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| by Mark
Steele - Auckland, New Zealand
From the Alma
to the Spray…
Murray’s modelwork delights!
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Murray White who sails with the Ancient
Mariners model sailboat group in Auckland, New Zealand
has built some beautiful sailing models, one of these
being the 1902 New Zealand deck scow Alma.
His more recent model is completed in 2006 is of Joshua
Slocum’s famous boat Spray, the lines
and sail plan drawn by Charles D Mower from a model
made by Captain Robins, that model made from measurements
Robins made of the vessel when she was hauled out
at his Bridgeport, Connecticut yard.
Murray has built his model from these plans at a
scale of 1 inch to the foot resulting in a model of
37” long, 14” beam dimensions. The backbone
and and single skin planking is of New Zealand kauri
on rosewood laminated frames, the laid deck of Fijian
kauri. White builds beautifully and has made the spars
of Oregon pine and the sails of Japara cotton, the
latter made to look like the suit of sails given to
Slocum by Mark Foy when Slocum was in Sydney, Australia.
The model has a detachable extention to the rudder
and a 7lb weighted fin keel and is sailed with a two
channel radio.
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Many modelers take great delight in replicating well
known full sized yachts such as Dorade, the
famous yawl designed by Olin Stephens, the 850mm LOA
RC model seen below in the second image built to 1/20
scale in Melbourne, Australia by Doug Kuhn. Then there
is the schooner Brilliant (another Stephens
design) the model built, owned and raced successfully
in US Vintage Model Yacht regattas by Alan Suydam
of Maryland, USA. who is seen with it.
When and If is another famous schooner,
this one indelibly linked to General Patton modelled
by Fred Abbe of Cataumet, MA in the USA. Santana,
yet another Sparkman & Stephens design owned by
a host of Hollywood stars of the screen and forever
remembered as Humphrey Bogart’s boat is yet
another that has been replicated as a model by quite
a few. As a sailing model, Don Frakes of California
built and still sails one with the Southern California
Model Schooner Fleet. Nice model, nice boat, bet Bogie
thought that too about the real one.
Above: Alan Suydam ( Brilliant)
Below: Fred Abbe ( When and If) |
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My friend, George Surgent of Maryland in the USA
sails a very quick model sharpie schooner called Bay
Boy (which he is seen with above) with the Great
Schooner Model Society of which he is
Commodore It is however about his activities as an
`encourager’ of youngsters to have a go at basic
model sailing with his pre-cut and no glue required
kits from (his) Seaworthy Small Ships boatyard in
Prince Frederick.
I once published a lovely little story he shared
with me about an old retired sailor whom folks around
Maryland called `King George’ in the days when
George Surgent’s grandfather was alive. He wasn’t
a King but because he lived on his own tiny island
out on the river, the name given him seemed to fit.
Why he really chose to live a life of solitude remained
a mystery and from scraps of lumber, cloth, metal
and string he fashioned a myriad fleet of sailing
boat models of all types. What made those models so
wonderful was their simple build and instantly recognizable
character. George Surgent never saw one of those models
that King George, ever generous to young visitors
gave away. His granddad had one for awhile until it
got away and sailed downriver never to be seen again,
or so the story goes.
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Two
of Seaworthy Small Ships kit boats |
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In the age in which we live today, sadly some youngsters,
ever-engrossed with computers and the internet, may
never enjoy the pleasures of model sailing boats,
of building or assembling them and sailing one –
but George and Marla Surgent several times a year
at small craft festivals and boat shows, present their
array of simple, inexpensive and easy to assemble
quick build kits thereby allowing many kids to enjoy
a first attempt at the hobby. Completely self-equipped,
theyalso travel with their own bit of `ocean’
(a pool). . Check out Seaworthy
Small Ships. Worth a browse that site!
| Juan Pedro Alamanday
of Madrid is seen testing ` leaf and stalk’
rigs for the World RC Coconut Husk Boat World
Regatta to be held at Ghobadi Bhaba island in
2010. (Now if you believe that, you will believe
anything!) |
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“HEY, LOOK AT THAT! THE DARN TIDE HAS
GONE OUT!”
Steve Levesque of MA, USA will have to walk
out to deeper water in order to float his 12”
Footy.
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Lloyd `Swede’ Johnson built a Pinky schooner
model in California which the writer of this column
admired , the result, the boat suddenly arriving in
Auckland, New Zealand by air freight beautifully and
professionally packed in 2005. `Swede’ who sails
with the Southern California Model Schooner fleet
then built a larger one, (which he is seen `trailering’)
while the one gifted to the writer and renamed Running
Tide is often seen being sailed with the Ancient
Mariners windling group by the owner, occasionally
also by friend Bob Walters.
Seizing the moment
'Nothing lasts forever, no windle
race or cruise
What’s read or heard or seen today, tomorrow
is old news.
Life itself it ends when the good Lord’s good
and ready,
So Hey, today, enjoy your sail just in case tomorrow
you’re deady!’
Previous Columns by Mark Steele:
Articles by Mark Steele:
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