As part of The Bugle's support for the MV SIGNA making its way to Tasmania, we’re excited to bring you a weekly series of stories about the ship and its dedicated crew.

You can pledge a donation to the Bugle through our phone number 0412415101 within our business hours which are 9am-5pm Monday to Friday. If no one is there to answer your call, leave a message and we will get back to you. You can also pledge online with the link at the bottom of the article.

The first series of stories will focus on the six crew members who are manning the ship as it embarks on a journey across the South Pacific Ocean and Tasman Sea to reach Tasmania for the International Timber Boat Festival.

Richard “Don” Romanczukiewicz is an electrician by trade, he has worked as an electrical fitter and finished off his career as a high voltage generator technician - but he says wiring the MV Signa’s electrical system was one of the hardest in his long career.

“This is probably the most challenging project I’ve ever done. I’ve been around and I’ve got a lot of knowledge of high voltage and boats. But never the 12 volt system and the alarm system that’s going on the Signa,” says Don.

Don had to redesign the entire system from scratch—a massive job that he didn’t expect when he first came on board. “When I started, I didn’t think it would be this big. I don’t think John had any idea either. Things kept going wrong, and more issues kept popping up,” he says.

But Don credits Google, the challenge, and the camaraderie with friends as the things that got him through it.

“It’s amazing what you can do with Google. I had no idea what I was doing with this system, but watching videos helped a lot. I also needed a challenge like this to get my brain working again, especially since I’m retired now,” says Don.

“I’ve made a lot of friends. There has been a lot of joking around, having a go at one another and I’ve really enjoyed that as well.”

Don’s love for the ocean and boats began during his time working on a prawn fishing boat in the Gulf of Carpentaria. “We’d be out for three months at a time. So, I really love the ocean,” he shares.

And where does this nickname Don come from? “My full nickname is Don Primo because I’m famous for my salami,” says Don with a smile. And this reporter can confirm Don’s salami is second to none.

If you’d like to see Don Primo make it to Tasmania for the Wooden Boat Festival, The Signa crew is still looking for donations. If you’d like to pledge, please get in touch with us here or email [email protected].