LEONARDSLEE GARDENS MODEL BOAT REGATTA 2010

THE SUMMER MADNESS : MODEL BOATING REGATTA 2010


A VIEW THROUGH THE PORTHOLE OF TIME

THE SUN WAS bright on the water, and its glare made faces obscure.

A little child, was, wide-eyed and wondering what it was all about. She was freshly washed and clothed and had some flowers in her hair. 

She was keenly observing everything, as children do, without recording too much. Her eyes were sparkling, and she did not quite know what to do, whether to cry, to laugh or to jump.

The lake was peaceful and still.

When walking round the lake, once again there was deep silence and that peace which comes when all things are alone. The lake was so still, that it caught the sky.

A bird flew silently by. The bird began to sing on the other side of the lake, and the song was clear and penetrating.

The sky was serene and blue. Many hundreds of feet below the sky there were people who were enjoying themselves, watching boats sailing on the water. Families would come and go, charmed at the rare sight.

Late spring flowers, their fragrance filled the air.

By the lake some people were waiting, anxious to talk things over.

THAMES BARGE RACING

A Thames sailing barge was a type of commercial sailing boat common on the River Thames in London in the 19th century. The flat-bottomed barges were perfectly adapted to the Thames Estuary, with its shallow waters and narrow rivers.

The barges also traded much further afield, to the north of England, the South Coast and even to continental European ports. Cargoes varied enormously: bricks, mud, hay,rubbish, sand, coal and grain, for example.

Today on Sunday 25th April Model Thames Barges were sailing with the Scale sails. These are heavy slow boats, with heavy keels. But when the wind is right they invariably show no mercy, if you unwittingly get in the way, barging their way through to the finish.

WIND WATCHING

MY DIY PROJECT :

FED UP WITH THE COMMENTS : OOOOOH....ARGH

WHERE'S THAT WIND COMING FROM ?

MAKE A FRIEND WITH A CLEVER LITTLE DEVICE......

A WINDICATOR BURGEE

Do you know if the wind you've got, is fluky (uneven wind speed) or that you're on a blow, on open water, information you should know, to make an informed choice. 

You must always use your observational powers, to avoid sailing blindly into a calm patch, whilst carefully watching for ripples on the water, as a guide to where the best wind is located. With the aid of a Windicator Burgee, you can see the direction of the wind, invaluable if racing, good practice, if you're not.

When thermal action is taking place, it can be very hard to observe the wind's movements, unless you're lucky enuff to have, etheric vision.

MY HOMEMADE WINDICATOR BURGEE 

Below the black tubing, it is best to thread a bead, 

for windicator to sit and rotate on

ANOTHER VERSION

The Wind

by Robert Louis Stevenson

I saw you toss the kites on high

And blow the birds about the sky;

And all around I heard you pass,

Like ladies' skirts across the grass

Oh wind, a blowing all day long,

Oh wind, that sings so loud a song!

I saw the different things you did,

But always you yourself you hid.

I felt you push, I heard you call,

I could not see yourself at all

Oh wind, a blowing all day long!

Oh wind, that sings so loud a song!

O you that are so strong and cold,

O blower, are you young or old?

Are you a beast of field and tree,

Or just a stronger child than me?

O wind, a blowing all day long,

O wind, that sings so loud a song!

MAKING ME A PROSTHETIC NOSE

MY DIY PROJECT

NOT FOR THE FAINT-HEARTED.................

BUT ME NOSE FELL OFF..........

STAGE 1

UNLIKE  A HIGHLY SKILLED SURGEON, I brutally cut, glued and clamped, the sandwiched pieces together, to prepare for me, a new nose, made from cork floor tiling, that I had the good fortune to find, in a colourful plastic bag ( maybe I could use the bag to make spare Footy sails ) that caught my eye, a while back, lying totally forgotten, forlorn and abandoned, nonchalantly hiding in a hedge, waiting for me, to hopefully reconstruct, fashion and make, a jolly good nose out of 

STAGE 2

Belt-sanding my delicate nose, to give it shape

STAGE 3

Slicing my nose on the work-bench, for perfect sizing

Look.........no nose

Head-butting without a nose can be very damaging

Looks like a perfect fit

Then glue with 2pac epoxy glue

FINISHED STAGE

Nose fitted, ready to go

Ready for racing....nose 'n' all
on my ( Kay Squire one metre design )

One Metre Racing

Here we go.........bliss

LAKES, SHEFFIELD PARK, SUSSEX

ALWAYS SCOUTING FOR LAKES TO SAIL MODEL BOATS

We went for a walk in Sheffield Park, in Sussex, with the children, for Mother’s day. We were searching for faerie wings, and found quite a few. Also a beautiful faerie ring was discovered, where we all danced round it. Near the waterfall, there was an Ogre’s den, which was a bit scary. Ditsy, four years old, made friends with a beautiful Robin, who showed us where to go.

I was still keeping an eye out for new places to relax and sail boats.  

CLICK HERE FOR MAP

YE OLDE FAERIE DANCE

MAINTENANCE, GREEN STUFF

OXIDISED CONNECTORS






The trouble with my Fiesta is that the connectors have attracted the green lurgy. Does anyone know how to clean this up ?

Fiesta in dry dock on the work bench

AND WHAT ABOUT ME........MY MATE FROSTY (THE CAT)

FIESTA YACHT

MY 6 METRE SAILING AWARD

Sailing model rc boats and yachts

WOW.......I feel so chuffed to bits..........
It takes months of careful preparation, dedication, fasting and
a strict, monitored diet, to come 2nd in the Southwater Dabblers 6 metre races 2009, I can say.

Below are my photos of my 6M Chris Grover TROPHY AWARD, which I've just received, nestling happy, amongst my other, proudly displayed, Steering events awards.

SOUTHWATER DABBLERS MBC FOOTY RACE

SOUTHWATER DABBLERS MBC FOOTY RACE

Sailing model rc boats and yachts

I came last....... in the Fiesta races ( enuff said ) but did a lot better in the Footy races held later in the afternoon. Below are my pictures of some Footys, that I took, whilst racing, down at Southwater lake. It's quite difficult taking pictures and racing, at the same time, but I managed.









Above is my photo of JC'S itsy bitsy, teeny weeny, yellow polka-dot, footy hybrid




This is my 12 inch infamous wooden Broadside Skewer

MY HUMBLE WORKSHOP/GARAGE

THE CAPTAIN'S LOG....... 6TH MARCH 2010

BY THE MAD HATTER

Sailing model rc boats and yachts

Spent sharing the night with my canine best friend Hooboo, a naughty snorting hedgehog and a large family of leggy spiders in a minus 2 degree, cold and rather damp, garage, mending my trusty fiesta yacht, which had suffered with some, somewot awkward, minor damages, in the last race. Tomorrow is waiting for me......... to fulfill my destiny, to not come last, in the races. Also, it is the first of the Footy races this year, as the lake had been frozen over, bigtime. I hope my wee, little, small, wooden Broadside Skewer and her motley crew of Deathwatch Beetles, still floats. I better wear my beloved long-johns, waterproofs, double pair of lucky socks, gloves, scarf, two layers of jumpers, gum boots and rough weather woolly knitted hat, as it might be mighty bitter and cold tomorrow. This sounds over the top, but I've been caught out before and nearly died from severe frostbite and overexposure, like the others have done.