Upstate New Yorker

[Melissa T.]

Hello everyone,

 

I've been lurking on the site for a while and have been extremely impressed with the quality of advice and experience shared here!  I'm a 61-year old retired woman living happily in Saratoga Springs, NY.  (I suspect I'm one of the very few women on this site!)  I have long admired wooden ship models that I have seen displayed in various museums around the world over the years for their intricacy and accuracy.  I've wanted to take the plunge and build my own for some time now, and have been reading up on the topic.  With the winter now approaching, it seemed an opportune time for a good indoor project such as this.

 

The advice to beginners on MSW is excellent and on the mark.  Though I would love to build the Viking Drakkar, a Greek Bireme, and of course - given where I live - Henry Hudson's Half Moon, I've decided to start with the Swampscott Dory from Bluejacket to gain some basic skills and experience.  It looks fun, but still challenging, and I'm totally fine if it takes me six months or so to finish it.  I'm more interested in the process than the finish line.  I'll be closely consulting the build logs of others who have built this kit to learn from their experiences (and so I can make my own original mistakes!)

 

A bit about me - I'm a retired Army officer (Military Intelligence branch) and I was fortunate to live and travel throughout Europe and the Middle 
East.  I'm an avid and lifelong amateur astronomer, another hobby requiring a lot of patience and gradual skill-building.  I am interested in and read extensively on the history of the ancient world and the early modern period of the 17th and early 18th centuries.  I'm fortunate to live where I do, at the nexus of New Netherland, New France, and New England.  I look forward to participating on this site and learning more about this fascinating hobby!

 

Melissa T.

[ccoyle]

Welcome, Melissa! It sounds like you are taking a wise approach to the hobby. I have no reason to doubt you will be successful.

 

I had an 8" reflector on a Dobson mount not too many years ago. It was great when I used to live in the sticks near Yosemite NP, but now I live in suburbia, and there is way too much light pollution.

 

Cheers!

 

P.S. Some of my ancestors were early residents of New Amsterdam.

[Melissa T.]

Thanks Chris! An 8” Dob is a terrific scope! I’m lucky to have my own back yard observatory now with a soon-to-be-arriving 160mm APO refractor. Lots of light pollution, but still fine for double star and planetary work. But I suppose this is off topic….

 

Just ordered the Swampscott Dory kit from Age of Sail.  Looking forward to it!

 

Melissa

[JeffT]

Hi Melissa. Thanks for your service. Welcome to MSW. 

 

[Keith Black]

 Melissa, welcome to MSW. I look forward to seeing your dory come to life in a build log.

 

 We have several female members and it's always a pleasure to welcome aboard a new female member. Women have innate abilities that make model building a natural, the most important being patience. It's a shame more women aren't drawn to the hobby. 

 

 One of our  members,  Rob Wiederrich, builds his on scopes including grinding the mirrors. 

 

 And yes, thank you for your service. 

[Melissa T.]

Thank you, Jeff and Keith!

[mtaylor]

Welcome to MSW, Melissa.   You've chosen well on starting this hobby.   Thank you for your service.  You'll find that many of us are former military going back to even pre-Vietnam.  

[barkeater]

Welcome to MSW. I grew up in upstate NY (Gloversville). Thank you for your service. Since you are in Saratoga, the Philadelphia from the battle of Valcour Island may be of interest,

Richard

[Melissa T.]

Richard - Good tip!  I hadn't even thought of that.

[druxey]

Welcome aboard! There are several fine builders on this site who happen to be female. Check them out.

[Ryland Craze]

Hi Melissa and welcome to Model Ship World.  The Swampscott Dory kit is an excellent kit for the first time wooden ship modeler.  I hope you start a build log of your model when you receive it so we can follow your progress.

[allanyed]

Welcome Melissa,

First and foremost, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY.   I too get the astronomy bug now and then, having had an 8" Schmidt Cassegrain from Celestron.   Living in a relatively small town now,  the only light pollution is from the street lights so maybe time to re-up.    I would love to get an 11" SC but the weight and moving it in and out would not be good for these old bones.   Maybe sink a post in a concrete base and mount it semi permanently.   Then again, if it is permanently mounted maybe a 14" !!!!!!   

 

Good luck with your ship modeling, you have literally tens of thousands of tutors available to help you along the way.

 

Allan 

[Jim Lad]

Hello Melissa, and a warm welcome to the forum from 'Down Under'.

 

John

[Jaager]

9 hours ago, Melissa T. said:

I am interested in and read extensively on the history of the ancient world and the early modern period of the 17th and early 18th centuries.  I'm fortunate to live where I do, at the nexus of New Netherland, New France, and New England.

Melissa,

First,  good luck and good fortune in your experience with this.  May it provide the challenge and fulfillment that many of us find in researching and fabricating model ships from the Age of Sail and before.

 

My purpose with this is to ask / suggest   - given where you live, are you familiar with the book:  King William's War - Michael G. Laramie - Westholme Publishing - 2017.   While it is not exactly a page turner, it does fill what for me was a major vacuum in the history of North America.  It supplies a background that explains the attitudes, prejudice, and hostilities of the subsequent years.   Have you already read it?  Are you familiar with it?

[Melissa T.]

Thank you all for your kind and generous comments!

 

Jaager - I’m very familiar with Laramie’s book on King William’s War (Nine Years War in Europe) as well as his companion volume on Queen Anne’s War (War of Spanish Succession). Not the most scintillating writer, as you say, but solid history well-researched. Thanks!

[bruce d]

Hello Melissa, welcome to MSW. Plenty of people here to chip in with advice/answers on the issues you will face.  I am looking forward to seeing your build log, several people here have a soft spot for working boats. 

Your sky-gazing gear sounds serious!

 

Bruce

[MrBlueJacket]

by all means do a build log of your Swampscott dory. When you finish, I will give you a 10% discount on the next kit you buy from us.

[barkeater]

Might I also suggest for your reading list Bloody Mohawk by Richard Berlith which covers the Mohawk Valley and the NY frontier from before the French and Indian War through the Revolutionary War and The British are Coming by Rick Atkinson the first of a trilogy. I'm still awaiting the second installment.

Richard

[Trussben]

Welcome Melissa,

 

There are a few of us model builders in the capital region, enjoy your new hobby.

 

Ben

[Melissa T.]

Richard - Bloody Mohawk and Atkinson’s book also on my bookshelf. Both are fantastic!  Melissa