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Sailing the World: Part I: Planning Basics

Many people dream of sailing the world, even of circumnavigation. This is entirely plausible, but does require quite a bit of planning and effort. This series of blogs will look at the some of the resources that are available to plan long-distance trips. These blogs assume a certain level of technical and maritime proficiency, but are designed to help those who are new to long-distance cruising. This first blog will discuss the basic planning of Routes, and the recommended books for that task.

The first, and most important step, is developing an understanding of the realities of cruising- either at a local level, or sailing the world.

Cruising-Life-2ndWe strongly recommend reading a book like Jim Trefethen’s The Cruising Life: A Commonsense Guide for the Would-be Voyager. This is a no-nonsense discussion of the realities of cruising, and includes chapters entitled “Should you go cruising?” and “Cruising without a boat: meet the Cruising Kitty”.

Trefethen addresses the important financial, social and practical questions of finding out whether cruising the world is a realistic possibility,  a dream for the future, or the product of restlessness. After the feasibility of cruising is determined, he guides the reader through financial planning, the acquisition of the boat, and actually setting off on the cruise.

Once you’ve decided that you do want to go cruising, then it’s time to start planning where, and when. While cruising and sailing does seem to present an incredible opportunity for freedom of movement, the truth is that this is practically somewhat more limited. Just as driving from destination to destination is limited by road networks, ocean passages are likewise influenced by prevailing winds, and tidal cycles.

World Cruising RoutesIt is strongly encouraged to do some reading on the traditional cruising routes. This will teach about traditional departure points and landfalls, the benefits and drawbacks of each route. Books like Jimmy Cornell’s World Cruising Routes are really important because they provide this kind of information in a really easy to process, and understand way. They also do so in a way that makes multiple-leg journeys easier to plan. Some books, like the Cornell, or Admiralty Ocean Passages, or Rod Heikell’s Ocean Passages and Landfalls cover the entire globe. Other books are more focused, such as the Pacific Crossing Guide, from the RCC Pilotage Foundation.

When planning on a global scale the ability to move from any beginning point, to any end point, is rationalized into a system of routes defined by the beginning and ending ports. While strict adherence to the routes is not necessary, they do represent the distilled experience of decades- and in some cases, centuries of sailors. These routes have been shaped the dangers of the oceans in that larger voyages are often subdivided into shorter routes between landfalls. While these can add miles, they also provide advantages for cruisers.

Once you have figured out where you want to leave from, and go to, the next step is to learn about the ocean that you’ll be crossing. Pilot Atlases provide tons of information about tides, currents and winds. Examples that we often have in-store include Jimmy Cornell’s Ocean Atlas and James Clarke’s Atlantic Pilot Atlas. These are Pilot Atlases, which have an important feature not included in basic charts.

CornellOceanAtlasDetail This is what a detail from a Pilot Atlas looks like, specifically Cornell’s Ocean Atlas.

What makes Pilot Atlases important is the wind and tide information that is included. The symbols seen in the photo to the left are known as ‘wind roses’. Each such wind rose represents the behaviour for a certain area. They show the distribution of the winds that prevail in that area from the eight cardinal points. The arrows fly with the wind, and their lengths show the percentage of the total number of observations in which the wind has blown from that cardinal point. The number of feathers shows the force of the wind, which has been recorded most frequently from that sector. The wind force is measured on the Beaufort scale, with each feather being equivalent to one unit of wind force. The green lines represent the currents for the observed period. This kind of information is critical for planning routes, expected durations, and logistical concerns.
CornellWorldVoyagePlannerThere are other books specifically on the subject of world or long-range cruising. For example, Jimmy Cornell’s World Voyage Planner is a great source for information on how to plan for a world voyage, and also provides information and concerns for different parts of the world. Luckily, there also a significant number of experienced cruisers who have written about preparing for world cruising. For example, Larry and Lynn Pardey‘s books cover a number of topics from financial concerns to how to feed and cook for a crew. Jimmy Cornell’s World Cruising Essentials: The Boats, Gear, and Practices that Work Best at Sea examines another important aspect- that of the boat itself.

Next time in this series of blogs, we’ll examine the resources needed for more detailed local planning: Cruising Guides, Pilot Guides and Charts.

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Victoria Day Hours, Queen Victoria, and yachts

victoria_2112685iSince about 1845, Canada has been celebrating May 24th, Queen Victoria’s Birthday. Following her death in 1901, it was officially named ‘Victoria Day’.

Queen Victoria was fond of the sea, and of yachting.  During her reign, HM Yachts Victoria and Albert, Victoria and Albert II, and Victoria and Albert III were built, the last of which was commissioned in 1901, several months after the monarch’s death. Other Royal Yachts included the Fairy, Elfin, and Osborne. Queen Victoria also had a front-row seat for watching some of the most beautiful and fastest yachts of the late 19th century, as Osborne House in East Cowes on the Isle of Wight was a major royal residence during the Queen’s reign. It was a Royal retreat, and is telling that Victoria chose a holiday home by the sea.

Of course, the Victoria Day holiday is still closely associated with yachting, and the beginning of the summer sailing season (at least, when the lakes aren’t cold as ice).

This holiday weekend, the Store is open normal hours:
Saturday 10-6
Sunday 12-5
Monday 10-5

 

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The Canadian Nautical Research Society

cnrs-scrn_logo_color_150x163

At the Nautical Mind, we are pleased to be able to work with Canadian authors and publishers, and to promote books that explore and celebrate Canada’s maritime past and current existence. The Canadian Nautical Research Society is an organization that has the same goal. If you’re a fan of Canadian maritime history, then you’re sure to recognize the names of members like Barry Gough, Marc Milner, Richard Gimblett and Roger Sarty. If you’re an alumnus or former crew of STV St Lawrence II, STV Pathfinder or TS Playfair, then Maurice Smith is a living legend. There are many more members who are actively involved in maritime and nautical research at the global, national and local levels. We at the Nautical Mind would like to recognize the contribution of the Canadian Nautical Research Society, and its past and present members.

cnrs-scrn_logo_color_150x163 Originally established as the Canadian Society for the Promotion of Nautical Research, the Canadian Nautical Research Society was incorporated 25 October 1984 and achieved the status of a registered charity shortly thereafter. “Ties That Bind: the Roots of NASOH and the CNRS” gives some historical background to our early days as seen through the eyes of W.A.B Douglas, one of our founders and a past president of our Society.

The objectives of the Society are:

  • to promote nautical research in Canada
  • to disseminate the results of such research
  • and to encourage an awareness of Canada’s maritime heritage

To those ends, the Society publishes a quarterly journal The Northern Mariner/Le marin du nord, quarterly newsletter Argonauta, and holds an annual conference. and makes several awards:

  • the Jacques Cartier MA Prize in Maritime Affairs, to encourage graduate students at the Master’s level
  • the Gerry Panting Award, which is a bursary to a young scholar to attend the annual conference to present a paper, and
  • annually awards The Keith Matthews Awards — named in honour of the Society’s first President — to recognize outstanding publications in the field of nautical research.

The Nautical Mind’s shelves have hosted a large number of books authored, edited and compiled by CNRS members, including all of those named above. To recognize their contributions, such books are identified on our website. The current line-up of CNRS members’ books available at the store at this link to our website.

If you’re interested in more information, it can be found at the CNRS Website, Facebook, and Twitter

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Remember the Lusitania!

Remember the Lusitania-LOCAC
The Nautical Mind would like to thank author Kent Layton for this guest blog on the sinking of Lusitania, which occurred on 7 May, 1915. Kent’s new book, Lustania: An Illustrated Biography, will be available in early May.

 

Lusitania-JKL On May 7, we will mark a full century’s passing since the loss of the Cunard liner Lusitania. On that Friday afternoon one hundred years ago, the east-bound liner happened across the path of a prowling German submarine, the U-20. Her commander fired a single torpedo at her without warning, and the results were nothing short of catastrophic.

Saloon-JKLIt took only eighteen minutes for the ghastly affair to play out. The ship took an immediate list to starboard after the torpedo impact; a second and even larger explosion followed the first. Although its origins are not known precisely, the best evidence indicates the blast was caused by a catastrophic failure in her high-pressure steam-generating plant. Whatever its cause, the ship was already doomed. Because of the list and the speed with which the ship sank, launching the lifeboats became a nightmare scenario, with boat after boat falling from the davits into the sea, and in some cases into other boats which had already been lowered away. When all was said and done, 1,198 innocent men, women and children had perished in the event.

Avenge the Lusitania-LOCACIt took a mere eighteen minutes for the Lusitania to plunge to the seafloor, but her legacy has endured for a full century now. Today she is often remembered in the context of a ‘political football’, a pawn in a deadly war; yet in all of the rehashings of political intrigue, something of the actual human drama of that event has been lost, for it is difficult to remember the bodies of actual men, women and children when one is thinking about conspiracy theories.

Also tragic is the fact that the loss of the Lusitania has forever since overshadowed her life. One would think, reading through many histories of the Lusitania, that nothing much of interest happened to her between the time she entered service and took the Blue Riband speed prize as the ‘world’s fastest ship’, and the time she was sent to the bottom in 1915. Yet her life was filled with all sorts of tales of adventure and stories of personal interest.

It is important that we never forget the tragedy suffered by the Lusitania, and the lives lost on that day. It is also important that we remember the great history of that liner’s career in proper context. To my mind, doing both honors the memory of all of those who ever sailed on the Lusitania, including those who were aboard for her ultimate, and most horrific, crossing.

J. Kent Layton
April 2015.

 

Lusitania An Illustrated Biography

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Guest Blog Post: Explorer Charts

We would like to thank Sara Lewis, co-creator of the Explorer Chart Book series, for this guest blog.
M&S MA2We are so thankful to be cruising the Bahamas again this winter season after missing last year, having sold our boat. Our beloved Saranade has gone to live in Staniel Cay and be enjoyed by the Millers there, while we get to experience cruising on a power catamaran. Miss Agnes is doing nicely with a safe crossing from Florida to Bimini then the short leaps across the Bank to the Berry Islands and through Nassau to the Exumas. Ahhhh! Then we can sigh and relax and slow the pace with staying awhile in our favorite places and visiting friends on land and at sea. Now we are in Salt Pond, Long Island, which is where we began to conceive the idea of doing the Explorer charts.

Initially, we were using Klein’s Yachtsman’s Guide and the BBA Chartkit, both of which were lacking in hydrographic detail. Wanting to go farther afield into lesser known parts, such as the Ragged Islands and Bight of Acklins, we were fortunate to have some older and more salty sailor friends who had been there and pointed out on the topographical maps where we could and couldn’t go with our draft. That knowledge was enhanced by getting together with some of the Long Island fishermen, who also shared their local knowledge of these areas. So we ventured forth and started making notes. Our friends would ask to trace the primitive charts (none of us had copiers aboard back then!) and then began suggesting that we publish what we were charting out for ourselves.

That led to the first iteration—20 placemat charts of the Exumas, which eventually had text added and became the first Explorer Chartbook Exumas and Ragged Islands in 1995. Of course, then we had to cover the rest of the Bahamas, which led to the Explorer Chartbook Near Bahamas (the islands closest to Florida) and the Explorer Chartbook Far Bahamas (the easternmost and southernmost islands). Now the Exumas and the Near Bahamas books are in their 7th editions and the Far Bahamas its 6th. We continue to survey and update both the hydrographic data as well as the Need-to-Know Info for land facilities and services.

We are blessed to be able to share this beautiful country of aquamarine waters, powder blue skies and its lovely people.

Sara and Monty Lewis

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Ontario Sailor Book Reviews: January 2015

Once again, we’re pleased to present the book reviews from the January 2015 Ontario Sailor magazine.

SeaTrialsCoverSea Trials
By Peter Bourke
International Marine
Hardcover, 226 pages
First-time author Peter Bourke, who was born in London, England and moved as a young boy to Rhode Island with his family, bought a sailboat after his wife’s sudden death — leaving him a single parent with two kids. He tried sailing for the first time in his 40s, and found something that was missing in his life. This book recounts his Atlantic crossing in the 2009 Oldest Singlehanded Trans Atlantic Race (OSTAR) from the U.K. to Rhode Island at the age of 57. The author weaves a sailing narrative of equipment breakdowns, seasickness, canvas problems with a gamut of his raw emotions, from joy and elation to deep sadness. He lays bare his life, including the death of his wife from a seizure, his military service and Vietnam, and what it was like to drop out of his financial career and jump into his 44 ft. yacht and rip across an ocean alone while racing against 31 others. Bourke is on a voyage of personal exploration and discovery, and for readers it’s worth taking the ride with him across the waves.

 CaseySlocumJoshua Slocum
By Quentin Casey
Nimbus Publishing
Softcover, 123 pages

In the sailing world, Joshua Slocum is a giant. The Nova Scotia-born mariner became the first person to sail solo around the world when he set out in 1895 with only $1.50 in his pocket to accomplish the feat in three years aboard his 36 ft. wooden sloop, Spray. The author, a Canadian East Coast sailor and journalist with a master’s in maritime history from Dalhousie University, digs into Slocum’s mysterious life and disappearance, unearthing troubles both on land and at sea. While working as a sea captain, hauling timber and other goods across oceans, Slocum faced shipwreck, indebtedness, the death of his first wife and some of their children, and the killing of a crew member during an onboard uprising. Slocum’s first wife, Virginia, gave birth to seven of their children, many while living aboard, with only four surviving. Slocum owned five working ships before purchasing a part interest in Northern Light, a three-masted, three-deck, 220 ft. vessel when he was only 36. He faced a mutiny aboard this ship. The book is well researched and illustrated with colourful photos and graphics.

 

SinglehandedSailingCoverSinglehanded Sailing
By Andrew Evans
International Marine
Softcover, 244 pages
A British Columbia-based lawyer and businessman, Andrew Evans sails his Olson 30 out of the Royal Victoria Yacht Club and often finds himself solo cruising and racing in many contests, including the Singlehanded Transpac across the Pacific Ocean. He has gathered together hundreds of “tips, techniques and tactics” to help others who by choice or chance find themselves shorthanded while onboard. He details ways to set up the boat for fewer hands, how to leave the dock (and how not to do it), handle sails, steering (log live the bungee!) and improve boat speed, power generation and many other topics. Evans admits to hitting rocks, shredding spinnakers and cracking hulls, but says he’s never had a bad day on the water. His heroes are Brit Ellen MacArthur, who set a record for fastest solo circumnavigation in 2005, and solo racer and fellow Brit Robin Knox-Johnston. The book offers lots of black/white photos and graphics to assist the reader.

 

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New In: Brian Lavery’s Latest.

LaveryThis week, we finally received Brian Lavery’s The Ship of the Line: A History in Ship Models,  for which we have waited with bated breath.

Brian Lavery is one of the most important naval historians of the past few decades, and an expert on sailing warships and the Royal Navy from the early-modern period to the 20th century. For many years, he was a curator at the National Maritime Museum, in Greenwich, London. He has worked with the Smithsonian Museum on Ship: The Epic Story of Maritime Adventure, and has published important survey works on general maritime history like The Conquest of the Ocean, published in 2013. While he has written about the Second World War, in In Which They Served: The Royal Navy Officer Experience in the Second World War, his main focus is very much on warships in the age of sail, in the long 18th Century. His more historical publications include Nelson’s Navy: Its Ships, Men and Organization, 1793-1815, and Nelson’s Fleet at Trafalgar. The latter’s focus on the ships is further shown by his books on ship-modelling, including The Anatomy of the Ship: 74-Gun Ship Bellona.

The Ship of the Line: A History in Ship Models brings together Lavery’s strengths, and the strengths of the National Maritime Museum’s ship-model collection. Ship-models were an important tool for shipbuilding in the early modern period. By the 17th century, ship-models were being used to show craftsmen the design to build to, at a period when few would be able to understand written or drawn architectural plans. Lavery uses these constructor’s or Navy Board ship models to illustrate the physical and materiel development in English naval ship-building from prior to 1652 and the origins of the ‘ship of the line’, to the long peace following the Napoleonic Wars. Including many fantastic photos of the models, the book strikes a great balance between narrative, conceptual discussion, analysis of specific ships, but also between the developments of shipbuilding, and the developments in the use and creation of ship-models themselves. At 128 pages, the book averages greater than illustration or picture per page.

Ship models are an incredible source for historians to study the development of shipbuilding and design in a period where other sorts of documentation are difficult to come by. In this book Lavery uses them to great effect to discuss the developments in English warship design and construction during the age of sail.

 

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Nautical Mind at the 2015 Toronto Boat Show

Ladies and Gentlemen:

The Nautical Mind will be making our usual appearance at the Toronto Boat Show, held this year from Saturday, January 10th to Monday, January 18th. The Toronto Boat Show is an unrelenting abundance of boats, authors, wrist-bands, bargains, and all kinds of boating and yachting paraphernalia.

This year, we are located at Booth G-545. We will be selling books, charts, cruising guides and our many wares. If you’re still looking for a 2015 calendar, we have many different types of calenders including Sharon Green’s Ultimate Sailing.

We will have several authors with us this year

CopelandsLiza Copeland
Liza grew up in Twickenham, England. Having raced on the Solent and River Thames since she was nine years old, Liza continued sailing in a variety of boats in University, National and World Championships, as well as in long distance races. She is now a fulltime writer and seminar speaker, in between cruising of course! She (with Andy Copeland) is the author of Just Cruising, Still Cruising, Comfortable Cruising, and Cruising for Cowards

Pamela Bendall
Once a high-end stockbroker, Bendall chucked her opulent lifestyle for a simpler, self-sufficient dream: the (mostly) single-handed sailing life. Her inspiring story What Was I Thinking? features entertaining anecdotes, challenges faced, heartwarming successes, and just plain adventure onboard her 46-foot cutter “Precious Metal”.

WVKelly Gray
An offbeat and charming account of one mans attempt to motor a tired old workboat to the Black Sea to prove that living large doesn’t mean spending large. Without prior experience, no real knowledge and a mindset that is one part Libertarian, two parts Red Green and 100 per cent duffus, the author pushes, pulls and drags his 40 year-old four ton boat through the heart of Europe.

 

 

 


Show Hours
Friday, January 9, 2015:
Special Preview Night, 4 to 9pm

January 10 to 18, 2015:
Saturdays (10th and 17th)        10 AM to 7 PM
Sundays (11th and 18th)           10 AM to 6 PM
Mon to Wed (12th to 14th)        11 AM to 8 PM
Thurs & Fri (15 and 16th)           11 AM to 9 PM

Location
The Toronto International Boat Show takes place at the
Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition Place:
100 PRINCES’ BLVD., TORONTO, ON M6K 3C3

Please Note: The store (249 Queen’s Quay West, Suite 108) will be open on our normal schedule during the Toronto Boat Show.

 
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Liners, Lakers and Salties

The advent of the steam engine, propellers and eventually steam turbine allowed the creation of larger and larger motorized vessels, including lake and ocean freighters, and passenger liners. These ships present a significantly different aesthetic than sailing vessels, but have an elegance and beauty all their own. This is especially true in the period from the end of the 19th century to the mid 20th century when travel at sea was the height of elegance and luxury. Although freighters certainly did not directly compared, they did possess a certain flare in the early decades of the 20th century that reflected contemporary design. We have a number of books that provide high-quality photos and images of passenger liners, ocean freighter and lakers, and show off their beauty.

$44.95

This new history from the prolific William Miller describes how this firm’s troopships evolved into cruise ships, as the British army switched to transporting troops by air rather than sea. When Britain’s largest shipping line, British India, saw its trade disappearing it sought profitable other uses for their vessels. It also covers BISN’s complicated merger with, and absorption by P&O.

GreatAtlanticLiners
$46.95

Also by Miller is Great Atlantic Liners of the Twentieth Century in Color. Published in 2013, the volume contains sections about magnificent ships–the “Mauretania” and “Lusitania”, German four-stackers, “Olympic” and “Titanic”, and the crack liners of the 1920s and 1930s, such as the “Paris”, “Normandie” and “Queen Mary.” All are presented here in glorious colour images, as never seen before. These images give an idea of the splendour that was ocean liner travel in the golden age of shipping.

SSUnitedStates
$85.00

Another beautiful recent arrival is John Maxtone-Graham’s SS United States. A profusely illustrated tribute to America’s most famous liner. Maxtone-Graham documents her design, construction, and her 17 years of service, and introduces dozens of passengers, as well as the captain and crew.There are many stunning reproductions, both in black & white and in colour. The text has a familiarity with and fondness for the ship and its crew that demonstrates a mastery of the primary source material and enables the readers to have an intimacy with the ship as is difficult to achieve.

 

Canadian Empresses
$89.95

Covering both the Oceans and the Great Lakes, Les Streater’s Canadian Empresses, both Vol. I and Vol. II examine the ‘Empresses’ of the Canadian Pacific Steamship Company. These books do not attempt to study the ships in depth, but rather gives a chronology covering the careers of the liners and the events surrounding them. Hundreds of photographs including dozens of brochures and items of ephemera are reproduced in full colour, bringing the liners to life in a unique way. The first volume covers the years 1889 when the Canadian Pacific Railway Co. entered into shipowning to operate Great Lakes services up to 1939 when on the outbreak of war in 1939, Canadian Pacific Steamships Ltd. placed all its ships at the disposal of the government and several were taken over as troopships. The second volume covers the war service and post-war service of the various Canadian Pacific “Empresses”, a tribute to the 100 years of service between Canada and the UK by some of the most beautiful ships ever designed, built and operated.

GreatWhiteFleetCover
$30.00

John Henry’s Great White Fleet looks at Canada Steamship Line’s Great Lakes passenger ships. During the first half of the 20th century, Canada Steamship Lines passenger ships regularly steamed from the western end of Lake Superior to the lower St. Lawrence, beyond Quebec City. This rich history spans from 1913, when the fleet launched with 51 vessels, until 1965, when the final port of call was reached.  Includes colour as well as black & white reproductions of photographs, advertisements and other graphics. This is beautifully designed, with as if it were a leather-bound album. It is very eye-catching, and would be an engaging choice for older children as well as adults.

 

http://www.nauticalmind.com/Lake-Boats-The-Enduring-Vessels-of-the-Great-Lakes-pr-78740.html
$29.95

Another new release is the 2nd Edition of Greg McDonnell’s Lake Boats.  A big, beautiful tribute to the historic ships still working the Great Lakes, from cement boats such as the 100-year old “St. Marys Challenger” to straight-deckers, self-unloaders and 1,000-footers sailing under the flags of prominent Great Lakes fleets: Algoma Central, Upper Lakes, Lower Lakes, American Stamship, Canada Steamship Lines, and others. Includes exact identification and specifics plus a history of each vessel.

These are only small number of the books that we have that cover these important topics. To see the full list of books, separated by category, visit this link on our website.

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Ships and Ship-Modelling

For those who like ships, ship models always bring a gleam to one’s eye. They are the physical manifestations- in miniature of those vessels that we think about. The lines, detail, colour, shadows, and angles can be intoxicating. These fantastic objects often inspire the imagination, and can keep one’s attention for hours. There is an incredible history to ship models and shio-modelling, for example looking at the Navy Board Ship Models from the 17th century shipwrights such as the Pett family that were used instead of plans to show how new ships were to be built, or the models built by French prisoners-of-war during the Napoleonic Wars. For those who enjoy looking at ship models, the desire to build them oneself is often not far behind. We have some fantastic books on ship-modelling, for all kinds of models and experience levels.

The Seventy-Four Gun Ship
Cover for The Seventy-Four Gun Ship, vol 1. CAD $169.95
HistoryofFRenchFrigate
Cover of “History of the French Frigate, 1650-1850”

First we have a number of lovely books from Archéologie Navale Française. Written by Jean Boudriot, these are simply gorgeous, well illustrated books that provide historical context for vessels, as well as details and plans for building of models. Examples include the four volumes of The Seventy-Four Gun Ship. Others in the series include The Bomb Ketch Salamandre, Chebec Le Requin, History of the French Frigate 1650-1850, and John Paul Jones and the Bonhomme Richard. These books have been carefully translated into English, and cover an excellent range of different types of vessels, from ships of the line to the smaller auxiliaries. Focusing specifically on French naval architecture, they display what contemporaries considered to be elegant, beautiful and superbly designed ships. Bernard Frölich’s The Art of Shipmodelling, is also a must for any shipmodeller of the age of sail.

Bellona Cover
Cover of The 74-Gun Ship Bellona, CAD $45
ConstitutionCover
The 44-Gun Frigate USS Constitution, CAD $66.50

For those who are interested in British warships in particular, the Anatomy of the Ship series is highly regarded and an excellent guide to building both warships of the age of sail, as well as modern warships. Created by a series of authors including the authoritative Brian Lavery, titles include The 74-Gun Ship Bellona, The 100-Gun Ship Victory, and for fans of American warship design, The 44-Gun Frigate USS Constitution. There are also several volumes dedicated to warships of the Second World War, including The Destroyer Campbeltown and The Flower Class Corvette Agassiz. These books are excellent for modellers, and have many-high quality images to guide step-by-step construction of the ship models. For those who are shopping on a more limited budget, these are excellent alternatives to the series mentioned above.

Masting_Rigging_coverFor those who looking to learn about ship modelling as an art, and not necessarily the reproduction of a specific vessel, we have a number of books on various aspects. A classic is Harold A. Underhill’s Masting and Rigging. This  is a complete guide to the square rig, containing 50 full-page working drawings and 200 detail sketches, fully covering spar construction and rig of 19th- and 20th-century sailing ships, iron and wood. Chapters on standing and running rigging, sails, unusual rigs, and tables of spar proportions and rigging sizes for various craft. From the same author we also have Volume I, and Volume II of Plank-on-Frame Models and Scale Masting and Rigging. These books take you from reading and interpreting plans to mounting a finished model on its base.

Ship models are also wonderful works of art. ShipmodelsAGOcoverSpanning some 350 years, the Thomson Collection of historic ship models contains examples of exquisite workmanship and some of the masterpieces of the genre. Pride of the collection are the rare British dockyard models made to scale for affluent 18th-century clients closely associated with the Royal Navy. A large number of models–made from wood and bone, with rigging of human hair–were made by some of the 120,000 French and other prisoners of the Napoleonic Wars. The diverse collection also includes tugs, dredgers, trawlers, cargo vessels, passenger steamers, private yachts, corvettes, battleships, cruisers, torpedo boat destroyers and two aircraft carriers. Ship Models was published by the Art Gallery of Ontario to celebrate the fantastic Thompson Collection, and has stunning photographs of the models in the collection.