English Royal Yacht by Ab Hoving - CARD

[Ab Hoving]

Thanks @Doreltomin and @Baker.

Alas, I'm on Apple.

[Ab Hoving]

A lot of time passed since my last posting. Most of it was caused by people, family and friends, who start to die all over the place. In a very short period I lost six relatives and close friends. That takes away a lot of one's motivation and working power.

Anyway, the model approaches its finishing stage, after which I will come up with better pictures than these.  

There is a lot to say about some choices I made, but as a whole I think I am reasonably satisfied with the result. For a ship with a totally different background the result could have been worse (and better for that matter).

In a later stage I will give my remarks about the rigging, which on this model is mainly done after Dutch sources, quite different in details from the only rigged dockyard model I have found so far.

 

Back to flags, anchors, lanterns and sailors.

[flying_dutchman2]

Beautiful!

Lots of gold..... I like it.

Marcus

[Michael Mash]

Man O Man.  That is quite a change in appearance since the previous photos.

Now it's an Ab Hoving ship.  Looking forward to your photographer doing his work with this.

Mike

[dvm27]

Very sorry to hear of your recent losses Ab. If we live long enough this becomes inevitable I suppose.

 

Your model is quite lovely. You have a very discernable style which produces simple elegant models.

[druxey]

I echo Greg's sentiments, Ab. It's tough losing folk one cares about.

 

That is a lovely model indeed. For 'English' rigging, the Van de Velde paintings and drawings are very helpful. The one contemporary yacht model in the NMM has modern rigging that isn't quite right.

[Ab Hoving]

Thanks to all the people who liked the model and especially of course to @flying_dutchman2,  @Michael Mash, @dvm27 and @druxey for their comforting words. Much appreciated.

Druxey: The funny thing about the rigging is that Charles II was transported from Breda to Scheveningen in a group of several yachts with spritsail rigging. The Mary, which that was sent to him as a present from the Dutch however sported a standing gaff rigging. From what I saw on pictures the English type of this rig differed from the Dutch in for instance the topsail, having no braces and lifts. It was just a flying sail, only having blocks at the lower tips, through which ropes from the lower yard were led and sometimes, but not always bowlines leading to end of the bowsprit. The sail was stored on deck until it was needed and hoisted with a halliard that ran through a sheave in the top of the mast and through a loose 8-shaped shackle around the top. The lower yard was stowed upright against the mast if not in use. In that case it hangs on a long pendant. The fact that this square rigged sail was handled on deck was the reason why Dutch yachts did not have ratlines on the shrouds.

There were more differences about which perhaps another time...

Edited Sunday at 10:43 AM by Ab Hoving

[bdgiantman2]

On 1/22/2025 at 5:45 AM, druxey said:

Ab: you have opened a large can of worms here! The plans for Fubbs are for the rebuild of the 1720's and differ somewhat from the earlier Stuart classic yachts.

 

As you may know, Effie and I are working on a book covering all the yachts of the Stuart era. There is scanty hard evidence of internal arrangements. The most detailed 'plan' (and perhaps showing artistic licence) are the Vincenzo Coronelli plates of Isabella that include a longitudinal section:

 

Once again, like usual, I am late to the party on a fascinating model and blog. Ab, you have made another beautiful model, I've never tried modeling with card personally. Seeing the ketch version of same ship would be really cool to me as those rigs were so rare and unique.  My condolences with the many others here about the loss of extended family and your friend. 

 

Druxey, this is great news to hear about your co-writing this book about the Stuart yachts. I have Ab's book about the Dutch cargo yachts of that time and was wondering if there was going to come a civilian/VIP version even if there is scant information available. I have long admired ships such as Mary and the Utretch.  So many similarities in deck layouts and some internal features yet so many differences as well, especially length of the hull. An old book I have printed in Dutch about one of the statenjachts being built as a scale model, this one measured 79 ft long (which was recorded as a standard size of many such vessels) whereas the diving expedition to remains of Mary estimate her to be only 52 ft long. Those designs of that era are beautifully made, too bad so much history and information was either destroyed or never recorded. I look forward to this book of yours being published.