Vol. 71, No.1 Spring 2026 40


Mizzenmast: 47 feet (44 feet from 3-foot deck of rear coach house)


Add to this the height from solid top to cap:


Foremast: 17 feet Mainmast: 17 feet Mizzenmast: 14 feet


4. Exact mast and yard dimensions. Courtesy of Michael Mjelde’s 1970 publication Glory of the Seas Appendix 1.


Floor timbers molded: 20” 3 midship keelsons: 16” square 3 tiers of thick work on the bilge: 15”


T is makes Glory of the Seas 11 feet 10 inches through the backbone, very


similar to McKay’s clipper


Sovereign of the Seas which was described as being eleven feet through the backbone.


Appendix 1 of Michael Mjelde’s book, Glory of the Seas, includes the original specifi cations of Glory of the Seas’s masts and spars: (Figure 4)


Using depth of the hull of Glory of the Seas, we were able to conclude the following exact dimensions of the three lower masts:


From the deck to solid tops: Foremast: 49 feet Mainmast: 55 feet


For total heights deck to cap: Foremast: 66 feet Mainmast: 72 feet


Mizzenmast: 61 feet (58 feet from 3-inch deck of the rear coach house)


Constructing Glory of the Seas composite lower masts


T ere is no more superior yet far more complex manufacturing process for rugged lower masts than composite construction. As a result of Donald McKay sparing no expense, Glory of the Seas featured all built lower masts. T is is how Rob Wiederrich reproduced these fascinating structures.


He began by cutting a main piece 3/4-inch by 1/4- inch, not concerning himself with length at this point. He then cut two pieces 1/4-inch square that he glued to the sides of the 3/4-inch piece, creating the central cross section that became the basis of the lower masts. (Figure 5) T e masts were turned to their appropriate scale diameters on the lathe. He then cut shims to fi t at the appropriate distances in the recesses for the band supports, marking them at scale 3-foot intervals. (Figure 6) Next, he applied a coat of white paint in the recesses, then replaced the masts in the lathe and did a fi nal soſt sanding to


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