From your foreign correspondent: ;-)

June 28th I paid a visit to the building site of the Visionarry being build
in the Netherlands.
Progress reports and photo's can be found at
http://www.harryproa.com/BlindDate/Jan_index.htm .

The windward-hull is weather proof, just needs the final coat of paint and
antifouling.
The hull is pretty fair, could stand to be painted in a high gloss, but is
painted in a matte finish.
The oval windows in the hull are mounted recessed and look very good.
The hood over the cockpit looks very well, and is done well. Here the
large windows are mounted in goop on top of the hood (bolt-on style, only
without bolts). A little bit less sophisticated, but I doubt I would have
done it in another way, as now the inside of the hood looks very
clean. The structural members carrying the roof of the hood have been
kept very slender, resulting in an almost unobstructed view through 360
degrees.
The cockpit is very clean and smooth, looks good, but hardly anywhere a
place to get a firm hold. When you appreciate hand rails on your current
boat, I'm sure you would add some to the cockpit of a Visionarry too.

Most of the interior has been done, but not painted yet. The interior has
been done in a functional, non-luxury way.
Rob has used the interior, floor and bunks to support the hull. The hull
has been built in 12 mm WRC, with 600 gr/m2 bi-ax outside and 400 gr/m2
bi-ax inside. Man, this is this a strong, sturdy hull !
Although Rob tries to keep his boats light, this hull certainly isn't
under-spec'ed.

The cabin gives an impression of roominess and space. Sleeps six, but lack
of privacy could be a problem.
The double bunks are "king-size", with plenty of space to store personal
luggage. The luggage compartments next to the beams are HUGE.
Taken into consideration that most labor on this boat paid labor, I think
any shortcuts made were sensible to keep cost down. We have a yachting
culture here (just like in Germany and Scandinavia) where we tend to regard
"showroom shine" & perfect as a MUST. This boat barely measures up to that
ridicules yardstick, and that's just fine by me.

Jan & Rudoph will probably start on the lee-hull next, and that one should
be finished even faster as it has a lot less double curvature, and no interior.

Regards, Han.