There's quite a lot around about Jolie Brise, she was a Le Havre pilot cutter but I believe is now owned by a school in the UK and is seen at many events. As far as Bristol Pilot Cutters are concerned, there are moulded hulls available for several well known ones, Cariad is probably the most popular, so, I'm sure you'd get a sail plan for her quite easily.

Nerys

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Hi Doug,
In reply, Alice tells me she agrees with everything you say about the loop aerial. It has a motorised airspaced variable capacitor that can resonate it from about 3.4 to 10.2 Mhz. Yes it is very directional and should be on a rotator. It is a bit low to the ground but it does have a two sharpish nulls. It is designed for transmitting, but at very low efficiency! The capacitor won't arc over at even 100 watts of SSB! (Alice doesn't have a linear) but Alice uses it as a receiving aerial or extremely low power transmit because of the danger of high RF flux in the vicinity of it. The phone lines around here are overhead drop wires some are still unscreened pairs. She could be wrong as there are other noise sources, such as ethernet over mains wiring adaptors, SMPSU's and all sorts of poorly suppressed cheap crap but Alice thought that ADSL frequencies were something like 262Khz to 13.7Mhz well within the HF spectrum.

Cheers,
Nerys

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She looks to me very much like a pilot cutter or similar and if she was mine that's how I'd rig her. Gaff cutter with a jackyard tops'l. Find pictures of a Bristol Channel Pilot cutter and work from those. She could be a very nice boat, I like her..

Good luck with her,
Nerys

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Happy birthday to our illustrious Fleet Admiral, Doug, Llongyfarchiadau a phenblwydd hapus,
Alles Gute zum Geburtstag mein Freund.

Best wishes, calm seas and fair winds,
Nerys

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Marky and Martin, that's a magnetic loop aerial, it's a very compact aerial for the frequencies it's designed for, but is better for receiving than transmitting. It's just one of the aerials in the garden.

cheers,
Nerys

Thanks for the compliments jbkiwi, Alice has a FRG7, sitting in the kitchen, it works but she has a lot of problems here with noise from overhead power distribution, ADSL broadband etc, but we can go up the mountain, a couple of miles away to practically complete silence.

Cheers,
Nerys.

Thank you for all those kind words Doug. Alice's call sign is G(W)7SEH which she has had since she was 18, but she isn't on the air at the moment as her 'shack' had to go when the room was converted to a Dialysis chamber (of horrors). To prove that I could learn something new at over eighty, four years ago, I did the Foundation course and have the call sign M(W)6TLN. Once the shed is completed, Alice will set the shack up again complete with work benches for her main interest of restoring vintage radios.
Future exploit, Alice wants to buy a milk float when one comes up at a sensible price and not too far from home and convert it into a campervan.

Cheers,
Nerys

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Since when were OOWs allowed to be indisposed, never happened in the old days. This new Navy! Suppose that means I'm standing the Middle Watch again? Fine if I am, the new shipyard is in very capable hands.

Will we see you for breakfast in the CPO's mess?

G'night.
Nerys

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Thanks everyone for the very kind comments you are all making about our workshop, however, I must confess that I have to share it with Alice. She is a radio 'ham' who collects and likes restoring vintage radios , so also needs bench space.

Cheers,
Nerys

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Thanks Doug for removing the cars.
Alice has all the trusses made for the roof so is quite prepared for our normal (wet) weather. The walls will have a damp proof membrane wrapped around them then covered in weatherboard. Inside, there'll be 50mm insulation then OSB as the inside wall. Probably be cosier to work in there than in the house.

Cheers,
Nerys

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Re my last post, I don't know where the cars came from, they're nothing to do with us.

Nerys

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I never thought I would be posting photos of a shed on a model boat forum, but these are relevant. They were taken a few minutes ago. Alice has never built anything like this before. In model terms, it's scratch designed and built. She is not taking orders as she is going to build it's twin once this one is finished (and she's recovered.)

Cheers,
Nerys

A few months ago, we lost our spare room workshop to my kidneys who decided they needed to be dialysed four days a week in said room. However, my lovely resourceful Alice is in process of building us a new one in the garden. Fully compliant with regulations. It is 18ft. x 10ft, well insulated, officially a shed, but more like a garden room. Walls are up, being clad at the moment, roof will be going on in a few days. I'll post pictures when we take some.

Nerys

Yes, a few simple sketches to aid the imagination, but I'm not a great advocate of the complicated plan. However that's my way of looking at things and I tend to be rather individualistic about most things. In my youth I built real boats with nothing more than a rough sketch and the ability to fathom things out in my mind.

Nerys

I find plans in my head are easier to follow than ones on paper.

Nerys

That's exactly why I volunteered to stand the Middle and Morning watches, I'm virtually nocturnal !.
Nos Da to all who go to bed.

Nerys

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The 'Medusa' in the 'Riddle of the Sands, is a yacht owned by a retired German Naval Officer. Dollman, he is trying to keep 'Dulcibella' away from the area where the German invasion barges are moored.

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Off hand, I can think of two movies where small boats are much in evidence. 'Riddle of the Sands' and 'Swallows and Amazons'. If looking for inspiration for models based on these books, the steamers still to be found on the lakes would be lovely models or even the dinghies, 'Swallow' or 'Amazon' themselves. There must be pictures around of the yacht 'Dulcibella', heroine of 'Riddle', but how about the naval craft led by the Kaiser himself who pursued 'Dulcibella' and 'Medusa'. Must admit I can't really remember
them, but I expect there are pictures extant.

Nerys

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Sorry to hear you were called during the night watches, hope it was something worthy of your attention. Feel welcome to honour the CPO's mess whenever you wish. We serve a good breakfast.

Nerys

As the Fleet Admiral said that he'll see us at breakfast are we to understand that he will be slumming it, sorry, joining us in the CPO's Mess?

Nerys

Am I standing the Morning Watch as usual, Sir?

Nerys

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It must have been back in the '70's I remember seeing a fleet of model warships that could be sat in and operated. There was a frigate. an aircraft carrier and a submarine. I saw them at a waterways rally on a canal somewhere but don't know the location of their home dockyard. Then there are the ones used in the Scarborough battle re-enactments.

Cheers, Nerys.

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For the uninitiated, these are the traditional watch times.

First Watch 20.00 - 00.00
Middle Watch 00.00 - 04.00
Morning Watch 04.00 - 08.00
Forenoon Watch 08.00 - 12.00
Afternoon Watch 12.00 - 16.00
1st Dog Watch 16.00 - 18.00
2nd Dog Watch 18.00 - 20.00

Sweet dreams,
Nerys

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Are we talking middle watch or morning watch or both and is this a regular order, Sir?

Nerys

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I can't see any reason why restoration isn't possible, unless there's a lot we can't see in the photos. I really thought the hull looked quite good. There'll be a tremendous amount of work re-rigging her though. Best of luck to anyone who'll take the job on.

Nerys

Lovely job, beautiful traditional speedboat, Aeronaut kits always seem to make into nice models, especially when as well finished as this one. Looking forward to seeing pictures of crewed and running.

Nerys

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Hi Martin,

If you look in my 'Harbour' you will see pictures of my sailing barge 'Upnor' that I finished a few weeks ago. I never bother to take photos of the build, I'm too intent in getting on with things. At the moment I am building a 30" barge. As so many sailing barges were converted to power in the 50's and 60's, this is my homage to those. She is based on 'Nellie' a smallish barge that carried about 90 tons of cargo. I had strong connections with her in the late 50's. She is now owned privately and has been rerigged as a stumpy (no topsail).

Cheers,
Nerys

Encouraging words Martin. I might have a go one of these days if I can find a design that appeals to me, but at the moment I have a full and repeating programme of Thames Barge building.

Nerys

I have followed, or tried to follow all the complicated, to me, thoughts by you very modelwise gentlemen on methods of building EeZeBilts and have reached the conclusion, to me at least, that EeZeBilts are definitely a no go area for me. They sound as if they are far beyond my ability. Maybe one of these days I'll pluck up the courage, have a look, realise that it is far easier than it sounds and change my mind, but until then I think I'll just poodle along in my own sweet way.

With the ignorance of the uninitiated,
Nerys

Thanks Colin, I hadn't thought of it being anything like a Trent barge. That's a nice model by the way. Coincidentally, I'm well into modelling a Thames barge as converted in the latter days to a motor barge. She is based on 'Nellie' formerly owned by Cremers of Faversham. I knew her well in the late fifties when she was owned by R. Lapthorne & Co based at Hoo on the Medway. She is still around, privately owned and has been re-rigged as a 'stumpie'

Nerys