Wow Daniel!

You explained it a million times than I ever could and what you say undoubtedly shows why the effect of the cheeks was more pronounced in that one picture. The other thing that is confusing is that the widest point of the hull is below the waterline not level with it as on almost all other ships.
By the way my friend, just for you and
@Pathfinder65 Jan, I placed the first oak plank above the fourth wale and capped it with a 2mm x 3mm walnut strip again.
View attachment 320564
View attachment 320565
Now you will understand why I did not opt for an oak cap railing..