My agent in Italy, Leo Giammanco of
Nautikit, sent me photos a few days ago of a new
Didi 40cr. Many of these boats in the
Didi 38/40/40cr series have been or are being built in Mediterranean countries, including 6 in Italy. This one is named "Mia" and was built by Stefano Consolini. She was launched at the Marina di Ravenna, east of Bologna on the Adriatic Sea.
Stefano appears to have done a really nice job of creating "Mia". He has built her as a nicely-detailed comfortable cruiser with 18mm skin and concentration on strength, rather than lightness and performance. Stefano started the project in 2006 and worked as a lifeguard to finance the build.
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| "Mia" gets wet for the first time. |
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| Nicely finished as a fast cruiser. |
Meanwhile, in Russia, Vitaly Ghazarayan of Krasnodar has stepped the rig on his
Didi 34, with the help of a group of friends. They did this without a crane, showing that with a good dose of resourcefulness, amateur builders can do almost anything. Those of us who launch where yacht club cranes and derricks are readily available, wouldn't dream of doing this.
This series of photos shows the process that they used.
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| Moving the mast into position. |
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| The lift starts, using a pole fastened to the cabin roof as a spreader to gain mechanical advantage. |
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| Up she goes, nearly there. |
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| Securely in place, sorting out backstay, halliards, electronics etc. |
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