ClipperFan
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Rob, you most definitely have an eagle eye. Great catch on those tightly furled sails. I didn't even realize they were there until you pointed them out!- 3,560 replies
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Rob, nice set of mast tops. I recognize the 1st two but not the last two. Can you please share full images of those?
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Rob, I actually forgot this image. I remember it now, because the worker at the bottom of the dry dock looks so small, being down over 5 stories.
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Rob, great catch on the 'Lubber hole opening. It looks like that's Glory's foremast closest to the camera, behind a massive metal exhaust pipe installed with her factory conversion. Could you please post the entire picture, I'm curious as to where this originated.
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Vladimir, wow! You've done a very nice treatise on constructing very intricate mast tops from beginning sketch to completed product. Very impressive! I especially appreciated your demonstration of utilizing a cardboard former with push pins to gracefully bend that former piece.
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Vladimir, thanks for the compliment, I appreciate it. Without exaggeration, the many, many very impressive, yet frustratingly inaccurate models of Donald McKay's beautiful Clippers have been a constant "thorn in my side." I guess you can say I'm a "man on a mission" to finally set the record straight. That's a big part of my added motivation to finally recreate a clear picture of the real "GLORY of the SEAS". I really consider her the "Rosetta Stone" key to unlocking the genuine looks of McKay's Clippers. When I have a chance, I'll have to look at Chuck's Wincheslea build.
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Rob, Vladimir.... inspired by our year's long journey of discovery of the true appearance of "GLORY of the SEAS" I decided to sketch the most accurate reconstructions of other capital ships McKay designed: his premier Extreme Clipper "Staghound" followed by the famous Extreme Clipper "Flying Cloud" (incidentally both of these ships are in the exact same scale by pure coincidence) and finally his mammoth Clipper "Sovereign of the Seas." sketched on the back of an envelope. Later on I intend to include the Australian Clipper "Lightning". I recently discovered another Samuel Walters oil which shows her with her original female winged figurehead, again mounted on a similar pedestal as Glory's goddess 'Athene'. After I write the NRJ article (I missed Jan 1st deadline, next one is April 1st) I plan to start a blog (post?) about this historically valid reinterpretation of Donald McKay's Clippers. He remains our most famous, yet greatly misunderstood Clipper designer.
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Vladimir, it's been so long that I've seen your beautiful Glory hull, that I forgot how impressive she is. It's really nice to see her again. Such a lovely, long profile! You have also done a marvelous job on constructing your t'gallant yard. This will be a fascinating build to continue following.
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Rob, looking at the complex construction of this wooden mizzen mast gives me greater appreciation for the advanced knowledge, scientifically developed and truly sophisticated approach these ship builders utilized in building these powerful masts. Hidden iron rebar reinforcement, hollow centers with ventilated airflow to prevent rot? Who knew? By reproducing these construction details, you guys may actually lengthen the lives of your own masts. Thanks for sharing your in depth knowledge of these fascinating structures.
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George K, I wouldn't gild the figurehead at all. Burnished probably meant small highlights. Also, from the pictures, it's hard to tell that you had already paint your fish any shade of green. Meanwhile when you finish refining the small gaps in the Bow, you will have constructed one of the most accurate models of "Flying Fish" ever done.
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George K, the only other suggestion I have for your figurehead, as far as fealty to the original has to do with her paint scheme. In his Boston Daily Atlas article description, Duncan MacLean simply wrote that the figurehead was "burnished with gold and green." In life, these lovely aerobatic fish are darker above to their midline, then lighter below. Their gossamer wings have very fine lace like veins which separate into beautiful butterfly patterns. Of course, when dealing with small sculptures, less is more, due to such a diminutive scale..
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George K, that looks so much better now. More critically, it now looks much closer to the graceful continuous bow curve both as described in MacLean's contemporary description of her at launch and as beautifully illustrated in the famous Buttersworth oil commissioned by her owners. Well done!
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Snug Harbor Johnny, "Wasa" is simply an incredible find and what a treasure trove of information she's turned out to be. Perhaps most shocking is the literal riot of color this vessel actually was. Most Dock Yard models depict a very limited pallet yet in "Royal Wasa's" case, everything is depicted in lifelike reality. I'd love to see any progress pics you feel like sharing. By the way, I have Bjorn Landstrom's "Royal Wasa" book in original Swedish. If you need any reference pics, just let me know.
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Vladimir, here's a pic of "Cutty Sark's" mizzenmast. Second yardarm up is for the lower topsail. Enlarging the image will reveal the long thin iron pole supporting the yard. It's likely this added reinforcement was structural support for when the upper topsail yardarm would rest on the lower one.
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Vladimir, those masts look very nicely done. Kudos on your courage to take on this additional challenge.
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Vladimir, you're welcome, I'm sure!
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Vladimir, in post #2134 I discussed mast heights with Rob. My conclusion by totalling up combined keel dimensions was to add 9'5" to your mast heights, to account for these massive spars being mounted onto Glory's substantial internal backbone. Measure from the very bottom of the keel of your vessel. That's for lower masts only. All other masts above the lowest, would exactly follow the published list.
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George K, here's a couple illustrations of Donald McKay's first two Extreme Clippers: "Staghound" and the famous "Flying Cloud." If you look closely at "Staghound" underneath lines of the Naval Hoods and Cutwater the Stem is still visible. Incidentally both vessels are in the same exact scale. By the way, there never has been an accurate model of "Flying Cloud" including a 1/3rd scale vessel built in the '70s by the same shipwrights of Nova Scotia which built the famous HMS "Bounty" replica. Yet if you look carefully at the first illustrations of "Flying Cloud" both at her launch and advertisements from her at dockside, her Naval Hoods and Cutwater are illustrated. It's crude but they're definitely there.
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George K, yes that's absolutely right. If you look at Clipper Ships, typically their Cutwaters extend beyond the Stem. What's been so sad for McKay's Clippers is that nobody has bothered to properly incorporate the Cutwaters & Naval Hoods into their models, even though they're described in contemporary descriptions. If you look at photos of "GLORY of the SEAS" these nautical devices can all be clearly seen. Even the Scottish Clipper "Cutty Sark" has these devices. Once you've added this gracefully curving component and blended it into the bow, you'll see how your "Flying Fish" bow will more closely mirror the one in the Buttersworth painting.
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Vladimir, beautiful work on these yardarms!
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George K, nice work on representing the Naval Hoods, Cutwater & more lifelike figurehead on your "Flying Fish". I hope you don't mind a couple suggestions how to recapture a Clipper Bow. If you can, move the Cutwater up so it abuts the bottom of the Naval Hoods & extend it just enough so the fish figurehead is further up closer to the tip of the Naval Hoods. Then add the curved piece blending into the bottom of the Cutwater. I've attached a before & after sketch to show end results. Good luck!
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Vladimir, actually Glory did in fact originally carry a full set of Stuns'ls. By 1877 when Rob is modeling her, apparently those booms had been removed.
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Vladimir, I don't "place much stock" in the authenticity of this particular artists works. Note the sparse bow which lacks any figurehead at all. From her fitting out after her launch "GLORY of the SEAS" was rigged with double Topsail on all 3 yards.
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Vladimir, it might help you to know that all yardarms on Glory's fore and main masts are identical sizes. So you & Rob can fashion duplicates for both masts. Then it's just the moon sail yard on the main as well as the mizzen yards.
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Vladimir Wairoa Nice to see you back in action on your lovely Glory! I look forward to seeing your results as you rig this mammoth model. I'm sure it will be stirring. Your new Bowsprit looks quite impressive.
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