Crtd 06-01-25 Lastedit 15-09-14

Saturday: Triangle operetta #5, adding to the keel #1

Two teams at work. Benedict and his men come to add a part to the keel. I should say: they come to lay the keel. A unique building method here: first build the ship, then lay the keel. It would take "one day, I necessary we finish on Sunday" (muslims). We buy power for their heavy machines at a neighbouring house, we agree with the son. But the mother comes home and shuts us off. She fears her husband who can come home any moment. We wait for the husband. We think we can bribe us back into power with him. He does not come. After leaving all action, deliberation and search for people to the two teams for a while, I buy an 100 meter TSh 900 000 extension cable in town and connect them to Feleshi's wood workshop. Machines operate at 14:00 hrs.
 

Photo: Benedict (face camera), his team, and the additional keel beam

Triangle operetta #5: Gabriel and Daniel have given up on the triangles. They have started building the floor. I tell Gabriel the floor should be removed later to reduce weight at launching. The floor beams are made bigger that the frames, so the floor will be supported by the bottom planks rather than the frames. I tell them the floor had better rest on the frames, the floor beams can be thin, just to hold a bunch of planks together. You can cut the beams and make four floor beams out of every one of them.
Brilliant idea, everybody agrees.

Sunday: adding to the keel #2 (muslims), Gabriel c.s. (christians) are praying

While the muslims worked the whole day yesterday, on their religious Saturday, today on their Sunday the christians feel unable to do anything. God forbid this evil habit to spread over other religions.
Adding to the keel means fitting (planing) both old and new keel beam, then bolting the new keel using existing holes, and fix it with two component glue called Araldite.

Photo: When I pointed at the angle between jack and jack-support (see the yellow lines drawn on the picture), Benedict said the had been aware of it already and was going to correct it...

Photo: but the result of the balancing operation of
Benedict's team was a delight for every
54 year old mzungu aspirant Victoria Lake sailors
who had the honour to witness it!

At sunset of this day we would add to the keel job "if necessary", the keel was not finished. For the full ten hours of their presence, I have not seen these men doing anything else than planing, fitting, bolting, measuring, and deliberating.

Monday: Triangle operetta #6, adding to the keel #3

Monday I had two teams again. Benedict's for keel #3, and Gabriel c.s. assist for triangle operetta #6
Gabriel c.s. now were allowed to use Benedicts heavy duty drill if off duty down at the keel.

Photo: By the way, both teams make extensive use of my South African toolbox,
bought, with some doubt (!!) on immigration in Kampala.
How would they do jobs like this without a mzungu equipped like me? (The question later occurred to Daniel and he decided to steal the hole thing)

Picture: Both old and new keel consists of several joined pieces. I have made sure the joints of the new part are not on the same places at the ones of the old. Unlike Daniel's old keel (already painted red), all joints are bolted and glued

Tuesday. Keel #4

Two teams. Gabriel c.s. now assist the Benedict team making wood stiffeners on frames and bolting the keel. Gabriel, who thought Benedict's keel addition advise had mainly served to get money out of my pocket, starts to like the operation: you are getting a very good ship!
A third team announces itself uninvited. Marine vessel inspectors. A private company doing this job for the government. They want to survey my ship and register me. The guys look remarkably shady. The yard people warn me for them. The leader introduces himself: Abel. I am not Kain, I say. After they left to come back later, I call MYC commodore and former marine superintendent Munisi. He knows them. At my local shop I hear that Abel has been expelled from government service for forging education certificates. My third trump is my acquaintance with the present marine superintendent Mchauru.
I cut 3x 30 meter from my 150 m mooring rope and return the remaining 60 m to the seller to receive TSh 120 000/= I can use better with my present money shortage. Painters put red oxide on the new keel. I see Daniel working at another boat, forbid him to do that and tell his brother Gabriel I will go to police if I see it again. I hope to have Gabriel on my side because he is helping Daniel for free and wants to go home. I show no trust in Daniels capacity as commander of the launching. Daniel, who already had to swallow one, gets pissed. On dropping them home he explains through his brother Gabriel that he needs the money for the other boat. I tell him I have seen him working with my money on other boats for a year now. He should now finish mine first, then work as hard as possible at other boats to pay the debt he will have to me.
Gabriel tries to claim we are christians and should forget the past.
I say that if Daniel would be a christian I would be sailing on the lake since last year April, and I will forget the past as soon as the past is over. Gabriel, ask Daniel, ask him, where are the 3 million we lost? Were are the 20 logs of mninga that are missing?
Only he knows, says Gabriel. He says, he is willing to finish your boat.
Yes he'd better, or I go to police.

Photo: Commander at work (pretending), watch the cracks in his soles (just too greedy to buy new sandals).
He is safely sitting on the metal box containing his building tools and materials.
Picture taken with my camera by Wile (5 years old)