First, I thank all of you who've been kind enough to wish me well. I'm on the mend.
Second, it's going to be a while before I get the modeling motivation juices flowing again but, I've no doubt, they'll return soon enough.
In the last few days I've managed to string a few more shrouds. Working on the mainmast now - shrouds are done for the mizzen and fore masts.
A question for which I can't seem to find a definitive answer:
In all the photos I've seen of her from the 1870's to the 1890's (which is how I'm building her) she doesn't seem to have had futtock shrouds under the fore and main mast tops. So, unless someone here has information to the contrary, I'll gladly not attempt to rig them.
After finishing the shrouds I will attempt to rig the ratlines. That ought to be fun - especially since the vision in my right eye is not what it was before I had my strokes. But, what the heck, I'll give it the old college try.
That leads me to another question that is nagging at me ... were the ratlines in the USS Kearsarge rope or steel? I'm almost certain they would have been rope but if someone could confirm that for me it'll stop that nagging for me. If they were steel then, of course, the shrouds would have been as well.
