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| by Mark
Steele - Auckland, New Zealand
An Australian
sea Horse?
No, but Richard’s
Sea Cloud creates
a new benchmark in working model ship construction. |
Completed in February this year and officially launched
on 25th April in Queensland, Australia (the very date
that the original boat was launched seventy-five years
before in Kiel, Germany), Richard Mayes realized a
43 year old dream of building a fully working model
square rigger. His model of the Sea Cloud
sets high standards in model ship-building and took
a lot longer than he had anticipated, almost eleven
years of construction. The original vessel which was
launched as the Hussar V way back in 1931 for owners,
Edward Hutton, a successful New York stockbroker and
his wife, heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post, was
at that time at 360’ in length the largest private
sailing yacht in the world. Purchased in 1978 by a
German shipowner group, she was later converted into
the cruise ship she still sails as today
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"Sea
Cloud" under sail |
In 1995, Richard who lives in Maroochydore, had obtained
plans, photos, technical data sheets and cruise material
from the owners of Sea Cloud, material that
was to prove invaluable, and there began his lengthy
task. Without going into the technical side, I propose
to let several fine photographs show the results of
his labour of love, including the lighting of the
ship made a reality with his having fitted 98 small
lights all over the ship and within. Enlarge them
by clicking on each and you will be amazed at the
wealth of intricate detail aboard.
Five winches control all the sails and spars, a standard
servo controls the spanker/topsail, two winches control
all 11 jibs/staysails so they can tack over, there
is one winch to control the mizzen mast spars, another
to control the foremast spars. The detail is amazing,
with chairs, tables, upper deck longe seats all made
from plastic card, lifeboats carved out of balsa,
the covers made from his wife’s stockings painted
with PVA glue to keep their shape then painted blue.
Take note of this – on the forward bulkhead
of the aft cabin is a notice board with a photo of
the ship and a map of the Aegean Sea, the wheelhouse
fitted out with full detail and all looking great
when the lights are on. The model is fitted with a
mechanical drop keel which when lowered activates
the two radars.
This incredible model of the Sea Cloud has
earned Richard, the `Model of the Decade’ Award
from Windling World, the writer’s magazine which
has now ended production after an eleven year run.
| We have to stop
meeting like this! People are starting to talk. |
|
 |
That must have
been one hell of a party last night! A young
Mark in the Fiji Islands after a cyclone that
took a yacht ashore into what was the island
resort's dining room. |
In the minds and hearts of a great many, the J Class
yachts of the 1929-1937 period still represent the
absolute pinnacle of classic yacht design. Whereas
the America’s Cup carries more hype and gets
greater followings today, many would question a statement
that todays boats have anywhere near the awe and sheer
power or the appeal of the big J class boats of that
earlier period. That is perhaps quite surprising in
that many of us were of too young an age to have actually
seen any of the ten boats that were built and raced
in the period, and only able to catch them on film
and read about them in magazines and books.
Thanks however to the trail of magic they created
and left behind, and the efforts of people like Elizabeth
Meyer whose love of these boats, and her ability to
plough vast sums of money and an abundance of enthusiasm
into rebuilding Endeavour, played a huge
part in their appeal today.
 |
 |
John
Hanks Ranger |
Velsheda |
Some of us if we are in the right place at the right
time can catch a glimpse of Endeavour or
maybe Velsheda .. That leaves us with sailing
models of the J Class boats, and those who build and
sail them, people like John Hanks III of Arizona,
USA whose model of the J Ranger which he
built some twenty years ago still proves a delight
to those who see it sailed. John also built an Endeavour
which Jack David also of Arizona fell in love with
and had John sell it to him.
Peter Bauhofer of Austria, and way up in the mountains,
built an Endeavour also though I haven’t
yet seen the model fitted with sails, doubtless that
will eventuate one day. The real J’s (and there
were 13 fullsize boats built in the USA and Great
Britain and in addition, 3 other existing yachts were
converted to meet J boat rules. They were 120 to 135
feet long, the models equally impressive at 1/16th
scale resulting length overall of 7.5 ft 8.5 ft. With
weights between 65 and 90 lbs and sail areas of between
3,500 t0 4,200 sq inches they are most impressive
under sail
 |
 |
Endeavour/Peter
Bauhofer |
Shamrock/Bob
Egar |
A registered class in the American Model Yachting
Association whose Class Secretary is John Hanks III,
hull drawings for all J boats, and some deck drawings
are available in the proper scale from Rene Serrau,
email Serrao@hfx.eastlink.ca
Blossom of Bequia many will find `refreshingly
different’. A trading sloop modelled on those
in the Grenadine islands of the West Indies, she was
`gifted’ to me by her builder, the late Warren
Hastings, then almost `gifted’ by me to the
bottom of our sailing pond at Onepoto in Auckland
when she sprang a leak. When my wife and I moved house
last year, I gifted her (deck cargo, boat dog Woofter
and cobwebs included!) to fellow Auckland Ancient
Mariner, Bob Walters who has now brought her back
into service, no doubt deeply convinced of my story
that she had been regularly bringing Ghobadi Bhaba
bananas into Auckland where they were making me a
small fortune! With new (oldie looking) sails run
up by Bob’s wife Pam, Blossom has a
new lease on life, and look at the quality foodstuff
on board that she brought in recently! I told you
that a good imagination is useful in model yachting!
Now didn’t I?
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|
Finally, well almost! If starting a new boat appeals
to you, and if like me you have five thumbs, you wont
want to tackle a project like a J boat. That being
the case, how about a Footy? Brett McCormack in Dunedin,
New Zealand can steer you right with a set of simple
plans or a ready-built glassed hull like the one in
the photograph, and his website
can get you started.
Use your search
engine for Brett McCormack's Footys (or Highlander
Yachts)
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I didn’t have the room to show and tell you
about Hans Staal’s new Garnelenschuit
boat, or his intriguing crew figures. or show you
how he gets those wonderful photos, but that will
be in next month’s column. May I take this opportunity
to wish everyone whose interest or curiosity may bring
them to this website, a very happy festive season
and a new year of good health and much peace and happiness,
some of it perhaps generated by the magic of model
sailing boats. To Chuck and Sandra of Duckworks the
same applies, and I hope that I have been able to
make my monthly ramblings on model sailing boats sufficiently
interesting for your many readers. Thank you for the
confidence shown in providing space for Where
the Winds Blow.
 |
Magic
moments
of model yachting |
“Oh Sweet Winter Windle, upon a pond
of dreams
friendly race at walkers pace, that’s the
way it seems,
a lovely placid blue-sky day, an outing for big
boys!
onlookers strolling, looking, at twelve sailors
with their toys.”
Photo and
verse / M.Steele
Previous Columns by Mark Steele:
Articles by Mark Steele:
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