TILE 15 Nov 1st 2025 THE WAY IT WAS

"I designed a ship for my father, well I mean I drew the shape of a hull that I thought to be more graceful" Timmy said "But he had his ship wrights make a model of it and we used to sail it together in the harbour, me on one side, Father on the other so it wouldn't get away from us and it sailed really well.

I thought the rigging was too clumsy and made some new spars and canvas myself and it made a big difference to the speed. Father sometimes used to tell our visitors that my ship was earning him a fortune." he added wistfully.



It was dinnertime at the Hodsons and Timmy had been filling them in about the days progress and he continued "So that got George very excited and he asked me if I could maybe build another model ship just like it. So I'm going to draw up some ideas after dinner, not quite like my fathers one because I'd like to keep that to myself but some good ideas that I've had since then."

"Don't look like that Charles!" Freda scolded her husband gently "remember what you were like at Timmys age? Forever gallivanting between one interest to the next, anxious to find out as much as possible but too impatient to study any subject for long."

"Oh, I didn't mean whatever facial expression made you say that Freda, I was just thinking that Timmy might like to go over that book of his mothers with me, perhaps at supper? Gives him plenty of time to do some drawing from now till then."

Timmy set to work immediately having a gaff rigged sloop in mind because that would be the easiest type to make a model of and could be a solid or clinker built hull. Of course this would mean making a sawmill suitable for slicing timbers down to the appropriate thickness, could be dangerous to the fingers, better make something with a fence and guard.

Need a flywheel too for a treadle to provide the necessary impetus to the blade and that would have to be made from scratch too. I wonder if a treadmill could drive a lineshaft to provide the best constant speed? Better have a a word with the smith to see if it could be done. A slow reliable animal would be better than a fast smaller one like a dog that would tire too easily, the bigger the treadmill the more its output could be geared from large to small to get the speed required.

All these ideas and speculation buzzed through his brain as he worked quickly and methodically to produce three drawings being a sketch, a sectioned drawing and a finished water colour painting showing his boat under sail. He was tempted to produce some quite exotic triple decked hulls, looking almost like ships with castles fore and aft and three masts and square sails to power them but the traders preferred boats that could appear to be local fishing vessels.

Suppertime came and Charles and Timmy sat down together at the table to carefully open the book that Timmys mother had left with her friends for safe keeping. It seemed to almost hum with magical power, quite soundlessly but nevertheless giving the feeling of something just barely imprisoned within its pages.

Freda performed the ritual of safe shielding and Charles opened the cover and awaited Timmy to turn to a page. Timmy muttered the words he remembered his mother using and the pages seemed to flutter by of their own accord finally settling down to a double page illustration rich in colours and decoration. It seemed as if Charles and Timmy shrank and were pulled into the picture.

"Has this ever happened to you before?" both spoke simulteneously"