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That's sheer science fiction...!
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La Créole 1827 by archjofo - Scale 1/48 - French corvette
- Joined
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Just a short update today:
Continuation: Fore Royal Yard – Vergue de petit cacatois
As the following photo shows, the fore royal yard is now in its final position. The rigging follows the arrangement established during the earlier research: the fore royal halyard runs over the foot block at the waterways and is belayed on the port side at the bulwark.
The next steps will focus on the fine‑tuning of the running rigging for both the fore topgallant and fore royal yards.
More to come …
Continuation: Fore Royal Yard – Vergue de petit cacatois
As the following photo shows, the fore royal yard is now in its final position. The rigging follows the arrangement established during the earlier research: the fore royal halyard runs over the foot block at the waterways and is belayed on the port side at the bulwark.
The next steps will focus on the fine‑tuning of the running rigging for both the fore topgallant and fore royal yards.
More to come …
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- 453
Block Strops for the Lead Blocks
Some time ago I already reported on the lead blocks. In connection with the belaying of the running rigging this topic becomes relevant again, so I have summarised the procedure once more as follows:First, the corresponding rope is served only up to the point where the short splice will later begin. The rope ends are unlaid up to the served section. The circumference of the strop ring – consisting of the served part and the short splice – must of course be adjusted to the size of the block and the thimble.
The strop ring is then closed with a short splice. The respective ends at the splice are trimmed cleanly and secured with a small amount of glue.
The finished strop ring is then seized around the block and the thimble using a flat seizing.
More on the running rigging of the fore topgallant and fore royal yard will follow shortly …
I keep hitting the “love” reaction on your posts because your modeling constantly amazes me. I don’t comment as often as I should, mostly because it’s getting hard to come up with new compliments that I haven’t already said before!
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amazing!!!
Stunning work, Johann. Each post shows work very few can ever hope to accomplish.
Dear Master Shipbuilder: Where will you find crew members small enough to sail her? Such detail and authenticity!
- Joined
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Hello,
I am always delighted by your interest, and thank you for the nice comments. Thanks also to everyone else for the LIKES.
@Jimsky
@KMSvideo
@shota70
@dockattner
@Mirek
@Namabiiru
Running Rigging of the Fore Topgallant and Fore Royal Yard
After installing the royal yard, I continued with the running rigging of the fore topgallant yard.
On the model I have now arranged the fore topgallant lifts as well as the sheets of the fore royal sail exactly as described in the La Créole monograph and as shown on the original model in the Musée national de la Marine in Paris:
They do not run down to the deck but are belayed at the level of the top. The corresponding lines run downward toward the top and are then secured to cleats on the topmast shrouds.
This practice is confirmed in the contemporary standard work Manuel de gréement by F. A. Costé (p. 184).
Especially for the royals, sheets, clewlines and lifts were consistently not led down to the deck but belayed directly in the tops.
For the topgallant sails the practice was more flexible: sheets and clewlines usually ended on deck. Costé describes the lifts as normally being led down as well, but explicitly notes that they were “at times” belayed aloft – a variant clearly visible on the original La Créole model and also mentioned in Boudriot’s monograph.
These observations apply specifically to the French Navy in the first third of the 19th century and should not be transferred uncritically to other periods.
I have implemented this arrangement accordingly on the model.
Apart from the fore royal bowlines and a few minor details, the foremast is now essentially fully rigged. I have already begun preparing the running rigging of the mainmast, although I still need to clarify several belaying points.
More to come …
I am always delighted by your interest, and thank you for the nice comments. Thanks also to everyone else for the LIKES.
@Jimsky
@KMSvideo
@shota70
@dockattner
@Mirek
@Namabiiru
Running Rigging of the Fore Topgallant and Fore Royal Yard
After installing the royal yard, I continued with the running rigging of the fore topgallant yard.
On the model I have now arranged the fore topgallant lifts as well as the sheets of the fore royal sail exactly as described in the La Créole monograph and as shown on the original model in the Musée national de la Marine in Paris:
They do not run down to the deck but are belayed at the level of the top. The corresponding lines run downward toward the top and are then secured to cleats on the topmast shrouds.
This practice is confirmed in the contemporary standard work Manuel de gréement by F. A. Costé (p. 184).
Especially for the royals, sheets, clewlines and lifts were consistently not led down to the deck but belayed directly in the tops.
For the topgallant sails the practice was more flexible: sheets and clewlines usually ended on deck. Costé describes the lifts as normally being led down as well, but explicitly notes that they were “at times” belayed aloft – a variant clearly visible on the original La Créole model and also mentioned in Boudriot’s monograph.
These observations apply specifically to the French Navy in the first third of the 19th century and should not be transferred uncritically to other periods.
I have implemented this arrangement accordingly on the model.
Apart from the fore royal bowlines and a few minor details, the foremast is now essentially fully rigged. I have already begun preparing the running rigging of the mainmast, although I still need to clarify several belaying points.
More to come …
Just …….beautiful and inspirational, Johann.
Regards, Peter
Good morning Johann. Very special indeed. Cheers Grant
- Joined
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@GrantTyler
@Peter Voogt
Hello, thank you very much for the kind words. Thanks to the others for the likes, too.
Continuation: Running Rigging of the Fore Topgallant and Fore Royal Yards
Just a brief update today.
The fore royal bowlines have now been secured to the yard. In addition, the fore topgallant and fore royal braces have been led down to the deck via the double blocks that are seized to the main topmast shrouds in the area of the main topgallant crosstrees.
More to come …
@Peter Voogt
Hello, thank you very much for the kind words. Thanks to the others for the likes, too.
Continuation: Running Rigging of the Fore Topgallant and Fore Royal Yards
Just a brief update today.
The fore royal bowlines have now been secured to the yard. In addition, the fore topgallant and fore royal braces have been led down to the deck via the double blocks that are seized to the main topmast shrouds in the area of the main topgallant crosstrees.
More to come …
- Joined
- Nov 10, 2019
- Messages
- 521
- Points
- 453
Mounting the Yards with Running Rigging: Main Yard – Grande vergue
By now I have largely completed the running rigging of the foremast on my La Créole and am now preparing the installation of the main yard. All lines and blocks that can sensibly be attached beforehand have already been fitted to the yard itself. The belaying points for the running rigging operated in the area of the mainmast are also clarified and documented in drawings. Should any collisions between individual parts occur later, I will adjust the corresponding belaying points so that all lines run cleanly and without chafing.
My experience with installing the fore yard has shown that it is advantageous to first bring the main yard into position temporarily using the lifts. This makes it much easier to fit and precisely align the yard sling – consisting of heavy, served ropes that are passed around the masthead and carefully seized. The truss pendant can also be attached comfortably in this stage.
With the installation of the main yard, I am now noticeably approaching the goal after a long journey. Each of these steps shows me how the model is gradually taking on its final form. Nevertheless, it will still take some time until everything is fully completed, as further research is required for the mizzenmast and the gaff in order to clarify the remaining open questions regarding the running rigging.
But it is precisely this phase – the careful research, the weighing of different solutions, and the step‑by‑step completion – that forms a significant part of the fascination that many of us share in this common passion.
To be continued …
By now I have largely completed the running rigging of the foremast on my La Créole and am now preparing the installation of the main yard. All lines and blocks that can sensibly be attached beforehand have already been fitted to the yard itself. The belaying points for the running rigging operated in the area of the mainmast are also clarified and documented in drawings. Should any collisions between individual parts occur later, I will adjust the corresponding belaying points so that all lines run cleanly and without chafing.
My experience with installing the fore yard has shown that it is advantageous to first bring the main yard into position temporarily using the lifts. This makes it much easier to fit and precisely align the yard sling – consisting of heavy, served ropes that are passed around the masthead and carefully seized. The truss pendant can also be attached comfortably in this stage.
With the installation of the main yard, I am now noticeably approaching the goal after a long journey. Each of these steps shows me how the model is gradually taking on its final form. Nevertheless, it will still take some time until everything is fully completed, as further research is required for the mizzenmast and the gaff in order to clarify the remaining open questions regarding the running rigging.
But it is precisely this phase – the careful research, the weighing of different solutions, and the step‑by‑step completion – that forms a significant part of the fascination that many of us share in this common passion.
To be continued …
Again some very nice additions, Johann.
I fully agree with you!
Regards, Peter
- Joined
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- Messages
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- Points
- 453
Continuation: Main Tacks an Sheets - Les amures et les écoutes de grande voile
In principle, the work steps now repeat those used when mounting the foreyard. In this context, I would like to address a fundamental aspect of my model‑building philosophy.
The running rigging of the yards is mostly pulled upward. Since the model, unlike the original, lacks the real weight of the yard, it is often difficult to give the lines the correct mechanical tension. Some model builders therefore use a small brass pin to invisibly fix the yard to the mast – a solution that makes rigging considerably easier.
I deliberately avoid this, even though it does not make the work any easier. By adjusting the clewlines in combination with sheets and tacks, I can control the necessary settings quite well. This corresponds to my own philosophy: I try not to create additional fixed points in the rig so that the entire system remains more elastic. The materials react to climatic changes such as humidity and temperature. A more flexible system can absorb such changes and compensate for tensions better than a rigidly fixed one.
Whether this actually matters on a model – who knows?
For me, this approach simply feels right. Accordingly, I turned to the sheets and tacks of the main yard before continuing with the truss pendant and hanger.
The main sheets and tacks on La Créole had a diameter of 32 mm and 30 mm respectively, which corresponds to 0.67 mm and 0.63 mm in scale. As with the fore sheets and tacks, I decided to make them as so‑called Grelins (French term for cables less than 12 French inches thick).
To give an impression of how this looks on my ropewalk, here are two photos:
They clearly show how three right‑laid ropes are twisted into a cable. Since the final diameter depends on the starting yarn, certain compromises are unavoidable.
As already explained for the fore sheets and tacks, the standing parts were partially served. For this I relied in particular on a depiction from the Atlas du Génie Maritime, shown below:
Source: Atlas du Génie Maritime, Pl. 31
This illustration also shows that the main tacks are fitted and led inside the bulwarks. This arrangement is also found on contemporary models from the early 19th century in the Musée national de la Marine. On the original model of La Créole, neither tacks nor sheets are present; not even the corresponding belaying cleats exist.
In the rigging plan of Jean Boudriot’s monograph on La Créole, the standing parts of the main tacks are drawn as being fastened outside the hull, with the running parts passing over the hammock stowage into the interior – a solution that I personally do not consider practical, as can be seen from the belaying cleat (marked in red on the right).
This arrangement is found neither in contemporary literature nor on contemporary models.
On this question, I found a clear description in the period manual Manuel de Gréement by F. A. Coste (1829), starting on page 164. Both variants of main tacks are described there – the external and the internal arrangement. However, especially on warships, the internal variant was preferred. M. Verdier (Nouveau manuel complet de marine, Part 1: Gréement, 1837) discusses only the internal arrangement, as also shown on a depiction of a brig from 1839 in the Atlas du Génie Maritime.
Source: Atlas du Génie Maritime, Brig 1839, Pl. 209
La Bergère (French corvette of 1832), an important reference model in the monograph on La Créole, also shows the main tacks consistently led inside.
Thus it became clear to me how I would represent the main tacks on my model.
Accordingly, it was necessary to determine the attachment points for the standing parts and the turning blocks of the main tacks on the deck of La Créole. For this I analysed examples from contemporary models:
It is striking that leading the running parts of the main tacks even across guns apparently posed no problem. Contact with hammock stowage and their supports also seems to have been uncritical – the numerous examples suggest this. For a professional assessment I lack practical experience in sail handling, so I simply accept this as given.
For the reconstruction on my model, only one variant is feasible due to the structural conditions, as shown below:
I will report on the further implementation on the model in due course.
To be continued …
In principle, the work steps now repeat those used when mounting the foreyard. In this context, I would like to address a fundamental aspect of my model‑building philosophy.
The running rigging of the yards is mostly pulled upward. Since the model, unlike the original, lacks the real weight of the yard, it is often difficult to give the lines the correct mechanical tension. Some model builders therefore use a small brass pin to invisibly fix the yard to the mast – a solution that makes rigging considerably easier.
I deliberately avoid this, even though it does not make the work any easier. By adjusting the clewlines in combination with sheets and tacks, I can control the necessary settings quite well. This corresponds to my own philosophy: I try not to create additional fixed points in the rig so that the entire system remains more elastic. The materials react to climatic changes such as humidity and temperature. A more flexible system can absorb such changes and compensate for tensions better than a rigidly fixed one.
Whether this actually matters on a model – who knows?
For me, this approach simply feels right. Accordingly, I turned to the sheets and tacks of the main yard before continuing with the truss pendant and hanger.
The main sheets and tacks on La Créole had a diameter of 32 mm and 30 mm respectively, which corresponds to 0.67 mm and 0.63 mm in scale. As with the fore sheets and tacks, I decided to make them as so‑called Grelins (French term for cables less than 12 French inches thick).
To give an impression of how this looks on my ropewalk, here are two photos:
They clearly show how three right‑laid ropes are twisted into a cable. Since the final diameter depends on the starting yarn, certain compromises are unavoidable.
As already explained for the fore sheets and tacks, the standing parts were partially served. For this I relied in particular on a depiction from the Atlas du Génie Maritime, shown below:
Source: Atlas du Génie Maritime, Pl. 31
This illustration also shows that the main tacks are fitted and led inside the bulwarks. This arrangement is also found on contemporary models from the early 19th century in the Musée national de la Marine. On the original model of La Créole, neither tacks nor sheets are present; not even the corresponding belaying cleats exist.
In the rigging plan of Jean Boudriot’s monograph on La Créole, the standing parts of the main tacks are drawn as being fastened outside the hull, with the running parts passing over the hammock stowage into the interior – a solution that I personally do not consider practical, as can be seen from the belaying cleat (marked in red on the right).
This arrangement is found neither in contemporary literature nor on contemporary models.
On this question, I found a clear description in the period manual Manuel de Gréement by F. A. Coste (1829), starting on page 164. Both variants of main tacks are described there – the external and the internal arrangement. However, especially on warships, the internal variant was preferred. M. Verdier (Nouveau manuel complet de marine, Part 1: Gréement, 1837) discusses only the internal arrangement, as also shown on a depiction of a brig from 1839 in the Atlas du Génie Maritime.
Source: Atlas du Génie Maritime, Brig 1839, Pl. 209
La Bergère (French corvette of 1832), an important reference model in the monograph on La Créole, also shows the main tacks consistently led inside.
Thus it became clear to me how I would represent the main tacks on my model.
Accordingly, it was necessary to determine the attachment points for the standing parts and the turning blocks of the main tacks on the deck of La Créole. For this I analysed examples from contemporary models:
It is striking that leading the running parts of the main tacks even across guns apparently posed no problem. Contact with hammock stowage and their supports also seems to have been uncritical – the numerous examples suggest this. For a professional assessment I lack practical experience in sail handling, so I simply accept this as given.
For the reconstruction on my model, only one variant is feasible due to the structural conditions, as shown below:
I will report on the further implementation on the model in due course.
To be continued …