September 7 to September 13

Kawashima continues to work on the drawers that are going under the main house sole in the starboard guest cabin. There were lockers here (probably from the 1950s), but the original drawings showed drawers. So we took out the lockers and reinstated the sets of drawers.

The crew is giving parts of Cynara a thorough polish before taking her out.

Hashimoto is finishing up the cupboards that will hold the cups, and tests the cutouts that include space for the cup handles (below)

Tatsumi has completed making the doors for the cabinets under the washstands.

Hashimoto has the task of shellacking all the cabinet shelves (above and below).

Lewis is finishing up one of the compact seats that fit next to the bed in the two aft guest cabins.

The crew took the winch apart for maintenance, removing the old grease and applying new.

Wednesday, August 19, 2020

Paul is adjusting the gate on the deck after we found it had expanded in the rain of this record-breaking summer.

Kawashima is building the frame and installing the glass of the double skylight over the corridor. This frame allows air into the cabins and light into the passageway while maintaining privacy.

Tatsumi is installing the baseboard of the saloon wall. With every little detailed task that is completed, the saloon moves closer to completion.

Saturday, August 22

The painting continues, with every nook and cranny getting attention.

Paul and Lewis are replacing the former temporary boom gallows with a new one, made of bronze and varnished teak.

Tatsumi continues working on the original cabinet doors. Most of the furniture is square, but the sole in the main saloon rises as it goes forward and the furniture has to follow this angle. It’s only a very slight angle but if the furniture was made square it would look strange to the eye and the units at the forward end would be lower than those at the after end. Nicholson elected to make the original furniture follow the angle, a decision that means the furniture is more visually pleasing.

Sunday, August 23, 2020

Paul and Lewis finished installing the main boom gallows.

Kawashima built a triangular box in the wall for an air conditioning duct. This and a similar one will go in the aft cabins.

Monday, August 24, 2020

Making partitions for the space under the sink in the shower room means a tight squeeze.

Lewis is taking measurements for the door to the shower that is next to the owner’s stateroom.

Tuesday, August 25

Hashimoto is making the molding that runs along the shelf at the back of the couch on both sides of the saloon.

Massa is fitting fiddles to the cabinet tops in the saloon that will keep things from sliding off them.

Monday, August 10, 2020

Kawashima is building the framed panels that close off the hull of the ship and create a cabin side. The frame work is all traditional, with the wood joined with mortice, tenons and wedges, exactly like the original ones. Of course, they have to account for portholes as well.

Paul is installing the lifters for the skylight windows over the saloon. Winding the handle lifts and closes the window. These are original parts that have been restored and nickel-plated.

Tatsumi is working on the doors to the glassware cabinets.

Tuesday, August 11

Tatsumi is fitting the doors into the cupboards . . .

while Wada is shellacking the cupboard linings . . .

and Shingo sands the pattresses preparing them for shellacking. The ones that have already been installed in the deck house look great with the refurbished light fixtures. (below).

Saturday, August 15

We’re designing the cupboards to fit the tableware that they will hold, following our detailed measurements.

After making sure all the cupboard doors fit and the pattresses are all made, it’s time for final shellacking.

 Monday, August 17, 2020

The shelves of the tableware cupboards have to be made the right height for the items that will be stored.

Time to varnish the top of the bathroom sink counter that will go in the owner’s stateroom.

Sunday, July 26, 2020

Hashimoto is finishing a cabinet before the shelves are set out and fitted.

The varnish on the deckhouse interior looked all the more brilliant today when lit by the rays of the sun.

Tuesday, July 28, 2020

Finishing the pattress base and attaching one of the interior lights. The original light fixtures have been restored and re-nickel-plated in England.

One of the interior ceiling lights after installation.

Sunday, July 19 , 2020

Today was a rare day with moments of sunshine. This year’s rainy season has been ferocious, with many downpours, and few sunny days, so it has been hard to squeeze in work on the deck.

Paul took advantage of the weather and taught Cynara’s crew members how to fair in the screws that hold the brass strips so that there are no sharp edges for the ropes to snag on.

Sometimes it seems like the painting will never end. A sponge brush is used for the final coat so the paint will go on evenly.

Some of the cupboard doors are so thin and weak that just handling them can result in their falling apart. The frames are all usable, but Tatsumi is restoring the glazing bars and replacing when necessary. There are no drawings for these pieces, but even when there are, the dimensions can be different for each fixture, so its necessary to measure and reassemble everything to get to the final stage.

Monday, July 20, 2020

NHK, Japan’s national broadcaster, featured the Cynara restoration project on one of its most popular daytime shows this morning. It brought home how much has been done with the boat and all the time and energy that has gone into this project.

More brushwork, this time varnishing the ceiling of the deckhouse.

Toshi is working on restoring the display cabinets that go in the main saloon.

Masa is making new panels that will help make up the hanging locker interior in the guest cabins. These are all made of Canadian cedar using traditional joinery.  No glue. No nails. No screws.

Kawashima is making the panels that will close off the hull from the cabin and hide the wiring and cables.

Toshi is repairing the glazed display cabinet door frames for the main saloon. Because water from previous deck leaks damaged the frame ends, he is having to make new pieces from the original mahogany pieces that were discarded and grafting them in. The original mahogany is a closer color match, and the repair will be less visible after being shellacked.

We’re using a mortice machine to cut the mortices for the panels.

Kawashima is laying out one of the panels on his bench. These are very complicated: they’re not always square and they have port holes and other pieces that affect their shape.

July 15, 2020

Above: Tatsumi is repairing the doors of the cupboards in the main saloon, so that they can be assembled following the original design. These cupboards are all original, but the delicate glazing bars were damaged, and need repairing.

A sudden downpour caught us by surprise with the skylight open, and Wada had to get to work drying the interior.

Makoto has finished varnishing the interior cabin windows and is now doing the other side and the deckhouse floor.

The main companionway stairs have been fully restored and are receiving several coats of varnish.

July 18, 2020

Paul is repairing the base of the Main Saloon table. The legs and the weight box have been restored, polished and are ready to go. Paul and the team have been thinking of ways to salvage the top, but it may be damaged beyond repair. It had a Formica surface glued to it, (probably a remnant of sixties’ “style”) which also hid some deep scars. Can we justify the amount of work that would have to go into it? Tough call.

Literally every part is being made by hand.

Murata is varnishing some of the glazed doors.

Shingo is sanding the deck house interior, preparing for varnishing.

Masa is fitting the top of a clothes locker in the midship starboard cabin. The air conditioning has now been installed and is cooling the ship, though the vents have yet to be added. You can see an electrical panel at the back of the locker.