It will have a good effect if a poop and topgallant forecastle are fitted, as in [Fig. 8]. C is the poop and D the forecastle. These decks can be made of millboard, and light strips of wood are glued along inside the rail or bulwark, the top of which comes about half an inch short of the top of the rail. The small deck is then placed so as to rest on these strips; it can be fitted with a rail as shown, or not, as the builder decides.
The sea is made of green glazed calico, which must be large enough to cover the stand and hang over all round, touching the floor and concealing the rough stand and its supports. A long slit is made in the centre line of the calico, to pass it over the ship’s hull, and it is then glued along the ship’s sides before they are painted, care being taken that this is carefully done, no rucks or puckers being left. The waves are made by rolls of thin paper introduced here and there, under the calico and glued to the stand, and wherever a wave crest appears the calico is touched up with white paint, and if this is artistically done the effect is very good.
The sides of the ship are now painted black, and if the calico comes far up on the side, it must be painted over and considered as part of the vessel’s side; but along the water-line there should be a certain amount of undulation indicated by the paint, and at the bows and here and there along the side, a little white paint must be put, to show the broken water and foam, while the vessel’s wake should also be indicated by lines of foam diverging at an angle from the course of the ship. Copper may be shown by a copper-red just at the bow and stern along the water, but all black will do very well. The streak containing the ports should be painted white, the outside of the ports black, and the inside red.
The rigging will now have attention. The masts may be made in only two pieces; the topmasts, topgallant masts, and royals being all in one. The lower masts should be rather stout, and can be made of common deal; they must be firmly stepped in blocks secured below for their reception, and the mainmast must be so placed as not to unduly interfere with the hold being got at. The rigging and spars and sails of a ship are given in full with diagrams in other articles in this volume, and need not be repeated here.
The character of the rigging and the number of sails set must depend on the ideas of the builder. The ship may be made at anchor, to save trouble, with all her sails stowed, and a good effect can be easily produced by furling the sails, as is the case with the lower yards in the first illustration. Any rough piece of canvas the proper size will do for this. The ends are made fast to the yardarms, the corners are then folded behind (away from the bows) to the middle of the sail, in order to make a bunt, and the sail rolled up and secured to the yard by lashings of thread or string.
To look well, the sail when stowed should be much larger in the roll at the middle and diminish off to nothing at the ends.
Those stays which it is intended to suspend lamps from should be of wire, and the topgallant yards, if used for a similar purpose, should also be of wire, and if the yardarms are used for this purpose short pieces of thick wire should be lashed to them.
When all is ready, to allow of free access to the hold without damaging the sails or rigging, it is best to brace the head yards sharp up and the main yards aback. This is shown in [Fig. 15]. By doing this a sufficient space is left on one side of the ship. A A is the fore-and-aft line of the vessel, B the fore yard, C main yard, showing the space B C. D is the mizen trimmed in the same way as the fore yard. The ship would then be ‘hove-to,’ which is an almost stationary position adopted when speaking another vessel or waiting for a boat, etc.—in this case for her Christmas visitors.
I do not think any explanation will be necessary as to the presents. The smaller ones, whatever they are, can be just mixed up together in the hold, and if there are any of a superior character, they can be very well fixed in various places in the rigging.
The Christmas ship in which I had a hand was well found in boats, anchors, cannon, etc., all of which were distributed among the boys of the party. In conclusion, I can only hope that, should you decide to build such a vessel, it may prove a source of amusement to yourselves and gratification to your friends, and no doubt very many will be only too anxious to learn when the good ship Santa Claus is likely to arrive.