- Joined
- Jun 14, 2026
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Greetings from the Yukon
I’m one of those souls who has built ships in the past, but for whom the exigencies of life interfered with what was important for about four decades give or take. So, at 76 I’m back at it rebuilding skills and learning new ones at the same time. I’m afraid these model ships will not be all I might desire as a bit of arthritis, peripheral neuropathy and unsteady hands have found their way into my life, intrusions that obviously complicate building. That said, I am finding tools and accommodations that are working out in their own ways. My first build was the Billing’s, “Danmark”, a model I still think is particularly beautiful. In fact I built it twice. The first version was built in 1977, and was quite enjoyable, however, my young son at the time, in a burst of delightful exuberance and desire to display his tumbling skills, put his foot through the hull, deck and rigging. It was a total write off. Some years later (about the time I was finishing the horrors of writing a thesis), my wife bought me another, much more detailed version of the Danmark kit and it survived until we moved to Whitehorse to be near our kids and grandchildren about 4 years ago. It was damaged in the move, but Billing’s was nice enough send the parts to repair the ship. It is on the shelf waiting. Right now I am working on the Billing’s version of HMS Victory. I picked it as a model that would allow me to develop some skills again and get in touch with what is new in the model building world. When it is finished I will dig into the Artesania Latina, Anatomy version of the HMS Victory. It’s sitting on the shelf waiting. Then, if I haven’t “shuffled off this mortal coil,” (thanks to Bill Shakespeare), I’ll fix the Danmark.
So, there we are, a bit longer in the tooth, with some body bits not working too well, still I am enjoying working on these projects a great deal. It certainly takes one’s mind off the troubles of today’s world.
I’m one of those souls who has built ships in the past, but for whom the exigencies of life interfered with what was important for about four decades give or take. So, at 76 I’m back at it rebuilding skills and learning new ones at the same time. I’m afraid these model ships will not be all I might desire as a bit of arthritis, peripheral neuropathy and unsteady hands have found their way into my life, intrusions that obviously complicate building. That said, I am finding tools and accommodations that are working out in their own ways. My first build was the Billing’s, “Danmark”, a model I still think is particularly beautiful. In fact I built it twice. The first version was built in 1977, and was quite enjoyable, however, my young son at the time, in a burst of delightful exuberance and desire to display his tumbling skills, put his foot through the hull, deck and rigging. It was a total write off. Some years later (about the time I was finishing the horrors of writing a thesis), my wife bought me another, much more detailed version of the Danmark kit and it survived until we moved to Whitehorse to be near our kids and grandchildren about 4 years ago. It was damaged in the move, but Billing’s was nice enough send the parts to repair the ship. It is on the shelf waiting. Right now I am working on the Billing’s version of HMS Victory. I picked it as a model that would allow me to develop some skills again and get in touch with what is new in the model building world. When it is finished I will dig into the Artesania Latina, Anatomy version of the HMS Victory. It’s sitting on the shelf waiting. Then, if I haven’t “shuffled off this mortal coil,” (thanks to Bill Shakespeare), I’ll fix the Danmark.
So, there we are, a bit longer in the tooth, with some body bits not working too well, still I am enjoying working on these projects a great deal. It certainly takes one’s mind off the troubles of today’s world.
