Renee, I have studied you picture again and have a few suggestions if you wish to put her at sea. Nothing says water like a few gulls in the distant sky. Also if you were to add a strip at the bottom where the hull meets the deck with rivets it would suggest a ship without adding a lot of "shippy" additions to the body of your picture. The rail will be gold you say? I believe Victorian era ships often had brass railings, so it's not far from the mark, but I would add a second horizontal and one or two vertical rails, make it thicker and add collars and rivets where the joints meet.
I's an arresting picture and I'm sure your friend will love it. Can't wait to see the progress
