Windling World: August 1997

—— The cover may prompt one or two readers to wonder ‘what’ if any connection exists At the helm. between marine dioramas and model or real yachts ? I answer by saying that the work of Jim Pridham featured, is closely inter-related with the sea and the vessels that sail upon it, and can be motivational A Feline passing, the Worlds, safe harbours, and weedeating Manatee’s. In acknowledging that this is neither a cat nor a catboat publication (give us time, the catboats are coming though !), the passing two days ago as I write – of a feline friend and companion of fifteen years, prompts an entry in the publisher’s logbook for 3rd June *97. 7.04 PM- Kidney failing, T.-C closed eyes permanently. All crew ‘at sea’ and saddened over end of voyage for a ‘top cat’ with human qualities indeed. Skipper and crew’s gratitude thus recorded Entry in voyage log ends. to model yacht builders as well as to those who windle both in reality and in the mind. Safe harbours are also usually in the minds of those whose launchings of model yachts are confined to ponds or lakes. Weed I’m afraid, will always continue to plague the model yachtsperson. Whereas City Councils who administer ponds and lakes are usually willing to take steps to address the problem on our behalf, they make it clear that they are unable to throw endless funds in order to do so. As much as we love these nice and placid areas with still water and within parklike settings, we may have to sail in sea water instead. WhenI produced the very first issue of Windling World in July ‘95, I emphasised that although this magazine was not about The only tongue in cheek suggestion I have to offer, is the importation of a couple racing, I would from time to time carry of sea cows or ‘Manatee’s’ (Trichechus stories relative to that scene. That I have done – on Townson ‘Electron’ racing, and botanical gardens pond in my hometown on the developments of the EC12’s and their competitive use. With the International One Metre Worlds having been held this year in Wellington, NZ, I enlisted the support of reader Noel Heerdigan (who covered the event for UK Magazine MARINE MODELLING) and his ‘overview’ and photos are included in this issue. manatus) as were effectively used in the of Georgetown, British Guiana. Large, ungainly seal-like mammals, they inoffensively consumed —_ grass and weeds, keeping the ponds clear and clean. A then young In this issue is included a feature by Mark is seen Scotsman Sandy Cousins on his RC Fife feeding one. schooner ALTAIR, and a story on Roy Who will remove it from Lake’s Flamingo, faithfully modelled on a well known Auckland-built and based steel ketch The Dove. the wing-mark though ? TM . Mark Steele Publisher/Editor Lloyd Macky’s Alden John B’ In April, Barry Gibson of Australia’s Alden “Malabar’ sloop was featured, now here is another Alden, this one by Aucklander Lloyd Macky who lives in the suburb of Glendowie. Lioyd says that whereas he seems to have achieved synchronous sheeting for jib and main, with the model balancing nicely on Brought up on centreboards, Lloyd became the wind, off the wind in a breeze, when infatuated with the Alden design of 1926 – the big gaff main goes out, the sloop tends a 30’4″ keel/centreboard sloop, the plans to go off balance and can become a bit of a appearing in WOODEN BOATS. Several brute to hold. He admits to a need for a different versions of the ‘Malabar Jnr’ larger sailing rudder with a bit more depth emerged from the offices of John G Alden. for at 12″ she is a beamy boat. Built to 1/24 scale, Lloyd’s John B’ is 38″ The boat has that ‘traditional’ look of the in length with a fibreglass hull , displaces 1926 era when she was designed by Alden, eleven and a half pounds, and carries and of this design has been said, ‘The Futaba 2 channel radio to work steering, more one studies this little craft, the more and a Futaba drum rail winch mounted just one realises that it embodies the whole inside the cabin/cockpit bulkhead, which spirit of yachting as it was once meant to works an endless line around the deck, to which the sheets are attached. be and (in the opinion of some) as it ds, : perhaps should be again’. re . 4 * Reader, George Steele of Washington D.C. has this 90″ LOA 3 master under construction. He also has a 40′ modified Phil Bolger 3 masted ee schooner called RONDA. 7 Club’s Centenary to ) Starboard ! FLJI Schooner plans. It is easy for some to go all glassy-eyed and become sentimental over anniversaries, but let us remember, that Guided by a belief that many enjoy ‘fun’ 1998 will be the 100th year of existence sailing without racing RC boats seriously, of the Christchurch Model Yacht Club – a the late John Spencer designed the Fiji club with much history that sits in ‘Magic’ Schooner, choosing an beautiful Hagley Park. unconventional rig – a simple version of the ‘wing’ rigs used on high performance I hope that other clubs in New Zealand, multi-hulls. come January will have their Commodore’s or Secretaries put pen to These attractive model schooners are now paper, or tickle the keys of either sailed all over the world, in the UK, USA, typewriter or computer, and Japan, Australia, Thailand, Hong Kong, communicate, even if it is just to say Finland, Denmark, Portugal and of course CONGRATULATIONS. in New Zealand. With the plans available from TRAPLET PUBLICATIONS, Severn Drive, Upton on Severn, Worcs, WR8 OJL, U.K. (at twelve Spencer Firebug sailing dinghy on a steady growth curve. pounds, fifty new pence incl postage), it longer make available for the NZ market, It is now almost two years since the MK 2 (Spencer designed) 2.4m Firebug sailing the alternative ‘Spencer drawn’ plans for dinghy went on display at the Auckland the boat, (which are available from him at cost) once the remaining small stock has been exhausted. Boat Show. It has continued to gain in popularity, proving that D.1.Y boating is alive and well. Promoted by Peter Tait at For those in the South Pacific, WOODEN Firebug HQ, P.O.Box 47042, Ponsonby, Auckland 2, Tel O09 360 1076, some nine WARSHIP, 40 Willis St, Lansvale 2166 clubs now have Firebug’s on the water, and has been decided by Mark Steele to no in Australia, is another source of Traplet one in Christchurch, NZ, will have a ship model plans. fifteen boat fleet sailing next season. Safe Harbours and the dioramas of James Pridham ! by Mark Steele I have never met James Pridham, but having seen a photograph of one of his works in Woaden Boat magazine, an approach on my part has led to correspondence between us – and ultimately to the inclusion in this issue of avery different, but ‘sea related’ story. California domiciled James Pridham is an artist inspired by the architecture and maritime history of the greater San Fransisco Bay area, and expresses that inspiration through a very old and universally popular art form, that of miniature dioramas. His scratch-built, uniquely realistic sculptures are the result of twenty years of effort, and over ten thousand hours of labour. fictional environments, and each of his works are derived entirely from his own engineering, research, imagination and artistic skills. A strong believer that realism can only be achieved in threedimension, a ten year ‘Master Apprentice’ relationship with a prestigious architect culminated in his first major work entitled ‘J left my heart’ which was held at Neiman Marcus store in San Fransisco. This was followed by the completion and then installation of another piece t= Fransisco Ship Gallery, which became it’s most popular exhibit. His most intricate creation – “4 safe harbour” featured on the cover involved 3,936.5 hours of work (excluding research, planning or supplies procurement). Assembly began in September 1984, and was completed on the 6th June 1990. It is a piece built in N scale…three quarters of an inch = 10 feet, or 1/16Oth – with an overall model James refers to his works as sculpted ‘Another time’ – at the San Jim Pridham at work, ; ee dimension of 43 and a quarter inches long, twelve and five eighths inches wide, and fifteen inches high. Continued on next page Continued from page 7 Build then board then sail aboard! still smiled in defeat. The work he does behind the scenes on World Radio committees is tremendous. I am sure the next time the GBR team turn up to a World contest, they will be well prepared. The NZ team can feel pretty satisfied really – with a second, third and fourth. The fancied Allan Hayes ‘put the pedal Stuart Reid, one of my readers now in Katikati (you may remember his SWIFTSURE plan for a 5,3m kid-aboard Endeavour replica in the December W.W) is producing a book – SAILING MODELS OF CHARACTER, FROM AROUND THE WORLD, with plans for a variety of boats that can be built as either quarter to half size ‘sail aboard’ models, or straight off the A2 (420 X 600mm) Lines Plans as easy-to-build hardchine ‘freesail’ or RC. 1M World Champion, An Oyster-dredging Skipjack, Tancock Craig Smith of Australia. Whaler and Friendship sloop – and Vigilance, the Bristol Channel Pilot Cutter down’ late in the contest with consistent (shown above) are among the many placings, but made his run too late and ran out of races before finishing 4th behind choices of boat. Construction has been fellow Kiwis, second and third finishing simplified for easy building by the amateur, and many of the boats may be Smale and Bamforth. The latter had built to be sailed by a human crew ‘on always looked a top placegetter over the board! or as a character day boat. last 3 days, with steady places in the A division. With the America’s Cup in 2000, I can The whole contest could not have been run see the ‘human crewsized’- version better by Race Officer Craig Jones, who concept taking off, and a regatta with a has a special ability to run big events with fleet of different such boats attracting a lot efficiency and humour, and a pleasing of attention. Interested ? Contact Stuart result for all participants. One overseas Reid, Reid Design, 1OA Riverlea Drive, contestant who goes to all these champs, Katikati, Bay of Plenty – or Tel O7 549 said it was the best he had ever attended. , {« 1405…..or wait for, 27> then buy the book when released 8 by, : 7. 2 —<—_— em > Lots offun and good racing at the Third Annual Kawau Vercoe, Michael Young and Trude Mattingly, kept the course and spirits on the high ground. Electron Regatta. For overseas Windling World readers, Essay by Cris Field-Todd Kawau (pronounced KA-WOW) is an island in the Hauraki Gulf, situated Photos by Trude Mattingly It was not without some approximately 28 nautical miles, North, North-East of Auckland. Continued on next page trepidation that some of the residents of Kawau Island’s North Cove, began planning for the third annual Kawau Electron Regatta held 7th & 8th March. The competitive spirit that these wonderful RC boats engender, can sometimes fray the edges of gentle yacht racing etiquette, but our skilful race committee headed by Brian Vercoe – and ably assisted by Doug Schmuck, Chic Lindsay Graves with the CRC Products boat — the winner of the North Cove Cup, 1997. Continued from previous page Clyde in 1931. The unique specification by Sailing my Puffers (Scottish steam coasters) I am out among the Western Isles, my paddle steamer Waverley takes me down the Clyde, my Britannia Royal yacht has me ‘smoking along’ in the channel with taut canvas. Each model has memories of what was happening in my her owner (a Captain McCaw) was for ‘a sound cruiser, safe to go to the South Sea Islands with no anxiety – Marvellous ! life when I built her. had a full restoration refit in 1987 by her I have her history, but suffice to say she was lovingly cared for by her owners, then Mark thought you might be interested in a word about my schooner Altair which was featured in Marine Modelling (UK) magazine in their September 1996 issue. The issues of Windling World that I have seen, show some beautiful models, and tell of sheer enthusiastic enjoyment of sailing – without the perhaps rather adverse elements of competition, but back to Altair, the name of a star, South from Scotland in the Summer triangle. This beautiful auxiliary, gaff-rigged cruising schooner with a jackyard topsail, has 142 tons displacement. Her length overall is 108 feet, and she is one of the most revered yachts in the world. The boat was designed and built by the famous William Fife of Fairlie on the then Swiss owner, Albert Obrist, but she is now Spanish-owned. I was invited to sail with her on her 6Oth birthday visit to the Clyde, and what a delight it was to stand under her soaring mainsail, with the topsail reaching for the sky as the foam hissed along her gleaming hull. She is huge and immaculate, and a bonus was being able to chat with old Archie – the last survivor of the Fife yard family. Cardboard bulkheads during construction. 12 It was a challenge to do justice to her with my model. I found the original yard drawings, and from these I drew and cut out cardboard bulkheads, with datum extentions spot glued to a building board. Card stiffeners and wood blocks linked the bulkheads, and a pine keel strip and stern frame gave a strong, light hull. An extended sailing keel is bolted to the hull. All the deck details are made from ply, scraps and a few modified boughi-fittings Access is via the various skylights, as accurate detailed rigging prevented deck removal. Ramin dowel masts and spars were shaped, and all the smithwork (from Sandy’s Altair is 54″ LOA, 8″ beam, 29″ waterline, 43″ from waterline to jackyard top, 17″ sailing draught. A set ofplans on four sheets with all components shown full size, is available from Marine Modelling Plans Service in Britain, the reference is MAR 2521. the original drawing) is made of brass. The terylene sails I sewed by machine, The working rigging enabling the sails to be raised and lowered is from model aircraft control wire, and nylon whipping lever mind me, n’t she beautiful ? Pouring in polyurethane varnish stiffens and seals the card and planking. The RC was then installed – motor, steering, DIY double sail winch, and lights wiring. My winch is simply a double drum fitted to a standard servo, with the rotation stop removed. Nylon fishing gut is led in thin aluminium tube under the deck to the desired points. The decking is 2 X 2mm pine planking over Imm ply. Altair has a similar composite deck. line. The huge spinnaker and bloomer (a great sail rigged to the foremast, main and boom) can be fitted. When she is put in the water, she just wants to sail, tacks close to the wind, and watching her I am onboard in the Mediterranean on a clear green sea, under a wide blue sky. , As, 2 em Mark Steele forrages, comes up with A thumbnail profile on Des Townson. Starlings and Zephyrs – and then the various keelers bearing his name, though bringing him some criticism, I would suggest has been a primary ingredient in his success with the Electrons. His success started as a youngster when he sailed Vanity to win the Tanner Cup – the holy grail of P Class yachting in 1950. On leaving school he drifted into designing and building centreboards three Pennant Class 3.6 metre boats called Eagle, Mercury and Nimble, following in 1955 with the 3.4m Zephyr, of which a staggering 219 were built. Mistrals (89 built), Starlings (1,200), and Darts -all stepping stones into the keeler world. The most amazing aspect in the Townson ‘Electron’ story, I think, is the fact that every single boat has been built and handed over to each owner by the same person – the boat’s designer is the boat’s creator, His first, a twenty-six footer built for himself was called Serene, then later in ‘68, Moonlight – a 32′ cruiser/racer and the forerunner of the successful Townson 32 class. Moonlight was later sold to the late Everest mountaineer Peter Mulgrew (who died in the Erebus air crash). Mulgrew campaigned the boat in the ‘71 One Ton trials (despite it not having been designed and that man is Des Townson. Some may say, ‘So what ?’ to which I would ask: ‘How many people can you think of, who would have both the patience as a one-tonner) bringing Townson great publicity. and the rigid dedication, to produce (to date) over 5OO, of exactly the same little RC boats, all to the same high standard of both appearance and performance. Keep The 26-footer Serene thinking, but I somehow think the answer will be – none. Des Townson is a talented and unique New Zealander, a great champion of ‘one design’, and his insistence of that golden rule in the days when he was designing and building centreboards like the 14 I first got to know Des in 1994, learning from him, how in 1987 after the financial crash, when money became tight and big boat demand dried up, he found he had to take stock of his own survival. Fifty-three Marbiehead beginnings, Redd’s pond and the past. at the time, and with a family to look after, he chose to retain an interest in yachts and God or Surgeon -on work from home, ‘sized down’ and started producing the 895mm long Electron. As it creating ‘crew’, is said, the rest is history. The Editor’s ‘Marigold’ old – but yet new. People have fun, and relax at the same time with Electron’s – in this issue you will The interests of Charley – read of the annual regatta for the class at our reader at Cornell. Kawau island, and every year there is the Fiji regatta for these boats. Small, easy to Dean’s ‘Blue Leopard’ – transport, built the way they are, they are so well finished, they look like yachts and an elegant motor yacht. sail so superbly. I should get one eh – the way I go on about them, but sail one ‘Landfall’ and that ‘rip’ crossing. yourself and you’ll see it’s all true. Greatly influenced by The US Catboats – an William Fife of enthusiastic following. Scotland, later by Olin Stephens, Townson has a dry sense of humour, and a great Xanadu and Whispers, two depth of knowledge. He still retains his own beautiful 34 foot Talent, as well as the very first Electron named Electron. captured him built, John Spencer superboats. appropriately The sailing trawlers of In the lead photograph, I aboard one, holding Brixham. the other. Aussie ‘Madge’ – and other ‘Madge’s known. Today there are vast numbers of people who own and enjoy centreboards, keelers and the products little of RC Des Electron’s, Townson’s all Illusion she’s not ! – miniature the ‘sail aboard’ 12m. creative imagination. I would go further and say, I believe that he is assured of a place Awatea – the unbelievable story of a surviving Cutter. inthe annals of yachting history in this country called New Zealand. That Southwold regatta. sailing for the joy of it. A ‘Bluey’ in the mag ? * If you have received a blue form within your copy, it means your subscription is due. Send $4.00 to bring you in line with others due for December renewal. A sea hattle told – > Man-O-Wars can be fun. 1s ’ Y A M A I L U J s, r’ le nd wi i u n a g n a W A and booms being made from pine dowelling, tapered by inserting one end in a chuck, and sliding a thick handful of Stuart Broome, one of my readers, is a Wanganui windler, course sandpaper along the rotating dowel. (and for those overseas, Wanganui is a river city in the north island of New Zealand) The scale rudder, Stuart found too small to put the boat ‘about’, and the lead in the keel, insufficient for stability, so a false keel with extra lead, and a larger hinged once in model aircraft, now enjoying his modelling pursuits with sailing boats. rudder was made up, none of this seen when sailing. 2 Channel radio is used, with a sail servo with arm, resulting in fast His schooner Julia May (from a design by A .J. Harwood) appeared in Feb & March ‘82 Model Boats and prompted Stuart to send away for the plans. The designer I am g in il sa d ol of s lk hu by d te va ti mo s wa , ld to coasters on the banks of the River Exe at and positive boom changes. The Julia May looks and sails well, and has inspired two other modellers who are building schooners in the area. She is 910mm LOA plus a 220mm bowsprit, has a beam of 215mm, a mainmast of 800mm, a forard mast of 730mm, and a weight of four and a half Kgs which includes some ballast in the hull. Topsham in UK. The plans obtained called for bread and butter hull construction. Stuart decided however, to use ply frames on ply stem keel and sternpost, then 6mm balsa planks with 3mm ply bulwarks and deck. He sails mainly on Virginia lake.ZR has a model sailing trimaran. The boat took two months to build, masts 16 ‘The Dove and the BE pcm Flamingo’ Flamingo !” “The Dove and the Flamingo’ is a story of two boats, one a seventytwo foot steel ketch launched in 1975 and still regularly seen on the waters of Auckland’s Waitemata harbour, other parts of New Zealand and within the Built in steel, she has a 59″ length on the Pacific, the other – a 1/15th full waterline, draws seven feet, displaces 47 —_tons, and is fitted with a 150 HP Gardner size model of the first mentioned, 1.53 metres long built in 1992, and five years later still sailed by Diesel engine, with a fuel capacity of 880 gallons, and a range of three thousand nautical miles at 8.5 knots. it’s builder, and very much the apple of Aucklander Roy Lake’s eye. “THE DOVE” was designed in 1973 by Don Brooke – the designer of over 22 large sailing yachts including the 220 ton, 3 masted barquentine Spirit of New Zealand, iaaiaihiel for Athol Rusden (a retired sea Captain) as “The Dove” has cruised extensively around a luxury round the world cruising yacht New Zealand, with several separate cruises with better than average sailing to the Fiji Islands, as well as to the Barrier performance. Launched as Reef area of Australia. A year after “Paulmarkson”, it represented Athol’s vast delivery she was bought by the Subritsky experience from some 25 years of cruising around the South Pacific. family (who also owned the now restored scow Jane Gifford). Continued on page 18 17 Continued from page 17 Roy Lake who lives on Auckland’s north shore (a feature on him and his fleet of beautifully constructed RC model sailing and power vessels appeared in the August 1996 issue of Windling World) became so enamoured over the lines of The Dove when he saw her in 1991, he decided to build an operating model which he completed a year later after 1,700 hours of work over eleven months Called Flamingo, the model was built around a solid timber core of building pine, then 2 layers of .8mm (1/32nd 3 ply from Norway) glued with epoxy – resin structural adhesive. These two layers consisted of 20mm on 15mm strips planed to shape to fit the core, then glued. ‘The Dove’ on the hard, Greenhithe. Apart from the 2kg weight of the battery, a torpedo-shaped lump of lead is fitted below the keel when being sailed. On one occasion (when The Dove was on the hard at Greenhithe) armed with permission to go aboard, and a camera, Roy used several roles of film to provide him with detail in order to replicate accurately on the model, and this has resulted in Flamingo’s wealth of interior detail, right down to the instrumentation and stocked drinks cabinet.The furniture The outside planking is Rimu veneer, .I1mm thick fixed with contact glue. Separate Kauri planks were used on the deck, and the cabins were formed from in the cabins is made from veneered ply on 1.5mm ply, then veneered in Kauri. balsa, the carpets from suede leather. The model has two sets of masts, rigging Now Flamingo is sailed mainly on a private lake from time to time, and follows and sails. The masts are planed Kauri her larger in size but smaller by ‘bird timber, oval in section, and Kauri booms. comparison’ (The Dove) in terms of stylish The original set now has sails permanently furled and wrapped in blue sail covers as per The Dove, and used for exhibitions, the second set used for sailing. Made of white Japara cotton, the edges not hemmed appearance on and off the water. but glued for 3mm using PVA glue. Flamingo is radio controlled on all sails, rudder and motor (a 6volt Johnson 66 electric motor drives the boat well, with a 6 to 1 speed reduction achieved by rubbing the motor spindle on a rubber ring on a Meccano pulley fitted to the prop shaft. A 10 amp lead-gel rechargable battery will drive the boat for up to 4 hours. 18 Model Schooners of the San Diego Argonauts ! | In San Diego – where the America’s Cup was successfully defended and some years later lost, there exists a keen as mustard group of enthusiasts, all devotees to the schooner in model format, all members of the schooner fleet of the San Diego Argonauts R/C Model Boat Club. Fleet racing at Mission Bay Park model yacht pond, in San Diego, Having read about them in that superb US magazine WOODEN BOAT, I made model sail group, and the interest in old schooners from there on just blossomed. contact with Dick Davis who lives in El Cajon, California, and it is through him that I am able to put together this little story. Those who build and sail the schooners in the Argonauts fleet (and the rules say quite For many of the schooner fleet members clearly that they must : scratch build the schooners as ‘replicas’ in the plank on (Davis points out) the humble beginnings frame manner themseves) are guided by tradition and motivated by nostalgia – and of the fleet came out of sheer nostalgia, many having sailed on the original they have ‘fun’ both building and sailing, They have not applied for recognition to schooners they later ‘replicated’. Dick Davis as an example, sailed on the John Alden designed Bagheera in many the American Model Yacht Association, and as Dick puts it, ‘things are going so Chicago to Mackinac races from the late “40’s into the mid ‘50’s. A graduate of the well as it stands’ he and others believe in the saying ‘if it aint broke don’t fix it !’ University of Michigan Department of Naval Architecture, he was later able to Continued on next page My convince the owner to re-rig the Bagheera as she stands today. LM When Dick retired and ended up in San Diego, to his delight the Bagheera was there, and after going aboard, and obtaining the drawings, nostalgia took over and he built his first R.C replica to three quarter of an inch per foot scale, 43″ on deck. His second was 50″ on deck in length. At the time he was also Dick Davis, built and owns this Alden schooner Bagheera. Commodore of the San Diego Argonauts 19 Continued from previous page Argonauts club, appears to be both vibrant & +. rit & and flourishing. Well, you know what I have always said … Schooner or later, the schooners will Mark Steele. et you !’. « The schooner Medley – another Alden design, model owned by Bob Cornell. ‘THERE ARE BOATS Each year at the Kona Kai International YOU ENDURE, BOATS Yacht Club, the SD Argonauts hold their Schooner Cup Regatta’ at the invitation of YOU RESPECT, AND the Kona Kai Club – during that club’s THERE ARE BOATS AMERICA’S SCHOONER CUP THAT YOU LOVE !’ REGATTA. for the big schooners. The Anon. replicas are fleet raced in the turning basin for 50% of the total score, then displayed for a week at Kona Kai, and judged by the yacht club committee for the remaining 5O%. – a two part scoring system that is unique (one that I certainly have never heard of in modelling) in that models may sail fast, but they must also look the part and be accurate replicas. They also race at Mission Bay Park model yacht pond in San Diego.The schooner fleet currently has thirty registered boats, anda further 31 persons on their mailing list, might suggest that others are being built and that the fleet could double. Models must be of full sized schooners Finger foods at sea ! Joshua Slocum (in his book, SAILING ALONE AROUND THE WORLD, wrote of the following when Spray called at Samoa: “You man come ‘lone ?” ” YES ” Slocum said) “I don believe that. You had other mans an you eat um.” Light air laffter { built before 1940, their length on deck not to exceed 5O”, and hull shapes may not be modified for better sailing – except in the case of the rudder which may be enlarged up to 150% of the original. Responsible for much of the national growth in RC model schooner interest, the schooner division of the San Diego e Half onaHalf?” this ache: “Tam A prizewinning Smack… the Itchen Ferry MYSTIC by punt, later replaced by a chain ferry, today by bridge. By 1850 yacht crews and fishermen organised regular racing with their own Ken flanked by MYSTIC fishing smacks known as Itchen Ferries (left of picture),and ADAGIO. I have learnt all this by reading an article by Richard Webb in Model Boats, written Ken Hilton is a friend of mine who lives in Dereham, Norfolk in the U.K . A after his Itchen Ferry model had been completed, and the credit must go to him member of both the Scale Sail Association and the Steamboat Association, his local club is the Norfolk & Norwich Yacht & Boat Club at Easton Park, 18 miles from where he for having found all of that out. Richard’s model of WONDER (built in 1860 and still around) won him the Scale Sailing Model Trophy at the Model Engineer’s lives. It has a large clubhouse, and a purpose-built 90 X 400′ rectangular Exhibition. pond, considered one of the best bits of sailing water in the UK. Full size plans (six sheets) of WONDER are available from Model Boats Plans Service – quote PLAN No MM 1456 Argus House, Boundary Way, Hemel In 1995, Ken completed an RC model of a sailing smack with a hull length of Hempstead, Herts HP2 7ST, United Kingdom. They were around twenty-five twenty-eight and a half inches, making such a good job of it, that it won the Sailing Boat Challenge Trophy at the Pounds including postage. Continued on page 23 Windermere Steamboat Museum’s model boat rally that year when still incomplete, in 1996 being awarded the trophy for the second time. His Mystic is known as an ITCHEN FERRY, which calls for explanation . ITCHEN FERRY is a village at the top of Southampton Water, now a suburb of Southampton, the river ITCHEN at one time famous for it’s building yards, where gentlemen’s yachts for the world’s aristocracy were constructed. In the 1800’s it was across the river from the ol d town of Southampton, the crossing me thod 21 I asked his Governorship for a salary BE4ARinge increase – and a company car, but got land auver neither. I got a new boat though – one of gnge !) ‘A gongoozler Uncle Des’s Electron’s seen left. That shows you must ‘ask’ – and negotiate, so stick with me readers, you can learn ¥ summat ! gets his bearings !’ For those windlers interested in scuba diving, I’m told that the ocean reaches This issue sees a new column from me, it’s deepest point (6.8 miles deep) in the which his ‘Governorship’ tells me, ‘if I play my cards right’, could establish me well and truly as a writer of merit, on matters of windling and uwver fings. He is as persuasive as I am gullible ! Mariana Trench. That is in the Pacific, I know that much, but I can’t be ‘spacific’ (what do you want, a road map ?) Not a good place by the way – to try and retrieve a sunken model yacht ! A poo-um therefore, just to get things We are moving (you may notfeel the going, and to show you that at times I aint going to be too serious – this one by Robert Huey ‘Tacky Tasman, a distant relation or mine – SuM fings you just don’t yell out !). It Just about sums up my directions in terms of this column: “I sail my boat just fer the hell of it” (said the windler of the pond) “the tide is flowing, where are we going, across, behind or beyond ? Then again, t’is I who will say WHEN, we will go wherever we are going, and the mystery is (I’m in a tizz !) cos not even ME is knowing !” movement, or notice different scenery yet) but we are…moving towards the new mileonyourrum…no that’s not it, how about millonyerown ? NO..hang on ! It is ‘millennium’ (I knew it had an “um’ in it somewhere ! So what ? you might ask, and I’ll tell you. With the America’s Cup defence on in Auckland in the year 2000, there is to be a very exciting model yacht regatta there also. Sorry ! My lips are sealed ! Cool your excitement -Go throw cold water on yerselves. NO COMMENT ! (Isn’t that what the politicians say ?) Just ‘gongoozling ! From U.S.A damn fine good magazine Wooden Boat, we sure learn a lot – that a ‘gongoozler’ (which is British Waterways slang) is a person who stands around on the ‘eyes right… and upwards!’ Is this not the Classic windler ? isn’t it just How many uvvers wivout waterfront with his hands in his pockets, watching other people do fings. I am a — Aw Shucks ! a transmitter, can sail some fifteen ducks ? gongoozler, I have decided – (cept I got no pockets !) “I know the ropes” (said the crim about to be hung) – “but soon I shall not remember them !” 22 Of windling racers. You’ll notice in this issue, a bit of coverage of the 1M Worlds held in Wellington. This is a windling DEADY EDDIE jernal, but many racers windle a bit, the slower ones rather a lot. What is it about All set to go, now where is the wind, these Aussie boats…so many are winning and so many are buying ? That’s it ! batteries charged, I am ready | Good Lord, have I sinned That’s why ! here comes the wind and suddenly my ‘Life without humour is like batteries are ‘deady !’ windling without wind”. A mutter or two, a facial grimace, Deputy Dis, Dat & t’other ! and the race without me has been started, Continued from page 21 to the carpark I go Ken’s smack carries 800 square inches of sail – plus an occasional jackyard topsail. It they’re in the boot, that I know, has two sail winches of his own creation, The hull construction is of Mahogany, HELL ! The wife with the car has departed ! with plankings and decking in Basswood. The mast and spars are of Pine, the main and foresails are of cotton, the topsail of white nylon, the standing rigging of plastic Stern plate covered stranded stainless steel, the running rigging of waxed cotton. MYSTIC The Classic Windler. draws six inches, and has an overall weight (including the laminated sheet lead keel ballast) of 25 pounds. A former employee of British Telecom, Ken retired at age 6O in 1983, and has another scale sailing model built some years ago. ADAGIO is based on a seventeen and a half foot bilge-keel hard chine cruiser of the Silhouette class, one sixth scale and thirty-five inches in length, He is also into stationery steam engines and steam launches of which he has two, Note the proper about-to-launch style, We have corresponded since October last the position of the bow that points just above the left shoulder year, and thanks go to him for my being able to show you his Itchen Ferry Mystic, less than a year later. blade, the left hand waiting to turn the yacht to lower into the water. Aucklander Ken Black demonstrates. “a? Photographed at Dromuna village oft Toberua Island by Mark Steele T DROMUNA VILLAGE, seven young sailors of the Bula Sailing Club take their windling very seriously. Marika explains, ‘Uncle Levai built our boats for us, using niu (coconuts). He said it must be fun, that’s Rule Number dua. We smile and laugh a lot, sail and race seriously, but we are always happy, because these are the friendly, happy islands. There’s Tomasi and Pita, and Jioji and Tevita, Rusiate and my brother Jone and I. are practicing for tomorrow’s sailing of the Coconut Cup. We In Fiji we practice everything with a smile’. »_-Yoe 2& @ @)) N@ I Where we take our fun seriously. FIJI VISITORS BUREAU 5th Floor 48 High Street, Auckland 1stanps Phone: 09-373 2133/4 © * PO Box 1179 Auckland Fax: 09-309 4720 © Email: office@fijinz.co.nz