December 1

Tatsumi is finishing up the linen cupboard in one of the aft guest cabins.

Hashimoto is  checking an angle with a bevel gauge while making the frames for the galley cabinets.

Kawashima is making the cabinet for the captain’s cabin, after the condition of the original was deemed to be beyond restoration, using the old one (below) as a reference. While the furniture in the crew and captain’s cabins follow the same Camper and Nicholsons’ style as the owner and guest areas, they are less ornate, and were made of less expensive mahogany. We are using a combination of mahogany from the Philippines and Africa.

December 2, 2020

Sail Training

Weather: Cloudy and a little rain

Wind: North northeast, 16-25 knots

Mr. Noboru Watanabe, Chairman and CEO of Riviera, at the helm of Cynara during the sail training, and with the crew (below).

December 5

Hashimoto is now working on the drawers for the galley. The dovetail joints below is an example of his joinery work.

(Above and below) Paul is installing Corian splash backs on the sink unit tops. Corian is a non-porous material often used for countertops, and while it is not a traditional material, it does match the shower interiors with its marble-patterned appearance.

December 8

Tatsumi is making doors for the various cabinets. There are many doors of various sizes that have to be made now that all the cabinets are in.

Kawashima is working in the captain’s cabin. As in the owner and guest areas, the cabin has wooden trunking around the deck head that boxes in the beam ends and allows cable runs. He also has to make a box (below) to hide the motor of the electric winch situated directly above the cabin.

December 11

Sail Training

Weather: Cloudy

Wind: East Northeast 3-8 knots

Waves: 0-0.2m

Schedule: Fit the new main-topsail

November 16 to 23

Kawashima is setting out the hull lining in the captain’s cabin. Before its final fitting, the cables and ducts have to be finished before the hull lining closes them off.

Wada and other painting team members are varnishing the inside of the galley cabinets.

​​Hashimoto made the wall panels for the galley, which now has the sink dry fitted. The final fit will be done after the plumbing is all in.

​Wada is preparing to varnish the deckhouse.

Hashimoto did a dry fit of the wall panels in the galley.

November 24 to 30

Paul is instructing Wada on the varnishing process for the deck table.

Wada and Usui varnished the deck table under Paul’s instruction. The finish was done by brush, not spray.

November 26 Sail Training

Sail Training

Weather: Cloudy

Wind: North Northwest 6-10 knots

Waves: .2 to .5 meters

Pascal is squeezing himself into the bilge to connect the toilet and shower next to the crew’s quarters.

​ Tatsumi is installing the hanging locker door in the starboard aft cabin.

This is the original key box that was in the crew’s cabin before restoration.

​Kawashima is preparing to install the cable for the light switch in the captain’s cabin. The cable is concealed behind the mahogany columns of the door frame.

​ Hashimoto is adding cabinet dividers in the galley.

Tatsumi is installing the opaque glass windows in the deck house.

November 8 to 15

​Kawashima is fitting the desk and drawers in the Captain’s cabin.

Tatsumi is making the cabinet  above the crew’s washbasin.

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​Hashimoto is making a duct for the air conditioning in the floor of the galley.

​Kawashima, Hashimoto, and Tatsumi began installing the locks in the drawers.

One of the finished drawers with the escutcheon and lock installed. The handles are original and have been restored with fresh nickel plating.

November 12

Sail Training

Weather: Cloudy

Wind: North, 8 to 18 knots

Sailing speed: 8 knots

November 3 to November 7

Paul and Hirai are discussing the shower ventilation for the showers in the owner’s and guest cabins. We’ve made special ventilation panels, but a box needs to be built to attach the fan ducting to the panels.

Hashimoto is making panels for the top of the cabinets in the galley. They will fit the space between the deck beams.

Back in the crew’s shower room, Tatsumi is putting in the molded cedar boars that will seal and cover the hull planking.

The shellac on the hanging locker in the crew cabin is being cleaned back for a fresh coat after electric cables scratched it during the electrical installation connecting them to the panel at the back.

The bars of naval brass have just been delivered. They’ll go over the glass on the skylights and need to be fitted and polished to a final finish.

Tatsumi is getting started on the washstand in the crew’s quarters.

Koiwai is varnishing one of the pattresses made by Paul that go behind the wall light fixtures (below).

In the tent, finished drawers are everywhere, awaiting the completion of interior work before they are installed, to prevent any damage from scratches, etc. All have been matched with their correct keys. It’s hard to imagine the number of places that these will go.

October 27 to November 2

 The nickel-plated light switches have been restored and temporarily installed so that the lights can be used during work hours. When everything is done, they’ll be fitted with the correct nickel-plated screws that are less obtrusive.

Tatsumi (above) attaches a hinge to one of the original locker doors, for the hanging locker in the owner’s cabin. The decorative holes are there to allow ventilation inside the locker (below). After attaching the hinge, he hung it in the cabin (bottom).

Hashimoto is installing the columns on the cabin side of the door frames and fitting light switches with the wiring hidden in the columns.

Paul has been building the washroom vanity units (above) and installing the shower hardware and trays (below), as well as making and fitting the pattresses for the light fixtures (bottom) and moldings that cover the wiring, and fitting the nickel-plated mesh to the air conditioning vents and bilge vent frames.

Kawashima is fitting the handles on the new drawers made for the aft guest cabins.

Members of the crew came to polish and prepare Cynara for a day of sailing.

Work has started on the galley (above and below).

Two of the period instruments have been mounted facing aft at the forward end of the deckhouse. The one on the left is an inclinometer, which indicates the angle of the heel—how much the ship is leaning to port or starboard. It was on Cynara when we dismantled her, and though we don’t know if it dates back to the launch, it is fairly old. On the right is a ship’s clock dating from 1911.

The space on the left is for the barometer, which is currently being restored and will be fitted soon. Like the inclinometer, we don’t know it exact origins.

Wada is concentrating on finishing some of the cabin details, such as the molding that runs around the top of the cabin bulkheads.

The molding is not easy to paint, as there are many difficult to reach areas.

Tatsumi began measuring and planning the frames for the washstand and lockers in the crew area.

Sawdust and shavings from the work above can block the pumps, so the bilge must be kept clean while the work continues.

Hashimoto and Paul are discussing the access for the electricity and plumbing in the galley.

Pascal has finished installing three of the toilets—there’s one more in the crew quarters—and as well as the necessary plumbing. The job was a complex one, consisting of two systems so that the ship meets both Japanese and European requirements.

Tatsumi continues to work on the crew’s shower room. It’s compact, but will accommodate a sink, shower, toilet, and room for storage.

Kawashima has finished making the drawers and is now working on the desk for the captain’s quarters.

The cushions for the seats in the aft guest cabins were delivered today. The cabins are looking more complete every day.