube railing: more support, more safety.

When JP talked about a sliding bar for the railing's gates, Gregorio listened, thought for a minute, and announced he could do it.  Now we have 2 hand-crafted locking slides at each port and starboard gate.

The ladder to access the sliding escape hatch  was still to be designed.  JP has been scratching his head for 2 years with that problem and had come up with several possibilites: stowable, sliding, hinged, wood, fiberglass, steel... how were we do deploy a ladder to exit the boat from port side of the helm?  There was nothing in the plans and JP was still balancing his options.  Steel, of course!  Gregorio approached me yesterday with a "slip test" --  a piece of steel, hammered with 3 different sizes of points that I had to try for foot traction.  Shoes off... try them all... the small ones.  We call JP: he agrees.  I was checking this morning: the ladder looks great, sliding in and out of its grooves, all thanks to JP's old rollerblades ball bearings!

Now, JP is designing the gangway, deployable from the starboard boarding platform, yet stowable on the aft fishing platform.

Meanwhile, we're still working on hatch covers.  As marvelous as the Niro Petersen hinges are, fitting them is not easy.  We had not quite designed the hatches' drainage grooves with the hinges in mind... modifications.  Ditto with the lift handles.  We had purchased some gorgeous locking GEM slam latches... too small, not waterproof.  We have to go back to square one on the hatch covers and lift handles, after 5 weeks of laboring with them.

But it's all part of the process.  Below deck, the engine room doors are going up, the drive shafts are installed, the floors in process of fabrication, and all the pumps, through hulls and other plumbing finding its place.  

As I write this, I can hear the regular coming-and-going of dump trucks under my window.  They are filling the swampy area between the hangar and the Rio Paraguay.  That's right!  We're actively thinking about and working toward.... LAUNCHING this boat!

Until next time,

Domino marie

Things That Go Up

The hull gets a lift, the hoist finds its spot, the mast rises up.  With so many projects going up and up, how could we possibly feel down?

(See new pictures at: http://picasaweb.google.com/mtdufour/Domino2009#

  On January 1st, JP drew an estimated work schedule to finish building the boat.  We hoped to launch in June.  A month after drawing that production schedule, we realize how slowly the work progresses.  Although our team is willing, the work is tedious, details take for ever to get finished, and there are days when we think we'll never get out of here.

  However, if we look at each component, we have to admit that things are looking up.

- The hull was finally hoisted and we were able to re-do the skegs.  Why?  We needed to scrape and replace the original silicone by a marine-grade product, and to replace the bolts with marind-grade brass bolt.  Without marine-grade materials, we were risking losing our beaching skegs.

- Gregorio finished the steel hoist and the boys finished the hoist control box and all its electrical ins and outs.  

- Gregorio also welded and polished the antenna mast, finished its base and took JP's drawings home to add all the secondary elements to the mast: mounting bases for the satellite compass, the floodlights, the strobe light, the FLIR night vision camera, the mast light and the lightning rod.  Let's not forget the rungs to get up-there (7 meters above deck) and a couple securing hooks!

  Meanwhile, JP is drawing his little heart out: final designs of the 3 bow rollers; initial plans for the gangway and its deployment (and storage) process; dash panels; pilot bench; tables and seats; and all the lighting wiring.  Sums up as 15-hour days and more sleepless nights.

  As for me, I run around looking for J-boxes, scour the Internet for Delrin rods, and spend countless hours getting our merchandise out of the dockers' claws, then out of Customs' grip.  That's when I'm not critiquing JP's work or doing my usual cheerleader's visits.

All in all, we're making progress and try to keep a schedule without being adamant about deadlines.  One day this ship will float!

Until next time

Domino marie

Bow Roller

After weeks of thinking and stacks of designs, JP decided for a simple bow roller (instead of a self-launching one).  He designed this massive bow roller to fit the RAYA anchors and the specific needs of the DOMINO catamaran.  We tested the product this morning.

See the test pictures at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mtdufour/DominoBowRollerTest?feat=directlink

Now that JP has solved his steel works issues with Gregorio, his brain is free to tackle other creative works.  No bow roller on the market was big enough to fit Domino and the RAYA 2500 and 3000. So, JP designed his own.  Oliver-the-Welder fabricated 2 steel rollers according to JP's specs to accommodate the 1/2" ACCO chain and the RAYAs.

With the wooden model in place and the MAXWELL 4000 windlass in position, we easily launched and retrieved.  No kinks, no jolts!  With a bit of widening of the large roller's groove, we'll test again but it looks good.   Now, it's up to Gregorio to make the bow roller plates.

As for the Delrin rollers, GRAINGER will supply the rods in the sizes needed, and Oliver will just have to tool them.

Mission accomplished and one less thing on JP's list.

Until next time

domino marie

Steel Works

Gregorio Mendoza, steel artist extraordinaire.

Sometimes, everything goes right.  This week is just one perfect week, and I should be knocking on wood... but we're in the Steel.  Yes,  the steel from Argentina got to us in record time thanks to the efficient administration at FAMIQ http://famiq.com.ar/

The folks at Nuestra Senora de la Asuncion  http://www.nsa.com.py/ took care of the international transport and delivered the goods within a week, just in time for the new year.  Our new despachante did a superb job getting the merchandise out of customs quickly and we were back to work on time and according to schedule, January 5th.  Kudos to all involved.

Enter Gregorio Mendoza.  We'd been looking for a steel worker to build all our railings, anchor rollers, cranes and ladders but couldn't find anyone to work on SS 316L.  We looked around for almost a year and were desperate when a local boatbuilder sent us Gregorio.  We were impressed.  Gregorio's portfolio was a mix of tough industrial work (breweries, Coca Cola plant) and delicate artistry in steel, iron, and anything metal.  Indeed, when not soldering beer vats or steel boat hulls, he creates delicate art pieces and exposes in various galleries.  Bingo!

For the last week, Gregorio and his assistant Dionysio have been crafting Domino's railing.  Based on JP's design and drawings, they shape, cut, solder and polish yard after yard of stainless steel 316L.  Watching them  work, it's obvious that Gregorio is a master craftsman: smart, cautious, detailed and artistic.  He and JP are on the same wavelength and they share ideas, refine details, create solutions to give Domino strength and beauty.  

Sometimes I wish we had opted for a production boat; one-off, hand-made boat building is excruciatingly slow and tedious.  But, when we watch Gregorio at work and the care he brings to every detail, we're glad to see Domino taking shape as she is: with love.  She's a boat with character, forged by the men who put all their knowledge and trade secrets into her, day after day.  

Until next time

domino marie

RAYA Anchors

The Raya 3000 & 2500 securely anchored in our trunk arrive at the astillero.  Made in Brasil by Ancora Latina

http://www.ancoralatina.com/

Most cruisers worry about one major issue: SLEEPING AT ANCHOR.  While some prefer the safety of marinas, world cruisers want to be safe at anchor.  Who wants to spend nights on anchor watch, listening to the Maramu or the Mistral blowing furiously and wondering if the anchor will hold while the boat is doing 360s? And what about the seabed?  Will the anchor hold in sand, mud, grass, rocks, any and all of them?  

A proper anchoring plan is paramount for safety and peace of mind and was JP's first and foremost concern when he first planned DOMINO.  After selecting his winches, bollards, lines, chains, and reinforcing the decks in proper places during construction, he still had not selected his anchors.  Rocna? Spade? Supreme? Delta? Each had advantages, but each had downsides and he was happy with none.  So, he waited a little, hoping that something new would come along... or design his own!   Then, he found what he was looking for... in BRASIL !

ANCORA LATINA www.ancoralatina.com designs and produces a marvelous anchor: the RAYA.  When JP saw it, it was a no-brainer that this was the best anchor on the market.  WHY?

- The anchor automatically falls in a right or left position: no turtle back!

- Its sharp and weighed tip ensures fast and easy penetration in all conditions

- Its conical fluke evacuates sand, mud, and other material during setting AND retrieval

- Its conical shape allows for swiveling without losing hold 

- More holding surface area for less weight

- Easy launch and retrieval

Visiting the manufacture, we were impressed by the care given to each individual anchor: strength and sharpness of the points, proper weight distribution, lateral support, quality welding, exact angles.  Every anchor is carefully crafted, based on C&C cut of the individual parts.

After debating the choices, JP selected his 2 forward anchors:

RAYA 2500 - 2500 cm2 holding surface, 42 kg 

RAYA 3000 - 3000 cm2 holding surface, 75 kg 

Although ANCORA LATINA manufactures a stowable storm anchor, THE TEMPEST, we did not select it at this time but are thinking about adding it when we cruise the coast of Brasil... soon.

Now, JP is designing the bow rollers to work all this together.  But that's another stack of drawings, wooden models, and a story for another day.

Until next time

domino marie

From grinding to grounding

Now that all the major grinding has stopped, it's time for grounding.  All sorts of grounds:  lightning loop, grounding circuit, grounded circuit (negative circuit) and whatever I might have forgotten.

 

After 3  years of stop-and-go fiberglass laying and grinding, the noise has finally died down and the grinding has come to a halt and made room for... grounding! 

With the structure entirely finished and faired, JP can concentrate on the electrical.  Already, all the conduits have been threaded and are ready to receive the ultimate wiring.  The ceilings and walls are pierced and prepped for the lighting fixtures.  Then, we're off the the grounding.

I'm losing track of the the grounding, grounded, negative, lightning loops, circuits and busses.  All I know is that JP's got it straight.  We have spared no effort dealing with the lightning protection system designed by Dr. Ewen Thomson http://www.marinelightning.com/ - The Siedarc (TM) electrodes are ready to be "plugged" in after JP removed the core and replaced it with solid epoxy plugs.

The stateroom is installed: A/C, queen-size bed, large closet, and all the supports for the ceiling's headliners are done.

Just to keep you updated, the stainless steel arrived last night in Asuncion, waiting at the customs office, and we should be starting on lifelines construction during the 1st week of January.  Meanwhile, we'll be in Brasil to get our anchors.  Check out the RAYA anchor at: http://ancoralatina.com/

And to all of you, a very merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Until next post

Domino marie

FROM THE FLYBRIDGE

There is nothing like a 360-view from the flybridge... even if the view is actually blocked on 3 out of 4 sides by the hangar wall.  Still, the view forward across the Rio Paraguay at sunset is enchanting.

What's going on with the flybridge, anyways?  Well, the arch is up, ready for all electrics and electronics.  JP had to add a support beam on each side, and it's doing the job.  There's still a bit of lateral motion in the arch but the seats JP plans to build at the base of the arch should provide enough structural stiffening to solve that problem.

The FB helm is planned, cut and ready to be laminated.  All the coamings are closed and primed, ready to be faired.   All the holes for lights, cables, vents, and conduits are cut and ready to be plugged, capped, hatched, stuffed, threaded or topped.  JP had to be creative with fabricating tools.  No hole saw big enough to cut the foam for placement of the compass?  Let's cut teeth into an 8" PVC pipe and... voila!  Just drill the foam away!  Today, we're building the FB bench.  

The big news is that we finally found stainless steel 316L... in Argentina.  I know, I know, after all I said about Argentina in the past, it's a wonder that we should consider doing business with Argentine companies again.  But at least, it seems easier than Brazil.  JP and I spent the last 2 months of intense, frustrating and --in the end-- unsuccessful import negotiations with over 30 Brazilian steel providers.  Argentina was our next option.  Gregorio, our welder, referred us to his usual supplier in Buenos Aires.  Just a phone call to FAMIQ, an email with my shopping list, and that was it.  In less than 20 hours, the deal was made and the steel will get here within 2-3 weeks.  I'm optimistic.  Boy, I sure hope I won't have to eat my words in 3 weeks from now!

So, with the 2 major challenges of the arch and the steel solved, we're in high spirits.  The container from the US should arrive shortly with all our electrical supplies and paint, just in time for Christmas.  That would be a nice gift...

Our next challenge is the steel work.  JP has already planned it all and Gregorio is our man.  I can't wait to see the steelwork go up: anchor plates, crane, railings and posts.  But, patience, the steel needs to get here first... from Argentina, no less!

Until next post,

domino marie

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

           Celebrating Thanksgiving with "Los Consuegros"

Thanksgiving is essentially an American holiday, when friends and family give thanks around turkey, gravy, and pumpkin pie.  But who said it had to be exclusively an American holiday? Having a lot to be thankful for, we decided to forego Turkey and gathered a few of our staunchest supporters around... Cheese and Champagne!

Yes, Domino is at a stage where we can actually host a little gathering on deck.  Of course, it takes major vacuuming, washing and scrubbing, but with a fair amount of understanding from our guests,  we end up having a good time.  Sitting on deck and watching the sun go down across the river is spectacular and our guests are gracious enough not to make a big deal about the fiberglass an powder that may have escaped my cleaning efforts.

Indeed, and I've said it many times, we couldn't complete the project without the love and support we've found here.  Paraguayan, French, Spanish, from college students to retired grandparents, a circle of friends lifts us to no other option but succeed.  

And there are also our suppliers, in the US, Brazil, Argentina, New Zealand, Australia, Germany, England, Canada.  They're only an email or a phone call away (SKYPE, baby!), sharing their knowledge and advice.

Finally, of course, our family.  We wonder how they're still interested in looking at our pictures.  We've been talking about this project for 17 years and our kids must be fed-up with "The Boat."  But they still ask... Yes kids, the day is coming......

So, to all of you --and you know who you are-- a warm THANK YOU for your love and support.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING !

Till next post,

domino marie

IBEX 2008

IBEX 2008 - At the EUROGLASS booth, Neil (left)  presents our own Julio "Superman" protecting Domino's galley furniture with Euroglass film.

What do we do when we find ourselves out of resources, when our list of unanswered questions becomes mind-boggling and sleepless nights are not giving us the answers we desperately need? We go to IBEX, the International Boatbuilders Expo in Miami. If last year's trip was only an introduction to hundreds of available products, this year's participation was much more focused. In addition to meeting the vendors on the floor, we participated to many workshops presented by leaders in the industry. Steve Spitzer introduced us to NMEA 2000 and reviewed antenna placement. Steve d'Antonio discussed fuel systems and hose selection. Nigel Calder introduced us to the new synchronizing inverters and reviewed the TPPL batteries. And Don MacPherson discussed how to avoid and fix chronic propeller problems.

It goes without saying JP and I ran the gamut of feelings, from intimidated in a room with dozens of professional boat engineers, panicked when I feared that I had ordered the wrong Awlgrip product, to more confident with fuel systems and hose clamps. We really got a lot of information and found that the lectures were well worth the 3 to 4-hour/day commitment.
Some of the answers we found:
- Our integral epoxy fuel tank might degrade over time, especially if biodiesel becomes more prevalent. Although we couldn't get a clear answer from the epoxy resin manufacture, we decided to err on the side of caution and coat the tanks with AdTech's specially-formulated product. This should prevent tank degradation and keep our fuel system clean.
- To avoid propeller problems, JP decided to do without the zinc collars and the line-cutters on the shafts. This will not only prevent cavitation but also allow for a reduction of the shafts and of the distance between the props and the bushings: less vibration.
- Nifty gadget: silicone tabs to cap the sharp edges of the hose clamps: no more finger laceration!
- Gibco Flexmold will definitely be the way to apply patterning to the gelcoat on decks and create non-skid surfaces.

And, what a surprise! Our own Julio "Superman" made it (in picture) to IBEX. The Euroglass booth featured a pix of Julio standing in Domino's galley, proudly showing off his galley cabinets safe under a layer of Euroglass protection film. What a hoot!

While JP returned to Asuncion after IBEX (not after an obligatory stop at West Marine #31), I took advantage of my free airline miles to take care of a few things in the US. Went to visit Bill Shuman in Pensacola. Bill is as insane as we are, building his own Tennant design power CAT, "HERO." More on that in the next blog.

My next stop was Newport Beach, my home-town, where I continued researching electronics. I must say that riding my bike along PCH was sheer pleasure. How I miss the ocean…

Next stop was Santa Barbara where our son James studies geology and took me on the 5-day SBCC geology field study of the Eastern Sierra Nevada… along with 70+ college kids, tents, sleeping bags, no showers, and the obligatory lectures and quizzes… much better than any tourism guide (quizzes aside)!

Final stop was in Mansfield, Ohio, where I had a chance to visit our son Phil and his wife. Gorgeous country, especially in the fall when all the leaves turn and before the snow. Oh… and I hadn't realized that this was Amish country, quilting heaven. Serendipity struck when I happened to tour the county on Halloween, the day of the yearly Quilt Shop Hop… but I have to save the stories for my quilting blog.

Back to Asuncion and work, and it's all good…
Till the next post,

Domino Marie

HYDRAULICS: CHECK!

Take a good look at this, you'll never see it again!  For better or for worse, the steering systems are now locked under the boarding platforms.  

Yet another milestone reached today: the completion of the hydraulics.  Tested and mostly approved (we still have a minor leak to fix forward) the system is done.  I can check that off my list.

I have to admit, hydraulics are really cool!  I've never seen Norman so excited.  He finally got to take the helm, turn the wheel, and see the HyDrive cylinders move and the rudders follow.  No doubt that he was pleased to see that the connections  were holding under simple load.  We found a minor leak this morning, however and will get that fixed.  But JP will not rest until we test the system under full pressure.  I won't even try to guess what a hull and wingdeck full of hydraulic fluid might look like.  The Hydrive Pack 9 holds some 55 liters of fluid...

We'll still be able to access the system under each platform through a hatch located directly over the rudder post, and another hatch communicating with the aft section of the hull.  OK, we can't gain too much weight, but the system is accessible.

Meanwhile, the rest of the team is working on other parts of the boat.

- Julio is making a patchwork of foam and thin Timbo wood for the galley top cabinet.  Already laminated and soon to be added to the rest of the galley furniture in place.

- Francisco is in charge of the 14 flaps and closures for the natural ventilation system.

- Pitu and Killy keep on cleaning, sanding, fairing, fussing with all the details.

- Lucio and Angel re-positioned the hatch to the flybridge (it was not in the best alignment with the ladder), cutting the lazarette lids, closing the boarding platforms and "everything fiberglass."

- Me? When I'm tired of shopping on the Internet, I go watch the guys work, hold the silicone gun for them while they position the seacocks and thru-hulls.  Mostly, I try to enjoy the moment and not ask the question everyone asks: HOW MUCH LONGER?

Until next time,

domino marie

PRESIDENTE LUGO

 The pink lapachos in bloom signal the end of winter and the coming of spring, heralding a new political season for Paraguay.

Today marks a new era in the history of Paraguay.  After the Stroessner dictature followed by the corrupt goverment of the Partido Colorado, a 61-year history of oppression of the Paraguayan people ends today.  

       For more on the subject, follow this link: 

http://www.abc.com.py/especiales/lugopresidente/

Some of my friends will object to these comments and opine that President Lugo is a communist and will cause the ruin of the country.  But from my vantage point, I already see a country in ruins, where politicians and government employees constitute a super-rich class who has sacked the country of its wealth and has been shamelessly exploiting the poor, witholding education, health services, economic opportunities and self-development of the people.

In his inaugural speech, President Lugo pledged to put an end to Paraguay's reputation of corruption and to work for the economic and social essor of the country.  

Social justice is not communism.  No doubt that the wealthy will have to start paying taxes, a source of income for the State that will enable social improvement.  It is our sincere hope that, for the first time in 61 years, public funds will benefit the Paraguayan people instead of a handful of greedy politicians.  

President Lugo, in a show of austerity and setting the example, has renounced to his presidential salary.  Austerity and work are the hallmark of the new Lugo government and we wish them all the best.

Until next post,

        domino marie

M.T.D. & E.T.

1. The MTD-DOMINO construction team: Edelio "Pitu", Julio, Lucio, Antonio, Marie, Francisco, Leon "Killy" and Angel. JP& Norman are taking the picture!
   

   I should have paid attention to the little omens along the way. Wasn't it a sign that MTD were not just the initials of Malcolm Tennant Design, but also mine?  Was is a coincidence that Dream Performance's D.P. also could stand for Dufour-Pinault, my last names?  Also could stand for Domino-Paraguay?  Well, I should have paid attention and expected to, some day, have my own boat-building company.

   And now it's done.  Marie Therese Dufour, Fabricacion y Reparacion de Embarcaciones is a full-fledged Paraguayan company, albeit a small one, but nonetheless formal.  The "Muchachos" insisted on throwing a celebration and we cooked a little barbecue after work.  Now, call me "La Capitana."

   With all the administrative hurdles out of the way, JP and Norman can fully concentrate on the technical issues.  They're still up to their necks into electrical loads calculations and circuit planning but we're seeing the end of that process.  Although the IMTRA LED will draw very little, all the rest adds up.  But it's a lot of fun to see electrical circuit plans spewing out of Norman's printer, all in color! 

  See the IMTRA lights at: 

www.imtra.com/product/marine_lighting/fixtures.htm

   At the yard, we started to install the marine lightning protection system.  Designed by Ewen Thomson (E.T. ????) from Marine Lightning Protection, you can see the design at:  http://www.marinelightning.com/designs/Domino20/Domino20LPSProfileDec13.jpg

   The need for good lightning protection system was etched into my mind when my friends Thor and Linda lost their 62-ft ketch SKOHL, hit by lightning and my friends are now landlubber.  We spared no effort in getting the best possible lightning protection system and started to install the basic parts: 2 conductors (brass) running down the aft posts, and H-strips under the aft flats of the hulls.  For more details, see Ewen Thomson's website:  http://www.marinelightning.com

   Ewen's plans are self-explanatory and his kit came to us ready-to-install.  It's a good thing since none of us knew anything about lightning protection.  

  One day at a time, we're inching toward the completion of the project MTD: MUCHO TIEMPO y DINERO!

Until next time,

Domino marie

   

 

DOMINO 4 PARAGUAY

Barbecue Pitu  -- Edelio "Pitu" seen here taping the inside of the barbecue furniture.  Pitu is an example of what our team stands for: being successful even when it seems impossible.

I've been tempted lately to create a bumper sticker "DOMINO 4 PARAGUAY" and to stick it on every swerving auto, speeding moto, and out-of-service traffic light.  As I reflect on DOMINO's virtues I can't help thinking that she has a lot to teach us: lean and free of dead weight, efficient and performing, of a light but strong build.  

Lean-and-mean is perhaps the attribute of the upcoming government of Fernando Lugo, due to initiate on August 15th.  The President-elect is trimming the deadwood of hundreds of bogus goverment workers, returning the administrations to a lean-and-mean roster.  Efficient-and-performing is the goal of this new government who is replacing long-time political afficionados in key posts (telephone, industry, energy, oil) by professional engineers and specialists with years of experience in their respective fields.  Light-and-strong is the image I'm getting from the new leader, or better said, an iron fist in velvet glove.   With these similarities, I can't help remark that DOMINO 4 PARAGUAY is not such a bad slogan.

Tongue-in-cheek as my comments may appear, I want to answer the many people who are no longer asking me "Why Paraguay?" but are asking me: "What's in it for Paraguay?"  In this small country of only 6 million inhabitants, half of whom live in the capital, a little goes a long way.  To the handful of employees who work at the yard, DOMINO means more than a paycheck at the end of the week.  She means growth and hope.  They are learning new skills every day and hope to be able to use them after DOMINO is gone. She means pride, the pride of daring to do something that has never been done in the country.  She means to be the FIRST, to be a pioneer.

To the local businesses who procure our prime material, DOMINO means money.  I'm looking at my growing stack of invoices and I nod "yes."  Formicolor, Tricolor, Lincoln, Syopar, Casa de las Mangueras, Sanisart, Hidraulica Brasil, Electropar, OG Repuestos and many other retailers are integral parts of the DOMINO.  Local service businesses as well: Victor Koop, various Tornerias, MTD steel works, various lawyers and accountants.  All this means tax revenue to the country.

To the young students who visit DOMINO, she means that everything is possible.  All one needs is vision and commitment.

This may not seem as much, really,  in the scope of the country's vast needs.  But what we foster at the yard and through our blog, what we are trying to press upon our workers and our readers,  is a change in ATTITUDE.  I was just reading in ABC Color this morning that one of the problems of Paraguay is the fatalistic, defeatist attitude of its people.  With the DOMINO project, we are trying to change that ingrained attitude for a "YES I CAN" one.  

Perhaps I'm just a product of Zig Zigler's Positive Thinking of the 80's.  In that case, I'm not the only one.  The local radio broadcasts positive thinking messages every morning "para sentirse mejor, mejor, y mejor."  DOMINO is an example of what taking charge of one's life can achieve.

Malcolm Tennant was a shrewd man and a good man.  I can't help thinking that his last design might have summarized his experience of life and, instead of being just a boat design, might in fact be a blueprint for what societies of men should be about.

Until next time,

Domino marie

LUMEN VISITS DOMINO

Engineer Norman Hellmers  introduces DOMINO

Lumen College Students
It looks like DOMINO is growing some star power.  This morning, 24 high-school students from LUMEN College (Asuncion) visited the boatyard.

Engineer Norman Hellmers conducted the visit (in English) and gave the students a basic course in boat construction.  The topics included polyester resin vs. epoxy resin, foam core density, fiberglass technology.  The students learned about basic hull dynamics and why a long, thin hull performs better than a short wide hull, therefore the benefits of a catamaran such as DOMINO.  

We hope that the visit of the yard will inspire some of the young students to follow a carreer in marine technology.  To those students (I know you have computer time this Friday) I want to list the possible carreers in boat building:

Boat designer;  structural engineer;  fiberglass technician;  engine mechanic;  hydraulics specialist;  electrical and electronics engineer;  fairing specialist;  steel worker and welder; carpenter;  painter; purchasing agent; project manager; and many others.

To all the LUMEN College students, thank you for your visit this morning.  Any of you want to become a boat builder?  You may post your response below.

Until next time,

Domino marie

IN THE NEWS

DOMINO

It was to happen sooner or later: Domino is in the News.  I have been told by several friends and DOMINO workers that last Friday Humberto Rubin, founder of Radio Nanduti  and a reknown journalist, made some on-the-air comments about our work at the shipyard.  I didn't hear the radio coverage myself, therefore can only comment on what I've been told, but by all accounts it seems that Mr. Rubin has a very poor understanding of what's going on and of who we are.

Labeling JP as a rich foreigner who has invested several millions of dollars in building a boat in Paraguay because labor is cheap couldn't be any further from the truth and is an allegation that puts all of us in harm's way.

Had we had several millions of dollars to invest in boat building, we would have stayed in the USA or moved to a country where the workforce can read and write, can understand and follow direction.  We would have gone to a place where technology exists; a place with available quality prime material; with at least one marine supply shop in the country; where imported merchandise is not stolen in port; a place where lying to and stealing from the foreing investor is not a national sport.  We would have gone to some  developed country, perhaps New-Zealand, Australia, Canada, or even South Africa.

Is labor really that cheap in Paraguay?  In spite of the relatively low wages, an uneducated workforce is terribly costly.  When it takes a week to do a one-day job, it's not cheap labor.  When things have to be done and redone several times to get them right, it's not cheap labor.  When expensive prime material is wasted for lack of knowledge or experience, it's not cheap labor.  As it turns out, the overall cost of labor at the shipyard is high, due to the endemic lack of education of the Parguayan people. 

No, we came to Paraguay because we had a contract with a company who wanted to invest their money in developing the Paraguayan boat building industry and gave us a "great deal."  Within months, the company stopped investing, reneged on their contract and left us for dead.  JP and I, though broken (and broke) got back up, dusted ourselves off, rolled up our sleeves, and did something almost unheard-of in this country: WE WENT TO WORK!

No, our investment is not in the range of millions of dollars.  It's in the range of millions of beads of sweat, of tens of thousands of hours spent at the shipyard, of three years of lost income; it's in the rivers of tears we could have shed for having been deceived, lied-to and defrauded. Indeed, Jean-Pierre's true wealth resides in his patience, his endurance, his work ethics, his self-discipline, his constant teaching and coaching of a few men who want to better their lives and learn new skills. 

Yet, in spite of it all, we've been touched by a few people: a small group of ethical and serious Paraguayan businessmen and women who extended their friendship to us and are encouraging us in our efforts; and this small group of men who have dedicated themselves to the success of this project.

For them, for us, and to bring Malcolm Tennant's dream to life, we will keep working until this job is finished.  DOMINO is not a story about money.  It's a story about vision, commitment, grit, character, teamwork, sweat, sleepless nights, and the hope to better the future of this country.

One more comment: in this town where one cannot go out without the threat of being assaulted, where security is a major concern, where the Police itself is advising me to carry "un marido" (a gun) and where I wouldn't dream of leaving my house alone, labeling us as "rich investors" is irresponsable and puts us all in lethal danger: my husband, my family, our workforce, and the future of the entire project.  

Before broadcasting "news", a self-respecting journalist needs to check the facts: carefully and thoroughly.

Until next time

Domino marie

DOMINO's TAIL

Julio shapes DOMINO's tail

Watch the latest DOMINO video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdoKhDATCcc

If North-Americans have a fixation on chests, South-Americans have more of a fixation on tails.  It was great fun today to watch JP and Julio play Pygmalion as they drew and styled Domino's perfect curve.  They'd better like it because there's no turning back now!  

This point settled, we can now set-up for all of the platforms' gear.  For example, hawse pipes and winches must be set at the right hight.  So we're practicing docking maneuvers in our little apartment, docking lines strewn on the lapacho floor, water jugs for winches, templates taking shapes on the damp walls.  I imagine that we're docking in a place where the water is blue and tiare-perfumed girls bring us leis...I can already hear the beat of Tahitian drums... "PULL!"... the line wraps around the jug and I attempt cleating around the horns, this way, that way, and any other way.  "OK, we need a few more centimeters around the horns to maneuver easily," concludes JP, all the while measuring height and width of the area that will be carved out of the side coamings of the boat to accomodate the hawse pipes.  That's how we can spend an evening without being bored!

Our next load of fiberglass and resin is supposed to arrive in port tonight, which means that we should be able to start building the arch...manana!

Until next time.

Domino Marie

WIRED !

Norman, JP, & Electrical Panel

Electricity is in the air!  Perhaps it is last night's electric storm, with winds at 85 km/h and even hail, that has litterally charged up Norman and JP, but the buzz around here is incredible.  Norman in full gear is impressive.  His technical knowledge and work capacity would make anyone blow a fuse.  However, JP --fresh from his studies-- is right  on Norman's tail, questioning, probing, challenging.   As they integrate all the electrical circuits, adding Ewen Thomson's lightning protection system, following the ABYC standards and at times the more exacting European standards, I get dizzy and seek refuge in the electronic abyss of the computer and my very talkative suppliers.

While Norman is engineering the elctrical circuits, work at the yard is advancing. 

Hydraulics:  Eliseo, master mechanic, is crafting all the hydraulics and the lines are starting to snake under the deck and around to the engine rooms.  JP has fitted the rudder arm to the pistons and the piston platforms are now built and laminated.

Boarding platforms: Now that JP has designed a custom gangplank and a deployable swimming ladder, Julio is finishing to craft the steps and platforms.  Domino's tail is taking shape.

Refrigerator and Freezer:  Francisco and Lucio have finished the molds for the fridge and freezer and were laying the gelcoat last night. We should have the boxes ready to install within days.

As for me, I'm up to my neck into ordering.  The windows and windshields (20 of them!) are under production at Diamond Seaglaze and I thank Kim Parley for his outstanding help in the selection and pre-production process.   Awlgrip's tech adviser is guiding me through the maze of AWL, BWL and inside fairing, priming and painting.  Wow! That's a LOT of paint!  Sika's tech is just as awesome with project planning.  Groco's staff is always a great resource when I need advice on pumps and strainers.  However, I still have to resolve gelcoat... HELP!

With all the activity around here, we hardly feel the cold and the south wind...

Until next time

Domino Marie

FULL RUDDERS

The Paraguayan winter got upon us showing its teeth.  After 10 days of wind, cold and rain, we finally are getting a break and woke up this morning to mild temperatures.  The low-hanging fog over the marsh soon gave way to a blanket of silvery dew and, by noon with the temperature reaching 30C all the land had dried up.  This must have pleased the telephone company workers too who decided to finally come and fix the phone lines that had been down for the last 5 days.  With phone and internet back on, with the sun streaming through the hangar, we feel alive again and ready to bring you the latest news.

RUDDERS and rudder posts are now installed and fit perfectly.  Both rudders and posts are built around a timbo/epoxy core, then laminated and sanded to perfect fit. 

RUDDER SHELVES -  With rudders and rudder posts in place, JP built a rudder shelf aft of each hull and laminated the posts to the  shelf housing.  We are now ready to install the rudder arms and hydraulic steering.

HYDRAULIC STEERING - The HyDrive Pack Nine power unit sits under the aft cockpit bench.  In order not to run hydraulics the whole length of the boat, from the aft bench to the helm, JP decided to keep the emergency steering on the aft platform as well, which makes for a very short run.  Joysticks at the helm and flybridge will steer the boat.   As for the HD250-12 cylinders, there is plenty of room in each hull, next to the rudder shelves, to fit them.

WINDOWS - With all the windows openings finished, we completed the templates for the windows.  These will be sent to TAYLOR as a guide for windows and windshield fabrication.

FAIRING - Fairing is a HUGHE job!  I don't think one realizes the scope of work, the skill and the amount of time required in fairing the outside as well as the inside of a hand-made  fiberglass boat.  Francisco is our specialist, assisted by Pitu and Killy.  I found an article on "Fairing the Mega Yacht" in a 2004 issue of Professional Boatbuilder magazine and translated it to Francisco.  By experience, he already had refined many techniques but was glad to have access to professional info.  Almost all the inside is finished, and Pitu is now busy faring the cockpit.

In the meantime, JP keeps making holes in the boat:  seacocks for the engines, exhausts for the galley and the head, generator exhaust, heater intake and exhaust, docking lights.... Domino is starting to look like Gruyere cheese....

For my part, I keep working with various administrations and the Paraguayan Customs.  I'm still trying to find out what happened to our Pacific Helm Chair: sent from Port Supply, the box arrived to me empty.  Another shipment that arrived 5 weeks ago is still in port and I feel captive and hostage of the "despachante" who always will get the shipment out to us "manana."

If the weather holds, we should be able to finish the hydraulics within a week... and then it will be on to the electrical part.  JP is deep into the study of electrical: "Boatowner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual" by Nigel Calder, as well as the complete ABYC Standards... This makes for delightful cocktail conversation between the 2 of us: no need for television (anyways, we don't have a TV).

Will keep you posted...

Until next time

Domino Marie

OLIVER THE WELDER

Good things come in small packages!  No, I'm not referring to diamond rings, jewelry, or even hand-held GPS.  I'm referring to Oliver-the-Welder who, at the age of 23, is a little marvel of German engineering!

A few weeks ago, JP tried to install the custom-made propulsion system and found out that nothing fit: the propeller shaft was too long, the engine shaft  too short, the rudder shaft too short with pawls soldered at a wrong angle, and the whole rudder system needed to be hanging "from the top."  Even with all the required parts, JP spent sleepless nights re-designing the system.  Fabricating the parts for fixing all this would require some fine welding work... and where would we find this in Asuncion?

Enter Oliver Koop.  The Koop shop is a fantastic welding facility in the heart of the capital, created decades ago by Victor Koop.  But it's Oliver who took our project at heart.  

"Look, Jean-Pierre," said Oliver, placing the rudder shafts one after the other on a lathe.  "This one has a .6 cm deviation from its axle, the other even more," observes Oliver as the shaft performs lopsided gyrations on the lathe.  "We gotta fix this or the rubber bearing is gonna go up in smoke."  Heat and press, there you go, and Oliver fixed it all.

Carefully and methodically, Oliver  reviewed all of JP's drawings, called him with questions, and delivered a flawless product.   

This may seem standard to all of you who live in developed countries -- although considering the fact that the original product came out of the US with major flaws, I wonder-- but it's definitely a rarity here.  Thus, we do not take Oliver's professionalism for granted.  We don't know very many 23-year-old who come to work at 6:30 AM to 6 PM 6 days a week, go to school 3 nights a week, always have a smile and show enthusiasm for their work.

Oliver is now working on soldering our exhaust systems and will probably be in charge of all our stainless steel work.  We love to see his smile and are just in awe of his knowledge and abilities.  

Oliver, welcome to the DOMINO team!

Until next time

Domino marie

ADIOS MALCOLM

We learned earlier today the sudden passing of MALCOLM TENNANT near his home in Auclkand, New Zealand.  

Few people in the world of catamaran design are as recognized as Malcolm Tennant.  His knowledge and his wit, his wry comments and his common sense were legendary.  Catamaran design was his passion, his lifelong work, and his hundreds of designs contributed to the growth of the industry worldwide.

Rolling back to Long Beach Trawlerfest, September 2000.  JP and I had signed up for the weekend just to see a catamaran that was coming from New Zealand and to hear a 50-minute talk by Malcolm Tennant.  As it turned out, the boat had burnt during a fire at the NZ boatyard where it had been under construction.  So, JP and I loafed around, talking to a few people, including a little old guy with glasses who was also wandering alone.  The talk rapidly turned to catamarans, and the little old guy with glasses started to reach into a huge burlap bag hanging from his shoulder.  One after the other, he pulled out designs of catamarans: The Erebus, The Ice Bear, The New Yorker, The Globetrotter... everything we had dreamed of and more!  

- "Who are you?" asked JP.  

- "I'm Malcolm."  

That's how our friendship started.  Later that day, we went to listen to Malcolm's talk on "Why a Cat?"  and were shocked to see that only 4 people were in attendance: JP and I, Malcolm's friend and catamaran-owner from California, and one boat builder.  Nobody seemed interested in catamarans then, and Malcolm had come all that way to talk to 3 neophytes (his friend excluded.)

Later that weekend, we talked to more people about catamarans and got various kinds of responses:  "You're building a WHAT?"  or, "Those things?  They capsize all the time!" or, "That's not a boat!"   Yet, Malcolm was always ready to take the naysayers head-on if he had to and pull his graphs and data out of his burlap bag.

A year later, we were planning on meeting Malcolm again at Trawlerfest in October 2001.  Of course, the event had been cancelled after 9/11 and Malcolm wheezed through California without seeing anyone but his old California friend.  Another trip for naught, but Malcolm was not deterred.  Like a preacher with his bible, he went around the world with his burlap bag and talked breathlessly about CATs.

Malcolm certainly made hard-core catamaran fans out of us.  Whether at his home in Titirangi, or between two planes at LAX, or on the floor of the Fort Lauderdale boat show, he guided us through the design of DOMINO.

So, Malcolm, as I write this, I can still hear your chuckle: "Form follows function... If you won't use it, don't put in in the boat... for Chrissake, Marie, forget wood and marble: paint everything!"

So long, Malcolm CATMAN, we'll miss you but you will always remain a part of us and of DOMINO.

dominoMarie

PARAGUAY's NEW PRESIDENT

In our coverage of our Paraguayan experience, we would be remiss if we didn't mention last Sunday's (April 20th) landslide victory of the Patriotic Alliance.  Fernando Lugo and Frederico Franco ended the 18-year ruling of the "Colorados," themselves heirs to the 35-year dictature of Alfredo Stroessner. 

With headlines such as "The People defeated those who humiliated them, impoverished them, and betrayed them," local newspapers reflect the people's sentiments: fed-up with the high-level corruption that resulted  in the pillage of national resources and created fantastic wealth for a few but the lethal economic down-spiral of the majority; tired of being left without land, hospitals, roads and schools while the officials ride in luxury 4x4; hopeful that, from this day forward, the Paraguayan People will regain its dignity through true democracy, led by honest and able leaders who will have the courage to throw out of their official posts those who have, for too long, robbed the country blind.

We usually stay out of politics and only deal with health issues.  JP has been volunteering once a week at the local hospital.  But, witnessing the people's poverty, it's hard to ignore the political issues.  What to say when the hospital administrator, with impunity, appropriates himself the hospital food budget?  What to say when there's not even a nylon suture in the urgent care center and the patient can't pay the $1,000 Guaranies (25 cents) to purchase it at the local pharmacy?  We shake our heads in disbelief, watching the patients walk out with untended, gaping wounds.

What to say of companies that endanger thousands of lives with their polluting wastes, such as AcePar that dumps thousands of gallons of untreated steel mill residue directly into the Rio Paraguay while the Public Health Department and Environment Authorities look the other way, and whose carcinogenic fumes have been correlating for years with cancer clusters ?

Will the situation improve with the new government?  Will we finally see roads, jobs, healthcare, education?  It is the sincere hope of  the Paraguayan People, workers, teachers, doctors, businessmen, mothers and fathers.  

Perhaps, at last, the hemorrhage  of tens of thousands of Paraguayans who flee the country each year to seek better fortune in Spain, the US, or Italy will end and families will remain whole, with a father and a mother preparing their children for a brighter future. 

Until next time

Domino marie

SAYINGS

100 TIMES?

The French have a saying, “Cent fois sur le métier remettez votre ouvrage”, literally, One hundred times on the loom, reset your work;  but due to the double meaning of “Métier” (loom and trade) it could be translated as Practice makes perfect, or If at first you fail, try, try and try again.  

Being multi-lingual and multi-cultural has its advantages: if you don’t like one saying, pick another!  Considering that the French also say “Jamais deux sans trois,” (Never two without three), the Americans “Three’s the charm,” and the Paraguayans “La quinta, la vencida” (The fifth, the vanquished), when it comes to answering “How many times does it take to get things right?” JP and I can pick through an entire range of sayings. Yet we remain tainted by our U.S. business management experience of the 80’s and 90’s as dictating that we should do it right the 1st time. 

For fun --or maybe by nostalgia-- I can’t help musing over Deming’s 14 key principles for management.  Consider “Quotas.” As Deming recommended, we don’t have any quotas here--we couldn't even if we wanted to. We redo things until we get them right –or think we get them right— productivity in the tank, quality as our focus, learning and teaching as we go, trying to keep our sense of humor as we realize that production problems occur in almost every country we deal with: USA, Australia (to a lesser degree), Argentina (to the n^th degree), and of course Paraguay… but not in Germany (yet?)

At the risk of unveiling our naiveté and lack of experience –but we’re between friends, so let it all hang out-- here is our international round of glitches so far:

- Argentina’s stainless steel – Although the custom-made fuel tank inspection hatches are adequate, they are not of the quality and workmanship that we expected (or paid for).  Next time, we’ll go through FREEMAN Marine.  As for the cleats and bollards, ditto: I bite my nails for not having bought from Italy’s OpacMare or Olcese-Ricci, or even from Taiwan’s Aritex.

- USA’s tiller – The “hanging from the top” system originally designed was delivered as a “resting on the bottom” rudder system.  Now that we have received the collar and flange to fix that, JP is trying to figure out how a 5/16 screw can support the force of the entire tiller system.  Any tiller/rudder designer out-there to enlighten us?  

- Australia’s shipping – We have yet to inspect the hydraulics from HyDrive.  The merchandise left the factory mid February and was supposed to be air-shipped to us… Apparently stuck in Sidney for a month?  Plus a month of air transit? Next time: DHL Personal Import program.

And there are the V-band clamps for the exhausts: ordered once, ordered twice, ordered 3 times and never delivered to us, floating somewhere in the grand colliding nebulae of Netbox and Paraguayan customs;  purchased a 4^th time: too large;  Purchased a 5^th time: too small. Before I start feeling like Goldilocks, I hope to receive the 6^th set of V-bands from the John Deere dealer at the end of next week… 6 months for 2 clamps.  Had we gone to John Deere the 1^st time, it would have been no problem!

And of course, there is our eager Paraguayan crew.  Julio (“Superman”) had to re-do some of the galley furniture twice (bubbles under the wood veneer) but the modules now look a gorgeous and flawless honey-color.  Kili (“El Rey de la Maquina”), Francisco (“El Terminador”), and Edelio (“Pitu” = The little one) have spent the last 3 weeks sanding the entire hull to eliminate the excess modeling compound that was laid before our arrival (pretty but heavy and brittle).

Once in a while, things fall in place at the first try.  Today, JP checked out the propellers and tried one out for size: although the shaft was delivered not quite to our measurements, it fits…well enough!

Which brings me back to more sayings.  Although my mother used to say, “Tout ce qui mérite d’être fait mérite d’être bien fait,” (Everything deserving to be done deserves to be done well), my grandmother also said: “Le mieux est l’ennemi du bien.” (Better is the enemy of good enough). Well enough… I’m looking at the hinges from Niro-Petersen (Germany): that’s perfection! But Paraguay is not Germany, we’re rookies and we try, try, and try again.

Until next time… DominoMarie

DOMINO 20 - STRUCTURE COMPLETED

JP Dufour demonstrates the natural ventilation system to Daniel Payen.

Over the last 18 months, we have celebrated the various stages in Domino's construction: the 1st hull, the wingdeck, laying down the floor, raising the roof, and opening the 1st window.  Yesterday, at last, we celebrated the completion of the structure and the end of large-scale laying and grinding of fiber.  The last remaining bits are the dinghy hoist and the radar arch and hard top, and we now look forward to installing all of the parts that have been stored for weeks.

NATURAL VENTILATION - JP followed Malcolm Tennant's design for natural ventilation of the boat.  He also reviewed Dave Gerr's recent articles in Professional Boatbuilder magazine to optimize the ventilation system.  In the end, he came up with a baffled vents system, housed  in the brow under the flybridge:11 intake louvers; a vent corridor with 8 hatches baffled and closeable with articulated flaps; a drain gutter with 4 drainage holes; and 8 watertight hatches in the pilothouse.  While touring boats at the Miami Boat Show last month, it struck us as odd to see how few boats had natural ventilation.  In fact, we didn't find a single one, and all the boats we visited were running their air conditioned units on shore power.  This seemed strange to us, as we couldn't imagine spending a hot tropical night in a quiet anchorage with the generator running to run the AC.  

FLYBRIDGE - Now in place, laminated and sanded, the flybridge lends Domino its distinctive Tennant cachet.  JP plans to add a radar arch and a hard top.

MIAMI BOAT SHOW - Of course, we had to make a quick run to the Miami Boat Show... quick run that turned into a mad dash when our flight from Santa Cruz was cancelled and we lost a full day of work at the show.  But we managed to make some big decisions for major systems and elected:

- NavNet 3D, Furuno's upcoming navigation system;

- Concord Marine Electronics (Ted Banning) for electronics systems design

   http://www.concordelectronics.com/

- Indel Marine (Isotherm) for refrigeration (refrigerator, freezer); and

- IMTRA windshield wiper  systems.

LIGHTNING PROTECTION SYSTEM - For this most important system, we selected yet another Kiwi: Ewen Thomson of Marine Lightning Protection, Inc.  Ewen is a recognized authority in the field and has been working very hard on the Domino system.  Communication with Ewen has been a pleasure and we are happy to add his firm to our list of contacts below.

http://www.marinelightning.com/

Now back to work: the rudder is next!  Until next time,

Domino Marie

OWNER-BUILDER: Five reasons to build your own catamaran

Marie Dufour peeks through DOMINO's first windshield opening.

OWNER-BUILDER IN PARAGUAY --  5 reasons

1) Cost

            A recent survey of cost of living in the world’s capitals identified London and Moscow as the most expensive capitals, while it placed Asuncion at the bottom of the list.  Yes, Paraguay is still one of the places where one can live decently for cheap.  Land is inexpensive and business cost is low.  Salaries are the lowest in all of South America.

When building a boat that requires an extraordinary amount of labor, such as DOMINO, our 20-meter custom fiberglass power catamaran, it makes sense to choose a country where labor is abundant, skilled, and affordable.  Certainly, building costs in China and Taiwan are also low, but we are not convinced that the workmanship is as good or the overseeing as easy.           

 

2) Technical Assistance

            Working in symbiosis with the builder to achieve the best possible result is a most rewarding experience. Norman Hellmers is the heart and soul behind the HELLMERS shipyard (AKA Dream Performance Yachts).   Norman is a fist-class engineer, capable of mastering all the details of boat building: fiberglass, electrics, electronics, plumbing, fuel, exhaust, and all other systems.  His C&C machine cuts all the needed foam or wood panels to perfection and his trained eye watches over the perfect layering of fiber, as well as the mixing, soaking and squeezing of the epoxy resin.  He is surrounded by a team of trained mechanics, welders, carpenters and fiberglass technicians.  Norman draws on his 25-year experience of re-building aircrafts to the exacting FAA standards and his personal touch and genius are obvious in all the finishing details. 

            Building his first large boat is a challenge to which Norman is rising with energy.  When confronted to an issue, Norman researches possibilities, hammers out the alternatives with the boat owner, and contributes enormously to the success of the project.  

 3) Workmanship and Leadership

The Paraguayan people not only have a tradition of excellent workmanship but also of highly structured teamwork.  In addition, there is a large pool of workers to choose from and only the best remain on the job. At the Hellmers’ shipyard we found Lucio, a master fiberglass craftsman and a leader of men whose natural abilities eclipse any MBA recipient I have ever met.   His assistant, Julio, is a good-natured Jack-of-all-trades, as nimble with the “Tiko-tiko” (jig saw) as with the welding arc. Two years ago, Lucio and Julio assembled a team that was eager to learn the new trade of boat building.

After a year on the project, the highly selective team accepts nothing but perfection.  Each worker, although able to perform any task, has developed his own area of expertise.  There is the Chemist, the Machine King, the Sander, the Finisher, the Plumber.  Each is proud of his achievement and eager to expand his knowledge.

 4) Technical Control

            Perhaps the greatest –and least quantifiable-- advantage of supervising the building of your own boat is technical control.  Every system design, every pipe, nut and bolt, every piece of equipment is controlled by you.  You can change anything you desire; no need to ask the builder (a) Whether it’s possible and (b) How much the change will cost.  You may discuss the technical ramifications of the change with Norman Hellmers, but you can change anything you want… without paying exorbitant “custom” premiums.

            The flipside of this coin, of course, is that you have to be technically savvy: either have boating experience, or building experience, or have an engineering mind, which is not granted to everyone.  If nothing else, advice from experts worldwide is always available… for a fee!

 5) Cost Overrun Control

            The second greatest –and this one is very quantifiable—advantage of building your own boat is cost control.  YOU decide on the brand, the size, the quality.  You want to go cheap? You want to go first class?  You want to add, delete, or change an item?  Go ahead, you’re the boss and Dream Performance Yachts has trade (OEM) accounts with major suppliers of the boating industry. 

 

BOAT-BUYER BEWARE - If your expectation of buying a one-off, custom catamaran is to have a turn-key boat, the Hellemers’ experience is not for you.  But if, on the contrary, you have a couple years to devote to your dream (isn't boat-building first a dream), a solid engineering background, a good set of plans (ours are by Malcolm Tennant), and can speak a little Spanish, come down to Paraguay.  Your reward will be a boat for roughly half the price of what you would pay in the US, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand (we didn’t cost Taiwan or China), and you will be, as one of my lectors put it, “the world expert on your boat.”

 Ah, two more things:

1) See our construction photo album at: http://picasaweb.google.com/mtdufour

 2) If interested in being builder-owner at the Hellmer’s Shipyard, contact JP Dufour at jpjdufour@yahoo.com

Till next time...

Domino marie

2008 - THE YEAR OF THE DOMINO

- "Heck!  I think we're gonna finish this boat,"  announced JP last Friday, beaming from ear to ear.  "The radius and angles on the flybridge coamings are perfect, the windshield is ready to be cut, and I have the radar arch and the crane designed in my head."  

- "So, when are we launching?" I asked apprehensively.

- "September!" 



Well, all right, then!  Did it matter that we didn't have electricity that day (and for 2 days after that) after a storm blew a couple fuses in the main supply line?  Did it matter that the team did all the cutting and sanding by hand during that time? Did it matter that the torrential rains (200 mm in 2 hours) and 50 knots/hour winds drenched the hangar? Did it matter that we had no air conditioning and the temperature was over 40c in our little apartment?   No.  JP kept on planning, designing, calculating, directing;  the boys kept on sweeping, mopping, cutting, sanding and singing. 

 ATTITUDE is the building block of the Domino!  We are fortunate to have a large support group of family and friends, and we draw much strength from them as they seem to appear at the most opportune moments.

Just last week, JP was struggling with sine and cosine calculations for the aft flybridge coaming.  "What's the sine of 80?" he yells at me from the office/dining room/living room/ table.  Click-click-click ... "Wait a minute... internet is slow."  "Fine,"  responds JP, "what's the cosine, then?" -Click-click-click ... I yell a number, finally spit out by the computer... then another...   - "What was that?"   Our across-the-wall conversation continues for a while, wondering where we're going wrong, when suddenly the SKYPE phone rings and the cheerful voice of our youngest son, James, comes through, clear as a bell, from Santa Barbara, CA.   "What'you guys up to?" asks James.  "Uh, brushing up on sine and cosine."  - "Let me talk to dad ... Dad, remember SOH-CAH-TOA."  A few minutes later, high school trig had come back to JP and he was on his merry way to finish his calculations and order cutting.  That was inspiration!

We have made many friends in the last year and many of them inspire us. 

When Mr. A. climbs the rugged and high-stepped scaffolding to the boat in spite of his polio and his pair of English canes, we are in awe of his determination.  While I cringe, remembering how Domino severed my Achilles tendon last spring, I feel chicken and Mr. A. inspires us.

When Mr. R. visits with his friends -- all accomplished Paraguayan businessmen -- and they compliment JP on his courage and fortitude, we keep faith.  Mr. R. and his friends inspire us.

But mostly, it's our "muchachos" who inspire us.  They may be covered with fiberglass, sore from wielding the grinder all day, inconvenienced by the smell of resin in spite of their masks, they work smiling, laughing and singing.  They inspire us.

We are finding out that building the DOMINO is a love affair shared by many... who love boats and who love us... and we are grateful for their support and inspiration.

To all of our readers and supporters, JP and I wish you a

VERY HAPPY 2008

THE YEAR OF THE DOMINO 

Until next time,

domino marie

THE QUESTIONS CHILDREN ASK

It doesn't matter how old kids are, they keep asking questions. Our daughter Stef recently asked: "How shallow our big question is, will the boat float? " Well, we're not sure how WELL she'll float, but we're pretty sure she will float somehow. The cat's foam-core/epoxy structure is very buoyant and, while I'd love to add more "stuff" on the boat, I keep hearing Malcolm Tennant's voice like a mantra: "Keep it light... one-third [volume] for the boat... form follows function... if you won't use it, it doesn't belong... for chrissake, Marie, forget granite, marble and wood: paint everything." For the most part, we've kept to Malcolm's advice, although we're working out a combination foam/timbo/wood veneer for some of the furniture and a thin cancharana wood laminate for some of the floors. Our only fear is that we might end a little on the heavy side for not having used the vacuum bagging technique of lamination, probably laying more resin than necessary, therefore excessive weight. Too late to put Domino on a diet, though, but we're keeping a tough stand on feeding her right  till the end!

"How will you get it out of the shed?" The hangar sits about 500 yards from the river and is much taller than the cat, even after installing the radar arch. No problem. We'll bypass Norman's initial plan to lift the cat on four 747 landing gears (he keeps that stuff handy...) and we're planning on lifting Domino on top of a flatbed trailer towed by one of Norman's tractors (he keeps those handy too) and simply carrying it to the water. There, we should have no problem to lower it in the river. The current can be pretty strong at times (2-4 knots), depending on the rains and water level, and we haven't quite figured out all the launching possibilities, but we don't see a big problem.

"How much longer till it's done?" Standard answer #1: Manana... Standard answer #2: one more year. We've been saying that for a year and it will be another year, probably. It's really hard to tell at this point, since we can wait 6 months for a single shipment from the US. If all goes according to plan, we should be cruising the coast of Brasil next Christmas... si Dios quiere!

"What is a PDQ?"  There are quite a few PDQs around, and they are lovely cats, perfect for coastal cruising.  PDQ was an apparently very successful catamaran builder, now in receivership.   A number of buyers who put a deposit down are left without money and without a boat. At least, we got our money's worth of supplies, a well-constructed hull, and the possibility to finish the cat ourselves. The builder provides us with his shipyard, advice, knowledge, C&C machine, woodshop, a home, wireless internet, which is a lot to say! I will refer you to Power Catamaran World's article on the PDQ saga, at http://powercatamaran.typepad.com/ 

"What is an argentinian screw?" I will only answer the technical part of this question, not the philosophical aspect. We had ordered screws to install our (big) stainless steel cleats, and what we got are conical screws (photo) and we haven't figured out what to do with them. Our family members have suggested to use them as a Xmas ornaments, golf tees, fishing weights, hair pins... any suggestion? They're very pretty, though! (We have more to say on our Argentina experience, but I have to learn diplomacy first...)    

" Are you sure about the load? " I'm not sure I understand your question. I have no doubt, having seen the boat being built since its first plank of foam, through every roll and strip of fiber, with every drum of polyester or epoxy resin, having admired the beehive structure that conveys it strength and flexibility-- absolutely no doubt that this boat will withstand anything, much more than we--poor sailors that we are/willsome day become--ever could.

I hope this answer Stef's questions, and, knowing her, I'm sure there's more coming!!!

Till later

marie

And, yes, SHE WILL FLOAT, by GEORGE!

RAISING THE ROOF

What a day!  After weeks of expectation, preparation, measuring, cutting, supporting, gluing and taping, and measuring again, we came to the final phase of installing the rooftop.  

Yesterday, we pulled the 11x6 meter (33x18 feet) roof structure out of the workshop and flipped it around so we could laminate the underside.  It took 12 men, coordination and imagination to get the job done.  No problem!  

Today was yet another experience in planning and teamwork.  Moving the almost 600 sq.ft. structure from the workshop to the hangar took a real "human crane."  Not having much in the ways of tools and machines, we use foresight, communication and cooperation to get things done.  Lucio, our foreman, is an amazing leader of men and very pragmatic in his approach to problem-solving.  Besides, he has an advantage over JP: he speaks Guarani (the local language) and communicates much more effectively with the team than JP ever could.  Our Guarani is not even elementary!

It took some 20 men, a strong rope, and lots of Guarani to hoist the roof on top of the cabin, but it all went without a hitch... and everything fits!  The hatches are in their place, the window mullions match the roof line, and the "visor" that extends out of the pilothouse is perfectly shaped.

Of course, we took a video of the moment and, hopefully, will be able to post it here.  Oooops, doesn't seem to work, so go see it at U Tube

http://www.youtube.com/DominoMar20   (just cut and paste, or save the link since we'll have more videos in the future).

 We are so proud of our team: a bunch of laborious, courageous, strong, and good-humored boys.  How I wish I could speak Guarani!

More later

Marie

A Year in Paraguay

A year!  We've been in Paraguay for more than a year, in fact, building the DOMINO 20 power catamaran.  Not that we planned on it.  We moved to South America, expecting to take delivery of our custom-built boat within 4 to 6 months... Surprise!

When we arrived at the shipyard, instead of a ready-to-ship boat, there was just a shell-of-a-hull, not even laminated inside.  It didn't take us long to realize that the partnership that had taken our contract had busted apart, leaving only one of the partners in charge, with all the responsibilities and no resources.  We could have cut our losses, abandoned the gorgeous Malcolm Tennant-designed gull-wing hull, returned to the US and bought a trawler.  Not that the thought didn't cross our minds.We searched for the ideal boat, boat show after boat show, but, in the end, we realized that we were hard-core multihull fans and we were totally committed to bringing the DOMINO to life.  

 See Photo album at:  http://picasaweb.google.com/mtdufour/Domino/photo#s5126725327058773650

Our Paraguayan builder, Norman, eased the shock by providing us with an apartment on site, surrounded by the Atlantic Forest, with gorgeous views of the Rio Paraguay, Asuncion in the far distance, and sunsets that rival any in the world.  When night comes and we look outside the large plated windows on the second floor, the wide expanse of darkness that separate our Command Post from the bright Asuncion skyline feels like an ocean and we could think that we're riding at anchor... but for the stillness...

In January 2007, we were introduced to our team of 8 workers as the new "Patron y Patrona."  Bueno... our Spanish improved instantly and JP turned into an engineer overnight.  Fortunately, he has that kind of mind and, 'matter-of-fact, always regretted not to have been an engineer... here was his chance.  He dove in, almost drowned a few times --held his breath-- flopped around, and finally swam like a little fish in an ocean of plans, drawings, load calculations, fiber, foam and epoxy.  

Help came in various packages.  Malcolm Tennant and Anthony Stanton in New Zealand are just an e-mail away and, to this day, support the project with their advice and drawings.    Tony Athens (Seaboard Marine) provided insight and guidance in the planning of the fuel and exhaust systems.  Gaston Botto (Anchor Miami Propeller) designed the drive and props.  Jean-Pierre Mouligne (Gurit) gave us a quick course in the benefits of rubber epoxy.  Various vendors helped us with their knowledge: ITT, Groco, Grainger, Scandvik, Dick from IMTRA, Brooks at Sailing Services, Mike at Maxwell, and our ever great Tim at Merritt Supply, without forgetting Andrea at Niro-Petersen (Germany) and Yoshi from Sugastsune, and many more.  Port Supply website is always open, it seems.  Dale Ince at Basin Marine (Newport Beach, CA, our home port) gave us a thumbs-up and a very needed "attaboy," and we can always count on friends and suppliers from around the world for their enthusiastic support and generous advice.

All our orders take 3 to 6 months to get to us by container ship, facing unending delays in various ports: Miami, Montevideo, Buenos Aires, Asuncion, when, at last, we have to deal with undershade of  Paraguayan customs and the necessary evil of the Dispachante... and more delays...  So we plan, we plan, we plan, and --short of praying or lighting a candle at Nuestra Senora de Caacupe-- we keep our fingers crossed.

In prevision to the eventuality of having to get involved with boat building, JP had attended PassageMaker's Boating University at Poulsbo just before leaving the States and had been shocked by the number of things that could go wrong in boat building.  Ha! He didn't even know the half of it until he moved to Paraguay. For all the positive stories we can recount, including a memorable trip to IBEX last month, we have just as many horror tales, the most horrendous so far being trying to deal with Argentinian suppliers... but that's a story for another day!

Our plan of discovering South America while lightly supervising Domino did not realize, though we spent a month in Brazil and met with Alain Poiraud ("Hylas") who revised our anchoring plan (thanks, Alain), and are leaving for 10 days in Patagonia.  But, so far, the experience has been rich (or expensive, whichever way you look at it).

So, in this year end, we count our blessings.  Sure, we are over time and over budget, but the boat is advancing and we have total control over it (at least we think so!)  While the PDQ buyers have lost their deposits (oh-- how close we came to buying a PDQ!)  we haven't said our last word and are taking our destiny by the horns... a hell of a bull to ride, but we ain't fallen yet!

If anyone want to build their own boat, come to Paraguay!  It's not so bad and the price is right!

More later... and HAPPY HOLIDAYS

DOMINOMARIE