HIGH HOPES, WILD MEN AND THE DEVIL’S JAW - Willem Barentsz Kolderstok 1:50

[Pathfinder65]

Oh my, that is a lot to think about. I'm fascinated by the research on the "The Swan". What a great project.

 

[Heinrich]

Jan, De Zwane is an absolute joy to be involved with. We have very comprehensive build contracts to work from, and I have no doubt that Waldemar will create an extremely accurate rendition and plan set of the ship. Added to that I have lots of information available on her preparation for the two expeditions and the two trips itself. So, in short, everything I was lacking on the WB, I have at hand with De Zwane. And the best of it all? She has a name!

 

[-Waldemar-]

It can be said that I have finally completed a very important — and, from my perspective, the most crucial — conceptual stage. To put it simply, it’s all about the hull’s lines and shapes. Now all that remains are ‘trifles’ , such as the decks, the wales, the gun ports, certain structural elements, or some of the deck equipment. Not that all this isn’t time-consuming and doesn’t require effort, but whatever it may be and in whatever configuration, it will no longer affect the very concept of the reconstructed ship.

​

 

[-Waldemar-]

.​

Oh, by the way, the spacing of the cross-section lines in the above renderings is 9 inches, which is the same as the side (lengthwise) thickness of ship's bottom timbers.

 

[rtibbs]

Heinrich my friend. Remember this from years ago when we were discussing the WB's name? I was determined to call mine Swan. This is as far as I went with the build and as you know I have ceased building ship models and dropped out completely. Guess I lost all ambition from the passing of my Admiral of 63 years. Hope this finds you well for now and whatever the future may bring. I still regard you as 'One of the good guys'

 

[Heinrich]

@Waldemar Dear Waldemar, this is indeed a milestone in the design process. The superb visual representation is the proverbial tip of the iceberg and whilst I am sure that the time spent on this has been considerable, I do know that the end results will be worth every minute of your meticulous attention to detail. As you rightly say, this part of the design was the crucial one as it forms the basis of the whole construction. To me, what you have done remains a dark art, and one which I cannot profess to understand in its entirety. However, for me it is a huge and personal privilege to see De Zwane come to fruition at the hands of a true expert!

 

[Heinrich]

Heinrich my friend. Remember this from years ago when we were discussing the WB's name? I was determined to call mine Swan. This is as far as I went with the build and as you know I have ceased building ship models and dropped out completely. Guess I lost all ambition from the passing of my Admiral of 63 years. Hope this finds you well for now and whatever the future may bring. I still regard you as 'One of the good guys'
View attachment 609060

My dear Ron, it is so good to see your comment. Of course, I remember our banter about the name whilst that wonderful gift of yours remains something that I will always keep close to heart. Even though I do not agree with everything said in the book （at times I have been highly critical of its author）, it has shaped my whole way of thinking about the subject and for that I will forever be thankful. Your swan stern design remains my absolute favorite and if you can ever bring yourself to create a second one, I will display it on my Zwane with pride. By the way, I have learnt that when a swan raises its wings as in your version, it is called "busking"!

My friend, to be called "one of the good guys" by you, means an awful lot me. Thank you for that!

 

[-Waldemar-]

@Waldemar Dear Waldemar, this is indeed a milestone in the design process. The superb visual representation is the proverbial tip of the iceberg and whilst I am sure that the time spent on this has been considerable, I do know that the end results will be worth every minute of your meticulous attention to detail. As you rightly say, this part of the design was the crucial one as it forms the basis of the whole construction. To me, what you have done remains a dark art, and one which I cannot profess to understand in its entirety. However, for me it is a huge and personal privilege to see De Zwane come to fruition at the hands of a true expert!

Many thanks, Heinrich, though I am aware that, for the vast majority, the (correct) hull shapes are, in themselves, the least important consideration of all, and that they are usually mangled anyway when smoothing the surfaces with sandpaper. Nevertheless, those captured in the reconstruction are perfect in every respect — in terms of fidelity to the sources as much as the extant data permit, the specificity of shapes resulting from the design methods of the time, their fairness and — last but not least — the basic hydrodynamic requirements of this extremely short vessel.

As I suggested earlier when explaining quarter frames in my thread, given the specific design method used, the shapes obtained in the reconstruction cannot, in fact, differ in any noticeable way from the original ship.

 

[Heinrich]

Nevertheless, those captured in the reconstruction are perfect in every respect — in terms of fidelity to the sources as much as the extant data permit, the specificity of shapes resulting from the design methods of the time, their fairness and — last but not least — the basic hydrodynamic requirements of this extremely short vessel.

And this outlines the complexity of the challenge perfectly:

1. Stay true to the build contracts.
2. Stay true to the parameters of the design methods of the era.
3. Create a seaworthy and well-sailing vessel （within the constraints of its small size） by adhering to established and accepted hydrodynamic principles.

 

[GrantTyler]

Good morning H. I’m being a tad selfish here however it would be good to see a SA flag next to your profile pic. 2029 may be a while away but Melkbosstrand is waiting . Cheers Grant

 

[Heinrich]

Good morning H. I’m being a tad selfish here however it would be good to see a SA flag next to your profile pic. 2029 may be a while away but Melkbosstrand is waiting . Cheers Grant

Hi Grant! There is nothing wrong with being a "tad" selfish and Melkbosstrand will always remain a very strong option. I love the idea of being able to compare notes with you on a regular basis.

 

[Heinrich]

Dear Friends

I thought this an appropriate time to share with you the progress that has been made in the design process of the De Zwane. The design is now at the point where we can share with you how the reconstructed ship would look under sail.




Now look what happens when the design is overlayed over the original iconographies!







Can it get any better or more accurate than that?

I am sure you will agree that @-Waldemar- is doing an incredible job!

Please find the link to the full design process below:

Vlieboot »De Zwane« 1592 — Barents discovers the Arctic

Hi Waldemar The openwork railings on the half-and poop deck, is such a nice touch and rounds-off the appearance beautifully. I have always wanted to do this on my builds and yet, I have always omitted them. Even though it means more work for the builder, this is something that I will not leave...

shipsofscale.com

 

[Heinrich]

Dear Friends

Whilst Waldemar is continuing the design process of De Zwane, I have started organizing and categorizing all my research notes and results with the aim of documenting De Zwane’s history from the time of her build to her participation in the 1594 and 1595 voyages to the North.

And then ..; out of the blue, I found a soft copy of this work on Balthasar de Moucheron by Mr. J.H. de Stoppelaar - truth be told, I was not even aware of the existence of this book! However, it has instantaneously become one of my favorite resources and contains tons of information on the "behind-the-scenes" aspects of the three Expeditionary voyages. I would imagine that the name De Moucheron would not be a familiar one to most of you (in fact, I wonder how many of our Dutch friends are familiar with it), but without this man, there would have been no Dutch expeditions to the North. Period!



Now as a matter of interest, I would like to issue a challenge to our forum members.

CHALLENGE:


I have photoshopped (albeit very amateurishly - apologies for that ) Waldemar's superb rendering of De Zwane by adding a flag to the top of the main mast.

Who knows what flag is being displayed?

Let me hear your thoughts! (Don't be shy). @Kolderstok Hans, if you are still around - this time you are allowed to participate!

Best wishes - Heinrich

 

[Heinrich]

Last night, I have received some excellent news which has me very excited. My long-standing friend in the Netherlands, Piet Sanders aka as @pietsan has announced on Modelbouwforum that he is soon to start the build of the 1775 HMS Sphinx by Vanguard Models.

So, why am I excited about this? Ever since I started model building, I have held Piet's work in the highest possible esteem, and I regard him as one of the finest model builders there is. He has been wanting to build this model for quite some time and now it is finally happening. From all accounts, it is a superb kit, so I can only imagine what results Piet will achieve with it. Now I just need to convince Piet to post his build on SOS as well.


@pietsan Piet's next build - the Vanguard Models HMS Sphinx.


@pietsan on the left and Koos （another friend on Modelbouwforum） in relaxed mood. Koos's forum name there is Jaques.