The keel is up

After my first model boat, the cutter HMS Mermaid (an Australian kit, a real beginner’s boat), I took the plunge and went straight for a considerably bigger model. The HMS Diana kit arrived yesterday and, to be honest, I was a bit overwhelmed. Never mind: I’m really looking forward to it and we’ll see where the ship runs aground.

By way of preparation I read the first few hundred posts of Piet’s build log, up to the point where the photos are sadly missing and it becomes hard to follow. I’m also following Walter de Bouwer’s log. On top of that I managed to get hold of The Frigate Diana from the Anatomy of the Ship series, and Historische Schiffsmodelle by Wolfram zu Mondfeld, which had been recommended to me as the handbook for model builders. No idea whether it will be of any use, but you have to start somewhere. My English is fine, but all the nautical terms take a lot of getting used to. That’s where the Anatomy book comes in handy: every part is drawn and called by its name.

I started safely: read the instruction manual and numbered all the parts. After that things went faster than expected. The keel was up the same afternoon, and by the evening I had sanded the bulkheads and put them in. Not glued yet, of course.

I was given a warm welcome on the forum. Jan noticed that a few blocks on the Mermaid are the wrong way round. I think nearly all the blocks on it are consistently the wrong way round, so at least that’s something. Hans pointed out that Piet has built the Diana himself and can help me with the missing photos from his log, although he is laid up at the moment.

I have a full-time job, so this will have to happen at weekends and in the evenings. I’m 43 now and have resolved to finish the boat before I turn fifty. That seemed like a realistic plan.