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Paragon.677 viewsOccasionally I get asked to work on something really special. This west-country schooner model, "Paragon", was over one hundred and fifty years old, when I was asked to carry out a light restoration. As you can see, she is a big model. The topmasts had to be housed, to fit her into her display space. Imagine her with her full spread of sail set, including two big topsails to give her that bit of extra drive in light airs.
She is historically fascinating, and poses some really interesting questions. She was built to take part in a seven-mile offshore model sailing race, which was a local tradition on the coast of Cornwall in the nineteenth century. She won, comprehensively.
Before the year of her building, most coastal trading vessels had broad, blunt, apple-bowed lines. Afterwards, the sharper clipper lines began to develop, especially in Cornwall, which always had a name for fast clipper schooners. Did this model perhaps influence the design of the full-sized vessels? Or does she simply represent a design change which was happening at the time in any case? Dr Basil Greenhill, who wrote the standard work on the Merchant Schooners, has said he finds the model very interesting, but as a cautious researcher, felt unable to commit himself without more evidence. Probably we will never know exactly what happened in St Ives all those years ago, but I treasure the memory of working on her as one of the finest models ever to pass though my hands.
(model by local nineteenth-century builder, light restoration by John Davies)
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Rainbow (J Class)676 viewsShe nearly failed to be selected as defender. Just as with the challenge of 1930, Vanderbilt faced stiff opposition from other American J boats. In this case, it was "Yankee" which posed the main danger. Always a fast boat in stiff breezes, she had been modified so as to retain all her speed in strong winds, while becoming much faster in light airs. She gave "Rainbow" a very hard time in the selection trials. To this day, partisans for "Yankee" claim she was robbed. In 1935, "Yankee" came over to British waters, the only American J boat to do so, and posed a stiff challenge to "Endeavour"s supremacy in her home waters. There is little doubt that she could have been as effective a defender as "Rainbow".
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Arun 52-23 half model.675 viewsWe created this half model for one of her coxswains, on his retirement.
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Thames Barge670 viewsThis is a typical "heirloom model". The client's father had built about the first half of it, before he passed on. He had done a nice job, too. We completed it, so it can take an honoured place in the family home. We always treat a job like this with especial respect.
(model by private builder, completed by John Davies)
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HMS Bounty662 viewsH.M.S. "Bounty" will forever be associated with the famous mutiny. There is still controversy over whether Bligh was an unusually brutal captain, or was simply cursed with a bad crew. It is certain he was a superb navigator.
"Bounty" was a typical small merchant ship of her era, used as a transport ship by the Admiralty. This lovely model faithfully represents the original. In the detail shot, you can see that some parts of the upper deck have been cut away, allowing you to view the lower deck, which is fitted out in detail. At 30" l.o.a., this lovely model is large enough to be properly admired, without being unduly demanding of display space.
(model by Frank Hasted)
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Rainbow (J Class)657 viewsSopwith's challenge of 1934 came as an unwelcome surprise to the Americans. The effects of the financial crash of 1929 were making themselves felt. Even the very rich were not quite as rich as before. Suddenly, they found themselves facing a genuinely dangerous challenge, from a ruthlessly organised British team, headed by an extremely determined millionaire with a background in aircraft development and manufacture.
The syndicate to build "Rainbow" consisted of no less than seventeen people. Time and expense were saved by not commissioning a new design. Instead, Starling Burgess took a set of lines he had drafted in 1931, and overhauled them. The new defender was built in a rush, in the record time of 100 days.
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Shamrock V (J Class)649 viewsDesigned by Charles Nicholson, she was planked in mahogany over galvanised steel frames. This was an unusual form of construction for a J. Apart from the American "Whirlwind", all had metal hulls. Her lines are very graceful. She is noticeably narrower than most J boats, a feature which our model faithfully reproduces. This makes her a little tender in strong winds, but very slippery indeed in light airs. On one occasion, she won a race by shooting straight for the line over a distance of three miles, her skipper relying on her ability to carry her way through the light fluky breeze and patches of calm.
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Ranger. (J Class)647 viewsThe mighty, invincible, "Ranger", the "super-J", was a boat around which legends were woven. In one short and glorious season, in 1937, she raced thirty-seven times. She was beaten once by "Yankee", and once by "Endeavour". Most of the time, interest centred on who came second.
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Coureur (under construction)646 views
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Rainbow (J Class)643 viewsWhile "Rainbow" was an extremely beautiful boat, she was slower than the challenger. Her victory in the Cup races was a story of superior organisation and tactics. There is little doubt that Vanderbilt deserved to win. "Rainbow" occupies a justly honoured place in yachting history. Like all the American J boats, she had a short life, and was broken up in 1940. It is rumoured that there are plans afoot to build replicas of both her and "Yankee". Will we ever see "Endeavour", "Yankee", and "Rainbow" battling it out again, in a re-creation of the famous 1934 cup series? We can but hope. But you can own this lovely piece of yachting history in miniature now.
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630 viewsCutty Sark; detail. Every detail of her intricate rig is faithfully reproduced.
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Coureur (bow detail)629 views
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