March 2025 Volume 15 number 3

Looks like Punxsutawney Phil was correct this year - 6 more weeks of winter. *SIGH*

Although we had a few days @ 40, mostly still below freezing with overnights in the low teens.

NRG'S MODEL SHIP WORLD

Model Ship World is an on-line forum of over 40,000 ship modelers. Topics range from kits to scratch builds, in-process continuing stories, tips, manufacturer information, technical topics. Too many to list here. Go take a look! And yes, BlueJacket is one of the sponsors.

www.modelshipworld.com

For those of you who had problems re-setting your password, we have found and fixed the problem.

Josh

Notice the slight change of dates. The class will run Sunday thru Thursday. If you are staying at the Fireside, mention BlueJacket and get a 15% reduction in the room rate.

Our rigging class is a popular event. We run it from 9 to 3 for 5 days (although some people leave early on Friday.) IT IS A CLASS FOR NOVICES. We don't assume you know anything about rigging a ship model. All tools and materials are provided with the class fee of $500. You get a hull to work on, all the sticks and dowels, glue, blocks, deadeyes, threads, wire, beeswax, sandpaper and the following tools:

Excel hobby knife and blades

2 Pin Vises

Assortment of drill bits

Tweezers

needle nose pliers

flush cutters

clamps

cuticle scissors (best for clipping rigging)

and probably some other things I forgot

If you use magnifiers for your modeling work, you should bring them. By the end of the class you will have learned how to use the tools, tie a multitude of various knots, and will have completed what you see in the picture above.  You can see shrouds, backstays, bobstays, gammoning, vangs, topping lift, ratlines, hearts, throat halyard, peak halyard, sheet tackle on a traveler, lifts, braces, forestays, etc.

Obviously, we don't waste a lot of time to make the model look pretty! We want to concentrate on the rigging. At the end of the class, BlueJacket will ship your model and materials to your home, again all part of the tuition cost.

Sunday will include a pizza party for lunch and a behind the scenes tour of the BlueJacket facility. In addition, all students will receive a 10% discount on anything they buy during that week. Kits, tools, books, gift items, you name it!

The hours of 9-3 are flexible, we have the hotel conference room available 24 hours a day for the week. If you bring a family member, the 3:00 PM cutoff lets you do some sightseeing around the area. But if you need to catch up a bit, the room is yours!

Classes will be at the Fireside Inn in Belfast, 4 miles from BlueJacket on Route 1, tel# 207-338-2090. You can ask for the BlueJacket corporate rate. There is a pool,sauna and Jacuzzi, plus all rooms have an excellent view of Penobscot Bay. If you are the camping type, Searsport Shores is nearby.

Class is limited to 12 people with payment in advance. Full refund up to 2 weeks before, 50% refund up to 1 week before. Unfortunately, cancellation less than a week in advance cannot be refunded except by extreme circumstances, which we reserve the right to determine.

Belaying pin - Wooden, and later metal, specially shaped bar, by which running rigging is belayed, or made fast. (It was also a wicked weapon in a fight or in the hand of the notorious "bullymates" of yesteryear.) The device was in common use in the early XVIII.

Dubbing - The almost lost art of shaping and smoothing a vessel's timbers with an adze. The term is very probably derived from the Anglo-Saxon word dubbon, meaning light stroke.

Loblolly Boy - A surgeon's assistant aboard ship in the XVI to XVIII centuries. Loblolly was the name for the gruel or porridge usually served tot he surgeon's customer in the sickbay.

Rap Full - Said of the sails when sailing close to but not hard on the wind, when they are well filled. The derivation is uncertain, but it could be from Middle High German, rap, quick.

Information is from the book "Origins of Sea Terms" by John G. Rogers

copyright 1985 Mystic Seaport Museum, Inc. and available from BlueJacket.

From the Yale Peabody museum in New Haven CT, we found this display. The Egyptian model is estimated to be from 1991 to 1786 BCE - ie almost 2,000 years before Christ.

I've noticed a lot of interesting vanity plates in Maine, so I thought it would be fun to share them.

From Don R. of MO

"Hi folks. This is my work bench. Years ago I got tired of never finding the right tools at the right time so I made this bench. I am able to easily stow my gear to another place when I'm not modeling, that was a requirement that my wife made clear as a must. I recently had a total surgical reconstruction of my spine due to a broken back. My work bench was a life saver, I merely set it up in my living room during my recovery. I was able to keep working from my recliner. I have set it up in minutes in numerous locations and never miss a step in my building project."

Nic's bench - Small Friendship sloop is now finished! Starting back up on the Spray. Here's the first coat of primer, and the deck has been stained.

Al's bench - Finally back to his workbench. This is a square stern scow sloop he's working on.

Don't forget to turn your clocks back this Sunday! - A sure sign that spring is soon arriving!