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| Pa | / ih ee ela Roget a “Y ere: i Gre ae ee be | pa a _ ~ | faePs, | ee . : JUNE 1977 35p U.S.A & CANADA $1.50 HOBBY MAGAZINE MODEL HEEL-KEEL by Hartleigh Kelly An interesting idea from Australia, to improve full size sailing, could have potential in model yachting HEEL | KEEL 1, AUTOMATIC. NE of the inventors, Hartleigh Kelly, who has participated in competitive sailing for almost the whole of his life, had often pondered the thought of ‘how to move that lump of lead from immediately under the hull to a more favourable windward position’. Swinging the keel from the lateral line of the hull was certainly the answer, but how to achieve it? The answer seemed to be in the use of the force the wind exerts on the sails which normally makes yachts heel. Why not isolate the hull from the heeling movement which otherwise includes mast, hull and keel? The inventors considered it necessary to prove the principle that the deflections of the keel would counterbalance the heeling moment of the wind in the sails and several models were built. It was recognised that testing the models would involve several hull shapes and to do the job hydraulically or by internal hull means would take up unnecessary time. The method decided upon to establish the principle was one where the main shrouds would extend beyond the deck level and down to the ballast which was to be hinged. To ensure smooth operation and to give support, a solid cross-tree was introduced at above deck level, high enough to allow a mast deflection of about 30°. Beyond this the hull would come into the picture and commence heeling but with the added advantage of having the ballast already canted to windward. It was also considered GOING ABOUT| RUNNING. SYSTEM LOCKED OR FREE | STBD TACK PORT TACK 2. MANIPULATED. STBD TACK | KEEL RELEASED | GOING ABOUT | PORT TACK THEN RELOCKED KEEL CANTED TO WIND — WARD:MAST UPRIGHT. 3. KNOCKDOWN. (BEYOND MAST HEELING LIMIT) necessary to have the shroud lengths adjustable in order to test the effect of having the ballast canted to windward beyond what would be normally achieved by the mast deflection. Tests on the models gave some interesting results such as: 1. Insufficient ballast allowed the sails to lay over and to give very little drive. 2. Attaching the shroud to varying heights of the ballast which varied the leverage ratio, gave either a stiffer or a softer sailing effect. Stiffness was also affected by the hull beam and bilge shape. 3. Canting the keel to windward reduced the lateral STRONG WIND resistance of the hull causing poor course holding and excessive leeway. It was found to be necessary to have stay an area of fixed keel or to have a hull shape with a skeg. 314 Drawings above detail operating principles of this system in various sailing attitudes. 4. The keel if canted to windward beyond the deflection brought about by normal mast control, gave an upright attitude with improved speeds as one expects of racing dinghies. 5. It was difficult to balance the models and their sails sufficiently to produce straight line sailing, particularly in a park-lands pond with wind obstructions such as mounds and trees. However, it was much easier to main- tain courses with the hull relatively upright, with the mast and keel free to heel, than when they were locked to the hull. Providing for locking the mast and keel was to obtain comparisons, and both speed and directional control were improved by using the new system and keeping the hull relatively upright. There was also less griping to windward, the effect being similar to easing the sheets in gusts. 6. Canting the keel does not remove all the righting moment of the ballast from the hull. Attaching the shroud to the bottom of the ballast still leaves about half the load on the bottom of the boat when the keel is lifted to near horizontal. 7. There is some tendency for the hull, where sufficiently free of the sail and keel deflection, to respond to the movement of the waves. This is where the hull is too independent. It was not possible to determine whether or not a rocking hull was faster than one which is rigidly fixed to the ballast and where wave formation may produce very little roll when sailing across or into the wind. 8. Although it may be proved to be necessary to lock the mast and keel when running before the wind, the model tests did not indicate any need for this. The hull sat upright and there was little movement in the mast and keel. It is not suggested that the ultimate design would be through control by ‘outside’ wires but this may be the answer for some lightly designed boats regularly hauled out of the water. It is expected that hydraulic control would be the most satisfactory solution but other forms of internal linkage with wires, chains or rods could be devised. Hydraulic operation The system, if hydraulic, would probably be basically very simple with a closed system. This would lend itself to sophistication giving much greater control, producing greater speed, safety and comfort as required. The advent of fibreglass construction provides stronger hulls more easily adapted to hingeing the keel and taking the strains involved. It would not appear to be very difficult to adapt many modern hulls with fin type keels to this new concept. Conclusions The tests conducted have indicated that the hingeing of the keel and mast produce a remarkably stable hull with little heeling until the limit of the mast movement is reached. At this point additional heel commences but because the sail is already leaning to leeward and the keel canted to windward, the heeling moment is reduced substantially and the resulting boat heel is only slight. This would make for a more comfortable boat — for full size use — and if the system is handled correctly and manipulated with skill the result could mean increased speeds. The limit of the mast movement is something which would be determined after allowing for the designer’s preferences and the prospective owner’s comfort and safety requirements. However, this could be made adjustable. A patent application has been taken out (Aust. P.C. 5451/76) and interested parties should contact H. Kelly, PO Box 155, Hindmarsh, S. Aust 5007. Suggested hydraulic system for a full sized yacht. Pictures show principle of heelkeel. SHROUD (WINDWARD) SHROUD (LEEWARD) MODEL BOATS KRISPIE 36in yacht by Vic Smeed The concluding article covers rigging completion, a simple vane steering gear and sailing hints Ri complete the rigging, the sheets and sheeting jackline are needed; the jackline runs between the two to a board as booms and tie threads in place for sheets; a minute or two playing with moving the thread attachmen t points will soon convince. Both sheets pass through eyes on the centre line (see plan) and are made off to the main sheeting bowsie in such a way that the booms are fully in when the main bowsie is at the after end of the jackline and the boom bowsies are keeping the sheets short. The maximum ‘out’ position is when the bowsie is moved forward to opposite the main sheet deck eye — any further movement forward will start to pull the main boom in again. If additional easing is needed, the individual bowsies on the booms will provide an extra inch or two of travel, but be careful screweyes fitted to port of the centre line, and should be fitted with a bowsie at the forward end so that it can be set up taut. Along it slides a large circular bowsie, which can be made from thick-walled plastic tube or a sturdy plastic screw cap drilled with three radial holes as in the sketch. This bowsie needs to be biggish and easy to grasp since quick adjustment could make the difference between winning or losing a race; even if not racing, it needs a firm grip to slide the bowsie along to pull the sails in in a fresh breeze. The sheets themselves are made off to the boom with flat bowsies (see plan, or drawing in last issue) but the bowsies should normally not need adjustment once the boat is trimmed. There may be occasions, however, when a quick single-sail adjustment is helpful or when the lack of individual sail movement is a nuisance, and if only one sail is bowsied it may mean two twiddles instead of one. It is therefore well worth providing the individual bowsies. Most adjustment is synchronous, i.e. both sails swing in and out together when the main bowsie is moved, and in order to keep the relationship constant (usually the booms to reposition the bowsies accurately when the trim is reset for close-hauled sailing. If a spinnaker is fitted, the boom for it needs a line from aft (from the backstay deck eye) and one forward (which many skippers make from rubber shock card or even aircraft rubber strip), one uphaul from the boom tip to the eye of the upper shroud hook, and a downhaul hooked to the eye on the foreside of the mast just above the step. All these lines need bowsies and hooks, since they may have to be changed to the opposite side of the boat, and the boom angle has to be adjustable up and down and fore and aft, depending on size and cut of spinnaker and wind strength. A further line, the spinnaker sheet, also bowsied, is needed on the Opposite side to the are parallel) it is essential that the sheet take-off point from each boom is the same distance from the relevant boom pivot point. This is simple geometry, but if anyone doesn’t see the set-up, try pinning a couple of card strips Above and below, assembly and parts of the simple vane steering gear described in text. Item I is about 4in. long. Drawings at right show sheeting arrangements for jib/ mainsheet and for spinnaker sheet. Make certain that sheet take-off point from each boom is the same distance from the relevant boom Pivot point. ie © His SSRN a | JIB SHEET > MAINSHEET SHORT-\ LINE & Ia we: ) . ] BOWSIE J tier 2.1/2 N SHEETING SX is JACKLINE RING BOWSIE 4 UPHAUL—_/ SPINNAKER BOOM | SPINNAKER SHEET = SHAKE-FREE FIT IN 2 326 JUNE BS) 4 “ i Circular bowsie, constructed from thick-walled plastic tube. Sails for Krispie can either be purchased or home-made. The book, “Model Racing Yacht Construction” by R. Griffin, available from Argus Books, carries much useful advice. boom running from the backstay eye, to secure the free corner (clew) of the spinnaker; the head is hooked into the eye of the top jibstay hook. Apart from the steering gear, the model is now completed. Radio is not frequently used in a 36R yacht, mainly because the radio weight forms such a high relative percentage of total weight in a class with draught and maximum weight limitations. Any radio weight is likely to come directly off the lead, reducing the sail-carrying ability drastically and without the possibility of lowering the lead to try to regain some of the lost power. The American 36-600 class is different in that sail area is limited but draught and beam are not, so that there is more scope for R/C. There is no reason why normal two-function radio should not be fitted in Krispie for fun sailing, or rudderonly control, which can be much, much lighter, could be installed. This is not so satisfying as having full sail and rudder operation, but can still be fun and allows good control ofthe yacht, even if it is not sailing to its maximum for most of the time. 1977 course and move the vane arm (1) to line the vane up with the wind. Any tendency of the boat to turn presents one or other side of the feather to the wind, applying corrective rudder to bring the boat back on course. It isn’t quite that simple, but one very quickly gets the hang of it. To change tack the vane arm is moved the same number of degrees to the opposite side of centre; if the sail trim was right for the course there is no need to make any other alteration. Actually, for initial trials, the vane is not used, but an equivalent weight should be taped on the stern and the tiller wedged to hold the rudder central. Check that the model floats on the waterline shown on the plan, that is with the water just at the bottom of the transom and cutting the little curve at the bottom of the stem. Some builders leave final securing of the lead until flotation tests can be made; one way is to cut a fore and aft slot in the fin and bolt the Jead halves in place, sliding forward or back to trim exactly, marking, then epoxying and bolting tightly followed by filling and finish painting. Alternatively the halves can be tightly rubber-banded to establish trim, then simply epoxied in place. Although lead is a greasy metal, epoxy has proved adequate if the lead has been roughened lightly on the glueing surface. So, with level floating and a locked rudder, set the booms at 10 degs. to the centre line, hold the yacht at 35—40 deg. to the wind, and let it sail away. If it curves away from the wind, move the mast back one hole in the step and try again. If it turns into wind, stops, pays off, starts to sail and turns back into wind, move the mast forward and try again. The ideal trim will be when the boat sails almost straight but with the slightest tendency to come up into the wind every ten yards or so, but falls Simple vane steering gear A normal racing vane includes a number of functions which are mostly essential in racing, but which make it rather a complicated looking device and limit the number of people who would tackle making one. Some years ago the writer showed a very simple non-self-tacking vane which is fine for pleasure sailing and which can be used at a pinch in fun racing if you don’t mind stopping the boat to change tack. This simple vane is illustrated, modified very slightly to suit this particular boat. Item 1 is a piece of plastic or even hardwood fin. or isin. square and about 4in. long. It is drilled and sawcut to fit over a piece of brass tube about -4— +; in. o.d. (2) and a bolt (3) put through so that it can be clamped on the tube just tightly enough to be turned by hand. A slot is sawn in its end for the vane feather (4) which is -; or tin. balsa, about 2}—24in. x 14—ISins. held in by two small bolts (5) which enable easy replacement if the feather is damaged. A small counterbalance (6) fits at the other end and can be several washers or a twist of solder roughly balancing the vane. A thin wire pointer (7) is fitted. Two small 180 deg. protractors or a Formica disc engraved (scored and paint rubbed in the scores) or similar (8) should be epoxied to the thin brass arm (9) after this has been sweated or preferably silver soldered to the tube (2). The arm has a slot in which slides (and is tightened) nut and bolt (12), the bolt engaging in the slotted brass tiller (11). The whole thing pivots on a piece of rod (10) mounted on the transom or an outrigger (see plan). This rod, or pintle, needs to be tapered to a sharp point and a plug fixed in tube (2) to make a bearing, so that the entire gear swings easily. In use the basic idea is to hold the boat on its desired To prove to doubters, the suitability of card for boat construction, this 36in. long radio-controlled square rigged ship was built by B. Mitchell from cardboard and planked with brown paper. P.V.A. glue and oil paint provide the waterproofing. 327 off without slowing to a marked extent. When this stage is reached, release the rudder and engage the vane gear and start to learn how to sail it. Important points are to sail the initial trials in a steady breeze and to keep the luffs of each sail taut. The sails will stretch very slightly in the first hour or two, so keep adjusting. Flow (curve) in the sails should be full for light wind, flattening as the wind increases, so hook the clews in the appropriate holes in the booms. Keep the kicking strap reasonably tight (the stronger the wind the tighter) matching the curve of the mainsail leach to that of the jib. Above all, study the model and think, and read everything you can find to increase your understanding of what is, or should be, happening. MODEL BOATS The ships boats (twelve off) are solid wood with two gimp pins in each, simply soldered to the curved ends of the davits, which were used just as obtain ed from a mili- glued to the main deck edge and general ly fixed to the cross joists, bridge and structure from the bow to stern. At the bow, a large V block had been introdu ced between the two decks, which provided a good area for the side plating to be fixed at this vulnerable spot. tary telephone exchange, surplu s gear. They were some sort of telephone plug and needed no alteration, being pushed into holes in the boat deck. Shelter deck stanchions The masts are copper tubes yin. diamete r with a are 16 swg steel wire, pushed into drilled holes through “crow’s nest’ (unscheduled) on the foremas t, for the benefit both shelter decks and sealed on the boat deck. The main deck had no sheer, and so this was provided by the shape of the side plating at the bow and stern and by false frames above the main deck forwar d, each higher than its predecessor, and which had an extra deck fitted, of my son. They are simply plugged into electrical sockets below deck and are removed for transpo rt. There is no rigging. A rear deck house at upper shelter deck level is fitted, along with the on /off switch, to a detacha ble deck portion, rubber-sealed. The switch is connected by long leads to a three pin plug to the motor, and can easily be disconnected. A ribbed plastic miniature radio knob works the switch, canted upwards to the bow. So there are two decks forward, one above the other, only one being seen. The false frames above the forward main deck had their ends canted 10° or 15° outwards to the top. When plated this gave an impression of flare, which the lower hull did not have. The side plating was done in 3rin. aircraft ply wood in One piece each side from bow to ster n, with all apertures and I imagine it looks like a radome. The motor is probably superior to most available in the shops today. Heavy bail bearings, no plastics and unmeltable. All decks were black pencil lined to simulate planking, and varnished. It is as clear today as thirty years ago and has been recently reinforced with a coat of modern polyure thane clear varnish. The two accumulators posed a problem to fix in a pre-cut according to the photog raph: a tedious and tricky Job, for this had to be right or the effective ‘picture’ of the ship would be lost. The bridge was the datum point for the fitting of these side panels, which were gimp pinned and glued overall central position, and to be easily remove d and refitted. The original ones exactly fitted the space provided and onto the bridge and structure general ly. needed no fixings at all, but the latest ones needed special provision. Mulling around, I found a chromium plated steel pressing, rectangular, with a isin. raised groove pressed all around it. Its original use was to finish off and hold in, a facia board on a car radio. It exactly fitted the width of the accumulators but was 2in. too short to take them both. Hence I simply cut it in half, pushed the halves SAREE EO88 ene 8284 Bie SE Te i apart till they took the length of the two accumulators, and then sank a lon g metal crotchet needle into the groove on each side and filled the groove with Araldite. The result was a grooved frame which held the accumulators Emp EEE in a central position, once the frame itself had been so positioned by small steel clips screwed into the boat frames. Four other acquired aeronautical clips held the batteries /ightly into the grooved frames, as it is not advisable to put too much plessure On an accumulator body. Colour is all white with a fin. green line in sheer to- Si, rans wes ieee es eae we wards hull top, and a in. red line at waterline, with all green below. Made for my son at 63 years, this Christm as it went to The only problem was that now that flare had been introduced forward, the straight line of the bottom edge of the plating, as seen on a side elevation, had to be my grandson at the same age, and his Dad is thrilled| When originall y tested for trim in a pool or tank as they are called locally, near my abode at Juhu, Bombay, where curved downwards to the bows, because fitting it to the the boat was bu ilt, I waded into the water holding the boat and suddenly stepped into ten feet of water, and both boat and myself disappeared underneath. I surfaced to find the boat floating in perfect trim, but that was the end of the test, for a tank around Bombay is flare had twisted it upwards leaving a gap. Hence, having no more precious +-in. ply, it had to be right first time, and I reasoned that the curve would be a circular arc. To draw the arc I had the plates clamp ed to the floor, my pencil on a piece of long string, and the other end of the string anchored to the floor about twelve feet away. Experimentally, I found the correct radius, and when fitted the side plates went on like a dream. They were joined at the bow ‘top’ deck with a V block and fillets Readers write… YACHT MEASURING Dear Sir, Your correspondents, Mr M. D. J. Foreman, Measurer of Woodspring MSC and Mr A. E. Brown, ex-Measurer of Gosport MY & PBC, have raised some importan t questions about inconsistencies in measurin g Model Yachts and their statements are perfectly correct. It is a fact that the accuracy of measuring equipment varies from Club to Club measurers do not always take sufficient not a salubrious spot as a rule, and a bath and clean clothing was called for. It subsequently performed faultlessly in a child’s pool at York, and with two months refurbi shing recently, is with mods, better than when new trouble to ensure that the yachts they are measuring comply with the rating rules in all respects, spar marks are often missing and errors are subsequently found in calculations. Although rating certificates are checked by Class Registrars, checks on the lines Mr Brown has suggested are never made at MYA events. These matters have been the subject of contention for as long as Icanremem ber, even before the war and, although efforts have been made from time to time to try to tighten up the procedure, the present situation is still indeed far from satisfactory. The OOD at any event has the power to call for a check measurement of any yacht, but time is not usually on his side and it is not 330 always practical to call for a check of the prize winners when everyone is intent on packing up and starting the long journey home. Nevertheless, ifan OOD were brave enough to carry out a random check, no doubt it would result in a severe jolt to some people. Mr Brown’s method of measuri ng a very low overhang is correct; the mean of not less than three measurements should be taken. Itis easier if a length of cotton and small lead weight is attached to the counter and led over a pulley mounted on the measuring tank. This allows the yacht to be drawn very delicately on to the knife edge and this can be checked by placing a finger lightly on deck to ensure that the waterline ending has been reached. The JUNE 1977 ROUND THE REGATTAS A review of early season events Dave Alderton’s scaled up Fairey Huntsman, 62 in. overall, from M.M. plans. Pictured on Torquay harbour wall, before last season’s off-shore race. Photo: D. Hancock. RMs at Stamford Park, 13th March The Ashton and District Yacht Club held their first open for RC Marbleheads at Stamford Park Lake, Ashton-uLyne, on 13th March, 1977. The Ashton Club was formed over a year ago and in that year some of the members have enjoyed winning a number of open events up and down the country. That is why we decided to host our own meeting. With going to lead did not change at all with Squire Kay crossing the finishing line first. The second race-off was changed to two laps on the shorter course due to the lack of wind. This race was between Peter Bryon and Bob Askew, which Peter Bryon all the other club events it gave us a good idea on how we wanted to run ours. won. The officer of the day, Barry Jackson, said a few words and then asked the club secretary, Barry Axon, to present the prizes. Not having a water of our own, with a club house, meant us asking Tameside Recreation Services for the use of the lake, which they kindly allowed. Various mem- The winner of the day, Squire Kay, thanked the Ashton club for a really well organised meeting. Derek Priestley, who was second, also thanked the host club for the good day’s sailing which had been enjoyed by everyone. He also said it was nice to see the host club members not bers supplied all our needs, i.e. tent, PA system, score board, buoys, flags and rope. In the early hours of the morning the sun was bright and the winds were light, but by early afternoon the skies sailing but keeping everything moving although he added, were overcast and the wind kept changing from light to moderate with occasional gusts. this could not be done if the club ran six or more meetings a year, as members would soon get fed up if not sailing. All was set up by 9.30 am and the skippers’ meeting went as planned at 9.45 am. The first race started at Skipper 10.00 am in very light winds and it was decided to shorten the course. This was easily done because we had put extra Yacht S. Kay Race \T-C. D.R. Priestley off { Honey 2 J. Binner Official Receiver – buoys out and we only had to inform the skippers which coloured buoys to go round. The large course was yellow E. Nuttall P.D. Bryon and blue and the shorter was red and white. Dinner was called at 1.00 pm by the OOD, Barry Jackson, and we were just at the half way stage, race 15. There were 22 competitors and each had a plastic badge, displaying their heat, frequency and colour of boat flag; without showing this badge they could not draw their R. Askew G. May Tx from the pound. They were only allowed to collect their TX just after the race before had started and had to have them back by the start of the following race. If they were not returned within this time the skipper would lose six penalty points. Racing recommenced on time, even if the OOD still had a couple of bangers and chips in his hand, at 1.30 pm. All through the day large crowds had watched the racing. This was due to a television plug on “Granada Reports’, for which some of the members and their yachts sailing on the lake had been filmed on the previous Wednesday. By 4.00 the racing had finished, the points were added up and it was found that we had two ties. One for first E. Ecky Thump Race \ Zara off sf Quick Brew 2 Green Devil S. Low S. Ward P. Norman D. Sharp E. Metcalf B. Cheeseman R. Mackerel R. Walsh E. Chesters P. Metcalf J. Lee S. Caswell Tresta Joanne Asterix Go-Go 2 Pugwash Gayaneh Anne Oop’s Mrs Mudguard Costa Bomb Chubb Jaws R. Morrison Happy Daze R. Johnson Mustard Club Bolton Fleetwood Bolton Cleveland Fleetwood Bolton Position Score 84 Fleetwood Bolton Birkenhead Tameside Bolton Bolton Fleetwood Fleetwood Tameside Bolton Tameside Bolton 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 48 48 42 38 36 34 30 26 26 24 20 18 21 12 Tameside Tameside Tameside 2 3 4 5 6 7 20 84 76 64 62 62 60 16 Open RM Meeting at Woodley, 20th March By the end of the afternoon, they were calling it ‘The Thunderclap Meeting’, a title coined by a soggy Chris Bowler. But for eight hours before that, nearly everyone had enjoyed a wide range of weather and wind con- ditions. The first two races were sailed in very light airs and brilliant sunshine; and worse, the wind was in the (rare for Woodley) north-east quarter, blowing offshore from the trees. OOD Jim Wild had the marks moved twice, in attempts to make the windward leg more interesting; place and one for fifth place. The first tie to sail off was Squire Kay and Derek Priestley. Each had to do three laps on the larger course; by the end of the second lap the lead had changed several times, but by the last lap the wind was very light and the 333 MODEL BOATS later the races were cut to one lap, to save time. Of course, it wasn’t long after that decision the wind began to heel the taller rigs, and some boats became uncontrollable in the gusty conditions. Several new designs were on parade, and some performed reasonably well. It was noticeable, though, that Vic Cooney, an experienced dinghy skipper who has only recently joined in the Woodley MYC activities, won the day with a Moonraker, Lu/u, complete with all Nylet sails and fittings — down to the fishing-swivel jib-rack mounting. He did so by consistently good starts, and keeping accurate course and sail settings on all legs, however hard the wind gusted. Second to Vic in the sail-off was the nonchalant John Cleave with his beamy Klug, Knut. His skippering was equally faultless, but Vic just inched ahead in a very calm patch, and gained the final mark a few yards ahead. Probably the lightest boat there was a new design by Norman Curtis, Commodore of the Woodley Club. Called Frolic, this is a hard chine hull, with the beam well back, displacing 12}lbs with a 6lb lead. It’s so new that Results Pos. I* 2* 3 4 5 Name Club V. Cooney J. Cleave J. Richards M. Stocks G. Taylor Woodley New Forest 60 58 56 6°52 7 48 48 9 46 10 44 44 12 42 42 14 40 40 16— 932 32 18 30 30 20 21 28 26 22 24 Norman has only one suit of sails so far, so he couldn’t switch to a high rig later, as he might have wished. It performed well at first, winning its first three races easily in steadier winds; but the next three races cost him several places in the final listing. However, the boat planed well on all courses, and (having sailed it), I know it is very fast indeed in a good blow! Another new design was the latest from Tony Abel, called a ‘Challenger’. A prototype, Windracer, was sailed by John Soper, and showed some promise. Unfortunately John tended to ignore the windward boat rule, and in- Pts. 62 62 26… 29 28 20 30 18 Retired Retired Boat Design Lulu Moonraker Knut Klug Ghibli Danson Alice Kaput Squiblet Woodley Frantic Moonraker Woodley Mellow Yellow Mellow Yellow J. Overton Danson Obsession 247 R. Potts Danson Legal Eagle 247 N. Curtis Woodley Frolic Own design R. Taylor Danson Wood Mad Hatter M. Oxlade Woodley Rising Damp Ashanti J. Thomas South Wales Y Ddraig Goch 247 G. Thorne Woodley Mokelor Moonraker G. Cohen Woodley Flying Sorcerer Bloodaxe N. Oxlade Woodley Ultrasonick Seahorse A. MacCullock Danson Hemulin Poppycock D. Robinson New Forest Pabri III Own design A. Oxlade Woodley Midnight Oil Bewitched J. Loveday South Bloomers Moonraker Cerney J. Fincham Danson Shillu Squiblet A. Abel New Forest Moonracer Moonracer C. Bowler South Jachka Too Moonraker Cerney G. Chick South Chickweed Moonracer Cerney D. Brown Andover Witchway III Bewitched A. Hopkins South Great Bear Bewitched Cerney J. Soper Woodley Windracer Challenger R. Brigden Danson Scampi Seahorse D. Stevenson Danson Snow Queen Ashanti T. Brown Andover Sally Anne Genie D. Voss Andover Benita Moonraker T. Fuller R. Gorrey * After sail-off. New Forest New Forest curred several penalty points thereby. Radio problems were thankfully rare; Tim Fuller unfortunately couldn’t fix his before racing commenced, and retired. One boat sailed off into the wild blue yonder, to be later rescued among the reeds. Mark Oxlade, a junior sailing an Ashanti, had noisy but temporary problems with a Monoperm/pile gearbox winch. He sailed to a creditable 10th place, beating father Alan and uncle Nick convincingly. The rigging on some boats left something to be desired. One mast leaned forward, curving back at the top; another had a noticeable backward rake. Some boats seemed to forfeit jib-power almost completely, by leaving kicking straps loose A few wives attended, presumably to lend moral support; others made their influence felt in the christening of the boats. Geoffrey Chick told me his boat was christened Chickweed ‘against his will’; John Overton said it was his wife who called his 247 Obsession: and J. Loveday reckoned he would have called his Moonraker Knickers, until his wife bowdlerised it to Bloomers. About | pm the rain began. It was accompanied by thunder and lightning, and made everyone very wet. Racing continued under webbed-feet conditions, and those with transmitter covers were duly smug. Others settled for a weird variety of Tesco carrier bags, bits of ae or just huddling under the bushes during the worst squalls. When the lightning flashed, there were nervous remarks about molten transmitter aerials, but no unfortunate Acts of God occurred. Prizes went to the first eight skippers, and were pre- sented by Mrs Wild (wife of OOD Jim), in something of a rush, to avoid any further deluges. Thanks are due to those competitors who doubled as judges; to Woodley junior Kevin Sheldrake for eight hours non-stop as scorer; Jim Wild for a well-organised and well-run meeting; and to all skippers for a most enjoyable day’s sailing. Northern District M Class Team Championships at Newcastle, 20th March For the first time ever, the Newcastle MYC staged the Northern District M class Team Championship on Sunday, 20th March. Six teams of two boats represent ed four clubs and with a fresh north-easterly wind giving a beat, reach and run-out, and a run, reach and beat back, racing commenced at 10.45 am, with the Commodo re of a well-known north-western yacht club arriving at 10.46 am. Four heats were completed by lunchtime, and the Leeds and Bradford ‘A’ Team held a small advantage over Fleetwood. In the afternoon the wind freshened even further, but did not improve in direction. This, coupled with the driving rain, did not improve the morale of the competitors, especially as one could not count on winning the points even after holding a thirty yard lead only a few feet from the line. The Fleetwood and Leeds and Bradford teams fought it out all afternoon, the lead, (and the rum), changing hands frequently, with the Lancashire club ending up with a narrow win over their old rivals. Congratulations were passed to the officials who did a magnificent job under trying circumstances and to the Newcastle ladies who so magnificently replenished the ‘inner beast’ after the race. The only regret after such a good and sporting competition was the absence of one or two hitherto prominent clubs from the North West. Results Ist 2nd 3rd 4th Sth 6th 334 Sf Shogun N. James \ Willy Wombat _ B. Tibbetts Jf Kimo Sabe P. Maskell Monopoly T. Armour Condor S. Armour Soft Machine K. Armour JP. Nuts D. Greener Golden Oriole A. Kingsley Anything Goes A. Tait Mad Friday B. Anderson Titan F. Hardy Tiki A. Thompson 35pts 65 — Fleetwood 30pts 34pts 60+ R — Leeds 26pts+R_f & Bradford ‘A’ 28pts 54 — Leeds & 26pts Bradford ‘B’ 26pts +R | 42+2R — Newl6pts+R f castle ‘B’ 26pts +R 1 40+R — New12pts castle ‘A’ 34pts 39 — South 5pts JS Shields ADD TO YOUR FLEET H.M.S. SHEFFIELD Type 42 Guided Missile Destroyer If you are dissatisfied with the coverage of ships in modelling magazines, you should subscribe to MODEL SHIPWRIGHT, the only journal in the world given over exclusively to scale ship modelling. With over a dozen features in each 100 page quarterly issue, we can cover an unusually wide range of periods, types of vessel, and techniques of modelling. All articles are illustrated in depth, an average issue containing 65 photos and 60 plans and diagrams. The latest issue, No 20, includes articles on a 17th century Dutch yacht, the first naval AA gun (with plans), a coasting ketch, waterline merchantmen, 18th century guns, boom defence vessels and the incredible ‘cigar’ ship. Plus a section on new books, plans, tools, etc. Sample copies of No 20 are available from Dept MB, Conway Maritime Press Ltd, 2 Nelson Road, London SE10 at £1.75 ($4.50 in USA) per copy. Or take out a full annual subscription for £7.00 ($18). All prices include post and packing. ‘ TRAPPER The TRAPPER RM is a direct descendant of the SQUIBLET which won the 1976 RM Championship. It represents a highly successful attempt to produce a Marblehead Class Radio Control Yacht of outstanding performance and of the highest standard of construction and finish. The kit includes a one-piece hull and deck moulding complete with keel trunk, rudder tube and all internal stiffening etc., weighing under 3lbs. 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CONSTRUCTED WITH 4 GEARS, ALUMINUM TUBING. 6 NYLON BEARINGS, p_|_} BOATS’ RET EE OFF YX AS AN INTRODUCTION, WHEN. 12 “OK” CLIPS ARE ENCLOSED. REPLYING TO YOU WILL FIND THEM EXTREMELY HELPFUL IN RIGGING. ADVERTISEMENTS
