ClipperFan
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Rick310 Michael Mjelde sent us detailed images of the Samuel Walters "Glory of the Seas" oil. In this quarterdeck scene, it's evident there are no belaying pins in either railings. I noticed there's some block and tackle rigging inside her bulkhead, just ahead of the mizzen shrouds. How that's mounted isn't visible and by the angle of the lines, they appear to go to the main mast. Based on this evidence, it looks like Rob's approach is correct, at least as Glory's concerned.
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Rick310 if by any chance you still have that 15 yr old catalog, can you scan & share the same painting from it? There's some distortion in photos, probably from an inability to get a decent angle and the large size of the piece. I'd really appreciate seeing how it appeared in the catalog, if at all possible.
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Rick310 thanks for sharing this ultra rare contemporary depiction of "Flying Fish". Before you mentioned it, I had no idea such an impressive piece even existed. In the 2nd image, the left side has a beautiful blue sky. The rest of the painting has more of a golden hue. I was wondering if the true colors of the piece are that blue area?
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Rick310 two facts about the rear house rail on "Flying Fish" which differ from other McKay Clippers. First and this unusual element is confirmed by two contemporary pieces of work, there's no surrounding safety rail for the roof of the rear structure; second the front overhang (3' on Glory) and about 6' of both corners are protected my a metal rail. As we've both concluded, Buttersworth depicted this lovely rail as brass. His portrayal of the graceful curving ends feels correct too. Modeling a curving wall should be relatively easy. Just get a small flat piece of wood like a tongue depressor. Measure the distance from quarterdeck inner bulkhead wall to outside corner of the rear house front fascia. Drill a hole and insert a pencil vertically through it. Trace floor lines consistently distant from bulkheads. Done properly this results in two walkways equidistant while the house walls match the same pattern as the rear quarter deck bulkheads.
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Rick310 I like how you crafted that curved piece. It definitely matches that depicted in the chinese painting. I thought this image would interest you, while it's contradictory to both "Flying Fish" pieces of artwork, here's the actual rear quarter rail ending as seen on "Glory of the Seas". It appears to be an elegantly curved piece of wrought iron which is inserted into the top of the rail on one side and straight down into the hull on the other. I think you'll find that curved diminishing walls will look more sensible once installed. As for the wider quarter rails, I was wondering since most of the lines are terminated inside the missen shrouds, according to how Rob is rigging his Glory, would the extra belaying pins be necessary?
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Rob, an elegant solution for an elegant vessel. I particularly appreciate the flexibility of being able to remove your model from the stand.
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Rick310 first, thanks for the compliment. While you can't revise the front fascia, already more accurate than most, you can still modify the sides into a gradual reducing curve and reduce the rear wall to match the similar profile as confirmed by the photo of Glory docked in Alaska. Such a configuration makes better sense for working of the ship. What I find very unusual is the missing safety rails for most of the rear house but according to both works of art, that's the case. The Buttersworth piece looks like the rail is painted yellow but I suspect it might have been brass instead. McKay was famous for using the finest materials in constructing his vessels so the brass isn't that far fetched. As for the more natural Flying Fish figurehead, that's in keeping with the more ornate carvings of the time. Sailors were very proud of their figureheads, which epitomized the spirit of the vessel. I'm looking forward to seeing your progress.
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Rob I never tire of seeing your beautiful ship.
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H.c Rick310 I applaud your determination to recreate the more ornate rear house of "Flying Fish" as it authentically appeared. Using the Buttersworth oil, commissioned by her Owners specifically to honor her 1st place finish in the "Great Deep Sea Derby" in which she out sailed 14 of the best American Clippers, including other crack McKay vessels, I believe is a very reliable source to refer to. I agree with your decision to include the larger more ornate windows. We now have definitive proof that "Glory of the Seas" actually had 4 good sized ones. I've attached a picture of her front facade so you can see how elaborate the house really was. Buttersworth appears to echo Glory's house but with an added embellishment of small spheres which surround the entire structure. My 2 suggestions are that the 2 outer windows would be a little closer to her central doors. There does appear to be a panel between the window and the corner. It also makes sense considering the large corner piece will block the view, while being a little further in would solve that issue. My other observation is that the rear contours of the house in fact narrow towards the stern in order to keep the walkways on both sides consistent. This can be clearly seen from the stern image of Glory. I've included a sketch of the section to show how it looked.
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Rob, this picture of Glory's prow is one of the most beautiful so far. It has such a graceful "S" curve to her that perfectly matches the vessel herself. I know you were highlighting the mounting points in this pic but I thought you might appreciate knowing I recognize the authenticity of your lovely model.
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Rob, tell Mike I welcome his help. I'm in process of writing it now in anticipation of meeting the April 1st deadline, which wouldn't be published until the Fall. I was wondering what happened with Mike. I thought it was because he was so busy with his book publication that he had no time to email me. Apparently my gmail is full. I've been trying to empty it but I can't seem to find a way to delete all. I'll send Mike an email from my business address and see if that works.
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Rob, my apologies. I was concerned that a big, bulky cleat would somehow bury your lovely model. Boy was I wrong. I agree 100% with your clever choice. It's a distinctive and classic mounting for a distinctively different Clipper Ship. Your work is so elegant that I believe Donald McKay himself would approve!
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gak1965 the fence rails which can be seen at the entrance to the Mansion are purportedly taken directly off of the Clipper "Flying Fish" by the ship's Captain. Since both commissioned Buttersworth oil and China Trade work depict a rear house with only a metal rail at front and a small section of the sides, the sole source of these wooden turned rails has to be those surrounding the exterior of the quarterdeck. Here's a fascinating link to the Southeby's Real Estate listing. Apparently Captain Simeon Jones named his home "Longacre." https://www.newseaburyre.com/listing/21608269/490-main-street-barnstable-ma-2632/
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Rick310 the Model Shipways solid built Hull of your McKay Clipper "Flying Fish" is simply beautiful. I'm very familiar with the lovely tribute painting of her by Buttersworth, courtesy of the very generous on-line Vallejo Gallery. Your reference to a China Trade piece auctioned off in 2005 is one I've heard of before. If they're available, please post the pictures you took of this intriguing work. I've read that Chinese artists would have spray-painted backgrounds to which a particular vessel would be added as the centerpiece. This unique practice was done specifically for a quick turn around in order to sell it to Ship's Captains. These paintings were highly prized among Ship's Owners and Captains due to their highly accurate portrayal of their own vessels. So you can see why I'd love to see your images of this China Trade depiction of "Flying Fish." For the past eighteen months, as a result of the wonderful generosity of "Glory of the Seas" author Michael Mjelde, Rob Wiederrich's group have been the benefit of ultra rare, incredibly sharp images of McKay's final Clipper. I've shared one here, which is a great view of her after cabin. As you can clearly see, the sides of the rear house conform to the narrowing ship's stern. There are other great pictures of the front fascia of this great house which also verifies a very ornate design. So as not to hijack your blog with too many Glory pics, I've shared just one other of the front. "Flying Fish" being an Extreme Clipper and a much smaller ship than "Glory of the Seas" which was a Medium Clipper, her resulting proportions would be reduced too. Finally, the actual rail which surrounded the rear quarters of "Flying Fish" still exist today. Apparently her Captain Simeon Jones repurposed these components for use at his Mansion at 490 Main Street, Centerville (Cape Cod) Mass. Finally when it comes to the construction and appearance of her bow, for some peculiar reason, all models of McKay Clippers mysteriously leave off the naval hoods and cutwaters which were part of McKay Clippers ever since he introduced his Extreme Clipper "Staghound." If you like, I shared some concept sketches with George which incorporate these components and incorporates a more realistic, natural flying fish figurehead. I'd welcome an opportunity to collaborate with you on your model.
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Rob, consistent, impressive, clean work, as per your usual high standards. I noticed the addition of the exhaust vent. It looks nice. How you get your ratlines so level and evenly spaced is simply amazing. Keep up the great work!
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Rob, I know for a fact one such image exists, as Leslie, Peggy's dad pointed it out to me. It was an old photo from the 1800s of a man casually leaning into the Foremast shrouds of a large three masted Maine built Merchant vessel. He proudly told me that this was a picture of his dad in a vessel that he was Foreman of construction for. I'll ask my wife if she might know where it is.
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Rob, I kinda figured that was the fact but just in case, I felt it was better to speak up than not. My wife Peggy is constantly impressed with your work. She says her late dad would have loved to have met you. He built a bread & butter Brigantine "Newsboy". Unfortunately he became sick and unable to complete her. I found his blueprint & have all materials to finish. It's a goal of mine to honor the man and complete his work. His father was an actual Nova Scotian Shipwright who worked on Maine Downeasters.
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Rob, your ratlines look sharp. There's one item on the roof of the rear house that you haven't installed yet. Before the rigging makes it more of a challenge, I thought I would remind you. There's an exhaust flu with cap from a stove inside towards the front center of the house just before the catwalk. It appears to be 2 feet tall probably 10" diameter. From Mike's blueprint it appears to be set back 1' from the front wall. With a 3' overhang, that would set it back 4'. I apologize in advance if you already had plans to install this piece.
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Rob, how's that saying go? I "misremembered." What I do remember is how the knot from below being at the extreme Stern gives the vessel an appearance of floating in midair. Definitely a quite unique appearance for a vessel's mount. FYI thanks for the beautiful broadside.
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Rob, I have, as best as I can tell. I particularly like the rather large piece of irregular driftwood that acts as a base to your magnificent "Great Republic." My sole concern was for a viewing public to be able to see the entire Hull of Glory. Why not put a lot of leaning stabilizers all along her lower Hull, just like the practice done in a ship's dry dock. Just a suggestion to an alternate approach which would also add interest. Then again, it's your creation and ultimately your choice.
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Rob after having done such exhaustively detailed work to fully realize "Glory of the Seas" in every minute detail, I would think you would want to have every inch of her visible. I suggest mounting her on pedestals on top of the cleat. Carving a slot for her keel to rest in will hide that part of her beautiful Hull. Just my continuing, potentially annoying 2c.
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Rob, I'm going to have to refer to a Thesaurus in order to come up with further superlatives to accurately describe my reactions to your breathtaking work on your Glory model! Wow.... just wow. I am constantly blown away by your beautiful work on this simply impressive vessel. Your rigging of the Bowsprit spreader truly reinforces how much more rugged this additional spar would have made the rigging forces supporting the bowsprit, making it far more capable of withstanding stress. I bet Captain Nicholson must have seen that the lack of such a spar was a weakness to be corrected. This is somewhat reinforced by seeing the impressive loftiness of even just the Mizzenmast alone. It's hard to appreciate how tall this mast actually is, since it is so dwarfed by the Mainmast before it. Seeing your model's development with magnificent 1877 photo of "Glory of the Seas" docked at San Francisco behind, I can see why she was so popular in every port she arrived at.
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Ian Grant, don't worry about being a so-called dinosaur. My flip phone was only replaced when the ability to recharge it failed due to an inability to get the cable to properly set in. Look at the bright side though, without GPS nobody can track you. These smart phones are nowhere near as intelligent as advertised. Although, I must admit my Samsung Galaxy S8 does have a beautiful camera. Pretty soon I'll have to spring for a new one as I've run out of storage, even with the largest capacity sim card too ... I love beautiful pictures....
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Rob your inventiveness and clever use of plain, ordinary materials to achieve such extraordinary results constantly amazes me. Thanks for describing your lifeboat canvas cover creative process. I really appreciate it.
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Rick310 I agree with Rob. If you have a build log, do please share it with us.
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