HMS Pickle by flyer - FINISHED - Caldercraft - Scale 1:64 - my interpretation

[jwvolz]

Sails are looking great Peter. 

[JRB9019]

WOW - not much more to say really!!!

 

On a side note - if, during a blow, the sail was lowered and tied to to boom as is done these days, I wonder how they managed to do the last 10-12 feet or so that extend past the stern...... (P.S. Not a critisism, just intrigued - it's bad enough having to furl and tie a main on a modern yacht when she's tied up in the Marina!!!)

 

John

[flyer]

Thank you, Nils.

Again I have to emphasize how much I could profit from ideas found in MSW. It's a great enhancement for our hobby to have such a great forum and I want to thank all those doing much good work behind the scenery.

 

Hi Joe

Thank you. I like them myself and only hope that textile glue will hold through all the storms lying ahead.

 

Hi John

Out of curiosity I translated wow with my online dictionary and got 'Tonhöhenschwankung' which could be translated back as pitch oscillations. Are you criticizing my singing?

Seriously - I had the same question as you and therefore put that horse onto the boom. Do you have them on modern yachts?

 

Cheers

peter

[JRB9019]

Singing Peter?

 

I thought that Yodelle would be more appropriate - which would possibilly better explain the "pitch oscillations"!!

 

Not sure about the horse - I need to investigate - I am sure we will be soon swamped with professional explanations anyway!!

 

John

[Martin W]

Lovely sails, Peter.  And those full shots show what a lovely vessel Pickle is -- the close-ups show what a craftsman you are.

 

Cheers,

 

Martin

[flyer]

John, some Swiss people are nice and peaceful. I do not yodel and neither do I practice any other of the martial arts.

 

Thank you Martin. Looong time ago,  during my 4 years training as a mechanic, I heard some quite different comments about my craftsmanship. But wood and fabric are more forgiving than iron and steel.

And Yes, I definitely love the lines and proportions of my Pickle. It seems that relaying on the Adonis plans and Marquardt's book for improvements was a good idea.

 

Cheers

peter

[flyer]

Trying to find out how to set all the jib sails I noticed that the fore stay seemed to lead too far out onto the bowsprit. When changing the bowsprit proportions I didn't change the fore stay accordingly. Moving the attachment point about 20mm inboard provided a better spread of the stays and their sails and also a more harmonic picture.

 

old distribution of stays

 

fore stay adjusted

[flyer]

The fore yard (similar to a crossjack) was now prepared. Generally I followed the manual. Only for the lift I used two of my wooden thimbles to set up the lanyard. Sometimes I needed to check the setup in Lees' book. The manual could use some additional pictures here, e.g. for the sling.

For the stirrups of the footropes I used the same 0,25 black thread as for the footropes themselves. The manual asks for some wire but I find B.E.'s solution much better - but definitely not easier to make.

The yard will later be braced about 30° to port, depicting a situation of a becalmed Pickle ready to catch a breeze somewhere from the starboard. (The master said it will certainly come, he can feel it in his bones.)

There is quite some fiddling work to do for the fore and the fore topsail yard. I only hope that bit of additional thrust Pickle will get from the fore topsail will be worth all that work for setting up, handling and maintaining those two yards.

 

 

The yard is ready. The prepared sling lies on the left.

 

yard installed

 

detail with the sling

[Cathead]

Gorgeous.

[flyer]

The topsail - a long story

 

The topsail proved to be the most complicated sail to make so far. The concave foot of the sail was drawn free handed and the resulting glued seam shows it a bit. I added bowlines and reef tackles to the kits clew lines, sheets and braces. Lifts and tye were installed as per instructions. The strange parrel however was changed to double rows similar to those on Pegasus.

 

The topsail yard got some simple horses and was, as far as possible, prepared with the necessary lines.

 

The sail was bent to the topsail yard and hoisted - only to find that it was a bit too large. I had to lower the crossjack yard a few mm and to re-rig the sling , truss and the sheet and lift blocks in the process. The sail still looks a little large compared to the usual illustrations of schooners but for all that effort it needed to set up that piece of cloth, I want my skipper to really get some extra thrust out of it. The yards are braced to port a bit as explained above.

 

The reef tackles lead up through holes in the outer yard ends, through small blocks in a span at the mast head and are belayed on the foremost capping pin rail.

 

The bowlines presented a problem. One usual method was to lead them through the outer sheaves of a triple block on the jibboom end. My intention was to replace the kits single block with a treble one but several laborious attempts of my carpenter to make one failed spectacularly - mostly braking apart at the holes. Then the same carpenter reminded me of the  alternative method to set up topgallant stay and bowlines via a treble thimble strap and we decided to combine the single block with a double thimble strap for the bowlines. My excuse for this perhaps unorthodox mix is Marquardt's statement that no other rig was as individual as that of the schooner. Double bridles were applied to the sail and the bowlines led via my reliable wooden thimbles to my pin rail on the bowsprit step.  They will be definitely belayed only after setting up all the stay sails.

 

There is still some stowing of loose ends to do before starting on those stay sails.

 

 I've got the feeling that the effort and time to set up the topsail was about three times that of any fore and aft sail. If this compares to the prototypes, I see now another good reason to rather use fore and aft sails on smaller vessels with a relatively small crew or on modern yachts.

 

topsail

 

the sailmaker sets the last few stitches

 

topsail yard is ready

 

 

block and thimbles arrangement on the jibboom end

 

topsail hoisted

 

 

Pickles topsail may be a bit large

[Mirabell61]

I find the topsail size looks just right Peter,

 

the whole outfit of sails together with the rigging looks great....

 

Nils

[riverboat]

Those sails look great !!..... nice work Peter

 

 

Frank

[Blue Ensign]

One of the reasons I fitted the Crossjack above the gaff on my Pickle was because I was concerned about the very large roach that would  be needed on the Topsail with the Crossjack that much lower down the mast. I was therefore curious to see how it would work out on your build Peter.

 

I think it has worked out just fine and it sits easy on my eye, nice job on the sail construction.

 

B.E.

[tkay11]

Agreed. Very nice indeed. Sails maketh the ship.

 

Tony

[flyer]

Hi Nils

Thank you. Now, after setting up just one square sail with most of its lines, I really can appreciate the huge amount of sisyphusian work you did on your Pegasus while setting up dozens of them!

 

Frank,

Thanks a lot.

 

Tony,

Nice comment. Thank you.

 

peter

[flyer]

Hi B.E.

 

Thank you.

 

For the roach I just tried a depth of about 1,5 times the width of a cloth, an average value measured in several drafts of schooners under sail. This would be about 3 feet and coincides nicely with Lees' chapter about sail making. Trials with the paper sail showed that it works. The sail still would chafe a bit on the stay - something that would ask for crowfeet on a larger ship.

Unfortunately the paper sail trials concealed the fact that the sail was a bit too long for the position of the already established crossjack and I had to re-rig it (or remake the sail).

 

Congratulations on your new working space. I bet, a lot of modellers in this forum now know what to wish for next Christmas. But how you will bring yourself to make some dust there, I cannot imagine.

BTW what did you use on the floor? In my workspace I have cork and I did swear a thousand times, while crawling on it and searching for a tiny dropped part, that the next floor would be in a smooth clinical white.

 

peter

Edited March 13, 2016 by flyer

[Blue Ensign]

Thanks Peter, I have a sagey green close woven carpet on the floor, but as its all open it won't be too difficult to spot fallen bits and pieces, and what I don't find I'm sure a spaniel nose will.

 

You're right, it does make you hesitant to make too much dust in a newly decorated space, but as I'm now into the rigging stage shouldn't be too problematic, for any heavy stuff I'll decamp to the garage.

 

Cheers,

 

B.E.

[flyer]

Showing the flag

As a little brake in sail 'stitching' I made and set the flag.

 

Pickle probably started her marine life under the blue ensign while being on the Jamaica station but apparently all ships present at Trafalgar flew a white ensign.

So, a white ensign it had to be and of course the one used after 1800 with the cross of St Patrick included.

 

I hand painted (here I really was glad that the Welsh dragon was never included in the union jack) the flag on the same but untreated cotton I use for the sails. The inaccuracies of the painter will hopefully be masked by the folds of the flag, hanging almost limp in a very light breeze.

 

I wasn't sure if I would have to set it on the windward or lee side but opted for the first as the view onto starboard will be the favoured one with the sails set for the expected breeze from this side.

Both running ends of the flag line are therefore belayed on the starboard side.

 

both sides of the flag are hand painted

 

[Beef Wellington]

That's a really nice look ensign with very convincing 'folds', much better than the mass produced items.  Well done Peter

[Blue Ensign]

I fully agree with Jason's comments, well done Peter

 

B.E.

[JRB9019]

Peter,

 

this looks really good, I'm impressed with the quality of your work.

 

I've just realised that as I have decided to finish my Pickle with furled sails, she will not have the Main Gaff hoisted, but it will be down on top of the furled main Gaff on top of the Driver Boom.

 

Of course, the Fore Gaff will remain with the sail furled against the fore-mast.

 

The end result will leave a rather 'empty' stern section, but I guess that's thw way it's going to be. At least there is no foremast Driver Boom, otherwise Pickle would have looked rather bare.

 

Here's another picture of Ruth to show you what I mean:

 

[Martin W]

Yes, Peter, that is a good-looking flag.  Those light breezes you get on the Swiss Sea give it just the right loft and fullness.

 

Cheers,

 

Martin

[flyer]

Jason and B.E. - thank you.

 

Martin, don't underestimate sailing conditions in Switzerland. On some lakes they got winds up to 80 kts. Winds blowing across the alps and through the valleys can get quite strong, sometimes aided also by a Venturi effect caused by high mountains framing the lake.

 

John and Spy, thanks for the compliments

Looking through Lees' 'The Masting and Riggging  of English Ships of War' and Harlands 'Seamanship in the Age of Sail' I find that furling the spanker or gaff by lowering the boom wasn't always practiced. Depending on size of the ship (and boom), the wind and how fast the sail should be available it seems they also could brail in a 'boomed' sail. (See Lees' page 113). Harland mentions the possibility to leave the gaff hoisted in harbour for example if you wanted to fly the ensign(!).

John, thanks again for the picture but fortunately there is more than one way to furl a gaff sail.

Spy, hoisting an ensign seems enough to justify a hoisted gaff.

 

Thank you for the likes

peter

[JRB9019]

Thanks Peter

 

Oh yes, the good old Swiss Föhn winds - and the headaches that go with them!!

[Mirabell61]

very nice "White Ensign" Peter,

 

I remember, you already had some practice with your nice "Pegasus`s" selfmade ensign

 

Nils

[JSGerson]

Peter, I was referred to your build log by Martin W with regards to the flag, specifically where the halliard is tied off to. I've been building the Rattlesnake for a while now (like six years) and have finally started the rigging. This is my first rigging so I am learning as I go. Although my kit is Mamoli, I also have Model Shipway plans. As it turns out neither one of them address where the flag halliyard is suppose to be tied. Looking at my book references, they basically state that it is tied off at the most convenient spot. My logic suggests it would be better to tie off on the boom so when the gaff and boom swing, the halliyard won't need extra slack or have too much. On your model, it looks like it goes to a deck or bulwark cleat (I can't tell). Was this your choice or were you instructed? What is the reasoning for attaching it there? Anything you can tell me to shed some light on this would be helpful.

 

Thanks

 

Jonathan

 

P.S. That's a beautiful model you have created!

[flyer]

Hi Jonathan

My first approach to this problem was with logic - as you did. You may see the result on Pegasus where I took the flag line through a block on the outer end of the boom and belayed it on a cleat, put into the side of the boom. However for some reason it seems that the usual solution was not logical. I believe it was Jack Aubrey who once stated that there were two ways to do something: The right way and the way the navy does it.

In Pickles excellent building manual the rigging of the flag halyard is described in detail. The flag line block should be placed on the outer part of the gaff. However I placed it on an eyebolt in the end of the gaff as mentioned by Marquardt. The halyard now runs through that block with 2 free ends - one holding the flag. Both ends are belayed on the same cleat on the inner bulwark. An identical cleat would be available on the opposite bulwark. This arrangement seems to confirm several illustrations and paintings where the flag line leads from the tip of the gaff somewhere towards the bulwark some distance forward of the taffrail. You would have to rearrange that flag halyard frequently when tacking - but this was probably the navy way.

 

And by the way - your Rattlesnake is a very impressive reptile.

peter

 

flag halyard arrangement on Pegasus - probably wrong

 

that seaman stands just forward of the flag line cleat

 

[JSGerson]

Thank you for the quick and detailed reply. You are right, it doesn't sound logical. You also stated there are two free ends which means now you need twice as much rope as compared to a haliard that ran as a loop plus the added hazard of possible dropping one end by accident while lowering the flag could result in the rope being pulled through the block and dropping to the deck. Very illogical indeed.

 

Thanks

 

Jonathan

[JRB9019]

Peter

 

Going back to our discussion re. furling the Gaffsail and how could they have done this as the Driver Boom extends way past the Transom.......

 

I remember you suggested adding horses to the boom, but yesterday, I came across a photo on a website of a Pilot Cutter that also offers sailing days/holidays.

 

Scrolling around, I found a photo that could shed some light in the subject....

 

Here you will see that a ledge (for want of a better word) has been attached to the Boom which is obviously big enough to stand on. I wonder if this is the answer???

 

 

For more (great looking - and "oh, that looks like a great holiday") photos, the website is:

 

http://www.workingsail.co.uk/sail/charter-picture-album-2/

 

Scroll down to see more!

 

Regards

John

 

[flyer]

Hi John

You have been there, I think. Yes the Föhn may give you a headache and he was also famous for helping to burn down whole villages in earlier times.

 

Hi Nils

Right. This one was a bit more complicated but manageable. I remember that you sort of printed yours but painting it was fun and quickly done.

 

Hi Spy

Thank you for your inputs. I fully agree with your solution of the problem with the two free ends. Only it would perhaps be a bit too straightforward and logical for the navy...

In Marquardts book I found Johns ledges. They were used from the early 19th century, called reef combs and guided reef pendants. Those pendants were used to haul down the sail when taking in a reef. The holes therefore had to lie directly below the reef cringles.

 

Thanks for all the likes

peter