People love a shortcut. The idea that there was a passage north of Canada by which one could easily sail from Europe to China first appeared at about the time of King Henry VIII. But it wasn't until 1903 that such a voyage proved feasible when the Norwegian Roald Amundsen sailed the Northwest Passage with a six-man crew in the cutter Gjøa (and discovered the magnetic North Pole en route). So what better subject than trying to model the Gjøa - when so many explorers in much larger ships and expeditions failed? As usual with me, the model is unfinished. Ray Dream fought most of the way, and didn't seem to enjoy the multiple sections for the hull, ending up in unintended lumps and bumps. However, 3D modeling and Ray Dream are both flexible, and I'll continue the model by adding details and rigging. And if I work my way through Bryce, no doubt I'll have the Gjøa sailing along the northern shores. If you have Metastream, a streaming 3D format, you can see the Gjøa at all angles.

 

A Metastreaming Gjøa  |  A 3D Viking ship

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