August 2023 Volume 13 number 8

After a very wet spring, and one of the hottest Julys ever, we are now in a cool spell - mid 50's at night, and upper 60's to low 70's for daytime high. But at least there's nothing to shovel.

If you're planning on visiting us, be prepared for some road construction in the middle of Searsport. They are widening the road, and adding a center turn lane. This project will go on until sometime next summer. Inconvenient? Yes. Desperately needed? Absolutely.

Bear a hand - A sailor's order to "get moving," "tend to business," etc. The phrase was seen in the early XVIII; its origin is obscure.

Candy Stowage - A XIX century nickname for a special hold or locker for perishable or delicate cargo or stores.

Joggling - The patterning of planking or plates in construction of a craft, usually for lapstrake boats. A joggling piece aids in this effort. The word probably comes from Celtic.

Shot - A length of anchor cable, later of chain. The derivation is obscure. It may be from Dutch, schoot, rope, or from French, escoute, a kind of cable; also shoot is an old English word for splice. (2) The act of getting a sextant angle (and the time) of the sun or a star.

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

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

These fine models are from Leonard X of NY

"Good day Nic

          My name is Leonard, I am an avid Shipwright, I wanted to share with you some pictures of my models, it been a passion of mine since I was 10 years old, I hope you like them, and please let me know what you think of them,

The list is as follows, from the top,

1.SS Portland, your very own,

2.U.S.S Hatteras Scratch built, no plans just using available pictures, with a working walking beam engine.

3.CSS Virginia- Scratch built from plans.

4. Galley of the Knights of St John, based on the kit Reale. 

Warm regards 

Leonard"

Got this after last month's origin of Popeye. Seems there's another person who might have been the inspiration for the comic character. You decide.

There Really Was A Popeye | Latitudes and Attitudes Magazine (latsatts.com)

This is from Jay N. of MI

"Hi Nic

I thoroughly enjoy receiving your newsletter every month

I have attached a few pictures of my current/new workshops that my wife graciously let me have.

It’s located in a room within our utility room . She also had the builder add a window so I would be aware of how long I am sequestered in my shop!

Its a big upgrade from her dining room table or card tables set up wherever over the last 20 or so years

The current project is the Charles W Morgan

I hope you enjoy them

Thanks Again I hope someday to visit

Jay"

Nic's bench - Still rigging the Newsboy. The last square sail (Royal) is done. Now for finishing the stays, bowsprit rigging, and a couple jib sails and it will be done.

Al's bench - In addition to working on the 82' point class cutter, Al is starting to create the deckhouse structures for the NS Savannah model.

If you're not familiar with the work of Steven Wright, he's the famous erudite comic who once said: "I woke up one morning, and all of my stuff had been stolen and replaced with exact replicas." His mind sees things differently than most of us do. Here are some of his gems. 

*   Borrow money from pessimists -- they do not expect it back.

*   Half the people you know are below average.

*   99% of lawyers give the rest a bad name.

*   82.7% of all statistics are made up on the spot.

*   A conscience is what hurts when all your other parts feel so good.

*   A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.

*   If you want the rainbow, you have got to put up with the rain.

*   All those who believe in psychokinesis, raise my hand.

*   The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

*   I almost had a psychic girlfriend... But she left me before we met.

*   OK, so what's the speed of dark?

*   How do you tell when you're out of invisible ink?

*   If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something

*   Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.

*   When everything is coming your way, you are in the wrong lane.

*   Ambition is a poor excuse for not having enough sense to be lazy.

*   Hard work pays off in the future; laziness pays off now.

*   I intend to live forever... So far, so good.

*   If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends?

*   Eagles may soar, but weasels do not get sucked into jet engines.

*   What happens if you get scared half to death twice?

*   My mechanic told me, "I could not repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder."

*   Why do psychics have to ask you for your name?

*   If at first you do not succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried.

*   A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking.

*   Experience is something you do not get until just after you need it.

*   The hardness of the butter is proportional to the softness of the bread.

*   To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research.

*   The problem with the gene pool is that there is no lifeguard.

*   The sooner you fall behind, the more time you'll have to catch up.

*   The colder the x-ray table, the more of your body is required to be on it.

*   Everyone has a photographic memory; some just do not have film.

*   If your car could travel at the speed of light, would your headlights work?

This tip is from Jerry J of PA

1. best to use slow drying epoxy so you can do several portholes at a time

2.This part is a bit anal - I wanted the porthole rims to be black like the hull but was afraid to paint them when the hull was painted for fear of getting black paint on the epoxy "glass". So I made a "holder" by tapering a 1/8" dowel (pencil sharpener), inserting the tapered end into the face of the porthole and dabbing black paint on the outside rim of the porthole. If you wipe off the dowel between paint jobs the inside of the porthole remains relatively free of paint so that the epoxy will adhere and the dowel itself is basswood so I could force it into the porthole and it would hold it securely.

 Turns out that wax paper is less than satisfying as a base for the small and very light grommets. They tend to be easily upset. What worked best was scotch tape affixed to a smooth surface and lightly coated with Vaseline. This combination provided enough stability and resistance that the grommets stayed in place when the thick epoxy was dripped in.

Jerry J

It's been a year since I announced my desire to slow down and sell the business. I am happy to say I am talking with a very well qualified person who is very involved with the hobby business. I'll keep you posted.