Windling World: August 1999

(| \ | } } NOMAD?’ the Mullety and the model inspired — page 18 ‘Piratical Windling’ — page 11 Some of us go for model yachts built At the helm Of boats both large and small… Another issue, this one the start of a new volume of WW , ‘ Volume 2, Issue 1. With our Summer gone, what better way to remind myself of the fun | had sailing my graceful ketch Marigold on some of those golden days. At the same time, it may remind me, when Winter demons serve me ‘downers’, to look ahead to more such sailings, in the immediately preceeding months of the new Millennium. Within this issue there is a story on the ‘little boats’, which should convince some readers that small sailboats can be fun – and don’t have to look like toys. Probably the most successful marque in New Zealand for sheer speed – racing One Metres and RM’s that only exist for that purpose. To prove that | am not against racing (and believe it or not, in my youth when motorcycles were my very life, | circuit-raced Nortons, BSA’s and a 500 Velocette *Venom’) there is an article on an “attitude right’ fun regatta. These days, my own buzz comes from graceful and ambling movement, where the boat’s boom comes over as the wind dictates, and the model slowly gathers momentum. In a world where people everywhere display an inability to co-exist with each other, it is easier for people like me – an R R..*retired recluse’ (and | am getting closer to the second R stage !), to decide to ‘tune out’ and be content with a simple pleasure such as windling. The wind and the water are free, and that in itself is a big plus factor, for there are precious few (Des Townson’s Electron’s) are small but look nothing like toys. things that don’t cost us dearly. Wayne Tedder and Archie Malloy in the USA on the other hand, believe in larger boats – ones they can get aboard, and from which they can fire water cannons at each other, and why can’t big boys be little boys when they feel like it ? It is all windling really, provided the attitude is right. Now ain’t it just 2 No We also feature this issue, two beautifully built RC boats, one from New Zealand, and the other from Britain. Government has yet way to found tax a us on the use of the wind that makes our windling possible. The drawback is, of course – getting to and from the place of model sailing, for that is when some of us must join the lunatic fringe, but oh…the pleasures and the peace of a quiet and relaxing sail once we’ve got there in one piece ! Mark Steele Publisher/Editor. Vik, al Soted Perhaps the most attention- commanding model on the Onepoto lake this year, this 1933 Murray Peterson design schooner built over a long period by Aucklander Malcolm Wilkinson, has proved to be an absolute supremo in the area of ability to grab spectator attention. Malcolm, who for years sailed his Friendship sloop model Seareach,has in Dolphin now produced a_ truly magnificent model sailboat. It is built to a scale of one and a quarter inches to the foot, giving the model an overall length from bowsprit tip to the end of the main boom of six feet. The lines of “Coaster II’ and sail plan were taken from a book “Thirty Classic Boat Designs’ by Roger C Taylor. The late Murray Peterson (and that is him at the helm – see last issue) was an alumnus of the famous John Alden company. A man on board one of Peterson’s cruising coasters when asked if she could sail fast is said to have replied, “Give her a breeze o’ wind, and she sails like a fool – just like a fool This model behaves in the same way. With a beam of 15.5 inches the model is quite a handful, but is able to be carried fully rigged in the owner’s van where it fits lengthwise with the fid wedge withdrawn from the main topmast so that the boom can be slid down, Built as near as was practicable to the way in which a big boat would have been, Dolphin has doubled up sawn frames of Swietenia mahogany, set up on solid Southland beech stem, keel deadwood sterpost etc, as in a real boat. The planking up to deck level is in Southland beech, the bulwarks and decks in New Zealand kauri. The clashings, ship’s wheel, handrail and stanchion turnery are in Indian rosewood, and all the fixing was done with tree nails made of appropriate timber, glued with epoxy resin, The cabin sides and cockpit coamings are Southland beech, the masts kauri and the sails, polyester cotton sewn by the builders’ wife Mary. A talented craftsperson in her own right, she also carved the helmsman out of pearwood. Continued on page 4 There is no other way of putting it, but this is an exceptionally strong, well built sailing model, that has been so constructed as to be capable of being sailed in extreme conditions. Malcolm enjoys sailing his boats in ultra strong winds, to the point that he has rightly earned the name of “Hurricane Mal’. Dolphin is a heavy model, but still one that can be lifted out of the pond by her masts. Eighteen pounds of lead are fitted in iat her keel priorto sailing, so it is easy to comprehend why this model is capable of handling the stronger winds that are quite frequently encountered particularly during the Winter months in Auckland. oe Dolphin with Malcolm’s Friendship sloop Seareach enjoying a good blow. Mary and Malcolm are seen with Dolphin below after being presented by the editor with a small pewter trophy awarded to them for 1999, by the Great Schooner Model Society of Maryland, U.S.A. See August issue 1998 of Windling World. To make carriage between van and water easier, the owner has knocked up a trolley, referred to by the editor as ‘the Cadillac’.Malcolm Wilkinson is a craftsman of excellence who just loves his day at the lake,when he can escape from his furniture making, and indulge in his relaxing pastime of model yacht sailing. He is best summed in his own statement…”| just like playing with model boats !” “You and | have simply got to stop meeting like this, Monica !” The editor on easy to carry, pocket handkerchief-sized sailboats I got to thinking some months ago, how back in time when | was young, | was often drawn by tales of the sea, and used to spend time in the garage and bottom-house of the wooden family home, sawing and shaping bits of a local Guyana wood called Greenheart, into tiny often crude looking “boats’ to sail on the fast flowing waters of a drain swollen by wet weather rain. “Got a bit of old cloth, Gran ?,” (I remember asking), “| need to make a breeze catcher !” There were no kits then, balsa was non existent, and the smaller we built, the quicker the boats got on the water. Today we are in the RC years and there are plenty of options, with boats of large dimensions extremely popular. The concept of ‘little boats’ still lives, and in New Zealand, RC options abound Grant McKinnon’s 670mm ‘Wind Warriors’, and Des Townson’s 895mm Electrons are two successful marques available. In Auckland, Jacqui Wellington’s nicely crafted little schooners and ketches (Dec 1995 WW) with overall lengths in the area of two to two and a half feet, although freesail, show that wonderful scale effect can be obtained with inclusion of detail. Jacqui is seen at right in the centre photo below. Her little boats sail amazingly well. Small should not be scoffed at ! A boat is a boat irrespective of size. Small models can be _ quite delightful, and in the UK, David Semper of Somerset, who has done reviews for Marine Modelling International, has often “built small’ for friends. His little sailing dinghy seen above is 12” long and radio controlled ! The lug sail on the boat is _ set according to conditions, a tiny motor with switch is built under the seat, and channel radio does the rest. double While not forsaking RC, my friend Tony Lench of UK, and many others, are moving toward boats of (continued on page 6) smaller size, for as some of us get older, the idea of humping larger four to six footer models around, getting them into and out of cars pondside, plus the rigging and de-rigging Take a look at the wee freesail schooner below from Seaworthy Small Ships in the US – just 16” long. process, becomes _ less appealing. A lovely little RC boat that defies belief as to how well it performs, is Aucklander Bob Walters’ little Oyster dredger Boadicea, seen above being launched by the owner. He takes it most days to the pond, where it sits fully rigged in the car, taking up little space, ready to sail. The Vic Smeed designed ‘Starlet’ is not a large boat at 860mm, and fits into any medium sized car that has a drop down rear seat. The gaff-rigged Starlets (seen at right) also handle more than just a mite of wind. There is just so much available, | have to say, that although | am spoilt by the thrill and convenience of RC, | am indeed supportive of the reemergence of freesail interest, for it is very much a part of the overall model yachting scene. these days: Graupner Was it not Volkswagen who once used ‘Small is beautiful’ as their advertising slogan ? Let us therefore are now not knock the little boats. They may producing a fine little moulded hull 530mm long sailboat called the ‘Micro Magic’, and Richard Webb of Eastleigh, UK, does a 600mm Styrene semi-scaler (seen above). not be for everybody, but they do have their advantages – and their own charming appeal. In relating this to real boats, perhaps we should remember that Bruce Farr’s first keelboat Titus Canby, was a dinghystyle half tonner just 7.9 metres in length. | rest my case , friends ! his wonderful County of Inverness featured in the August 1998 issue) , sometimes likes to sail his Timaru (shown below). Ian built Timaru when he was in Perth, Western Australia, and The choices of windlers as to the type of boat they sail are varied, and here is a selection of lovely boats built by readers. Ken Impey, Falmouth, WW’s Cornwall UK, keeper of once freesailed this boat two and a half miles down the Swan River – and the spirit’ has built this back, some years ago. rather pretty schooner the Mary E Bonds Dick Wood (below) has lived at Okiato, Russell, Bay of Islands in the using a fibreglass hull turned out by a firm north of our North Island. He and his called Mobile Marine. Lloyd of (Continued on page 8) F Johnson Costa Mesa in California sails this Malabar schooner built on a Dwight Hartman fibreglass hull. Lloyd has _ built many sailing models and I am hoping to be able to get photos from him leading to a story. In Sydney, Australia, my friend Ian Hunt (an ABEL winner last year for wife live in a delightful wee house San Francisco Model Yacht Club, he is overlooking the water, where he potters a collector of small around just a small part of his impressive and is always building something. His latest build seen here, model sailboats, collection of 125 (below left). has got a steadying sail, but as he pointed out, Tom “You can Auckland ‘Ancient Mariners’ never get Simpson i who 2 sails with our fleet ga the Captain to obey any orders”, and __ this ie —— photo 10 was have shown the sail raised ! Dick says he has had this problem of women ignoring what he says, for a very long time ! Rolf Faste of the US Vintage Model Yacht often sails Group is Director of Product Design Mechanical Engineering Stanford delightful pond and Associate Professor of the yacht Lucy seen in ~~ ss the photo above. at The design University. is ‘Eldred’ Seen at right with his came X Class Melanie – a an = and out in England many freesail boat, he races many years ago. once a month at the With classic English pond yacht lines, Tom’s version sails very well, and has been nicely built. His new boat will appear in WW in the months ahead. I would like to include The boats that we sail from time to time within future issues of Windling you ‘fink’ folks ? (Ed). World. What do A hunter of the sea from David Blinkhorn My friend David Blinkhorn of Read in Lancashire, UK , is a talented model- maker with an eye for subjects that are ‘different’, and fishing boats in particular attract his interest. Those readers of WW from back in 1997, will probably remember | did a story in the April issue that year, in which | showed a few from the Blinkhorn fleet. Those who read _ Marine Modelling International will have also seen his series of detailed articles on Le Spectre his latest build – an 18th Century French armed lugger. > A Chasse Maree (hunter of the sea) these boats were extremely + fast, and capable of easily outpacing square-rigged ships in any point of ~ sailing, with the exception of before the wind. David believes in extensively Above: Prd Le Spectr Face wna At left, David gently lowers the model into the water, researching the originals of any model he intends to build, and this was certainly the case with this one – right down to the minute detail such as the correct ensign to be flown. His model is based on a lugger called Le Coureur (‘The runner), built in Dunkerque, launched in 1776 and captured by the English in the famous sea battle between the frigates La Belle Poule and LiArethusa in June 1778. David’s models (I am told by UK contacts) are always technically correct, and whenever they appear at sailing events, always draw interest and good comment. It was necessary to modify the sail plan of the model, as the main sail of the fullsize vessel is a full dipping lug which had to be taken down and re-set on the opposite side of the mast when going about – not at all practical with an RC model. Built at a scale of 1:25 the model is 35 inches by 11 inches, with a manageable — displacement _— of approximately 13.5 pounds or 6kgs. Luggers, armed or otherwise, trading ketches, pilot cutters, Manx Nobby’s, Bisquines and Scaffies – they have all been modelled and now form the sailing collection of David Blinkhorn of Read near Burnley in Lancashire United Kingdom Since | am not myself technically minded, and like to keep WW content that way – and since the articles in Marine Modelling (Dec *98, Jan through April 1999 issues) cover the building of the boat most extensively, this story does not. | feature Le Spectre because of the difference in subject – ‘Viva la difference’ as the French would say, and also because | see the model as having been a prime example of good research, and of careful and talented modelmaking, leading to a good and most authentic sail boat. 10 Wayne and Archie – proving you are never too old to have fun | I have never been able to find the word ‘Rambustificate’ in the dictionary, so must assume that it was one of New Zealand author Margaret Mahy’s wonderful creations. It however certainly has the right ring about it to suggest that grown men at play – aboard eighteen foot miniature pirate ships, are just out having fun ! Sixteen or seventeen years ago, Wayne Tedder’s Grayland home on the Washington coast was inhabited by five sons ranging in age from six upwards to nineteen, all of them having seen ‘Treasure Island’, intent on being pirates. Their father made them wooden swords but that did not suffice, so one thing led to another, and rowboat-fought battles in the bay led to the building of the Barbados – an 18’ sailing replica. A Marine Engineer, Wayne and his sons went through all the boat-building methods, first building a boat in wood, later using it as a mold for a fibreglass hull which proved hard to sail I] Tedder’s lifelong friend from their Sea Scout days, Archie Malloy had a sail, became so hooked himself and promptly devised a _ tackle There are now three vessels – the Anne Marie built in 1988, the Barbara Anne (1995), the Ariel (1998), with a fourth (Sharon Louise) nearing completion. They are all 15’ on deck, 23’ long overall from bowsprit to driver boom, each weighs in at about 2000lbs, and lead ballast (in the case of Ariel) is 800lbs. that allowed one man in the cockpit to sail the entire ship and handle all of the 14 sails. Archie became a pirate at heart and just had to have his own boat, so the Barbara Anne was built. Wayne says that the hulls are made of furwood from the The sons ___ probably outgrew their pirate longings, but these days, friends Tedder and Malloy can usually be found on the Columbia River around an area Dupont forests, and two of the ships have teak decks. To get out of the boat basin they use called Cathlamet on most weekends – just messing about on the water aboard their 18’ boats. electric trolling motors. year, In June last Ariel and Barbara Anne made a 25-mile run against the tide in 3.5 hours which equates to an average speed of seven The tonnage of each boat Family ladies occasionally add to the scene is one ton, the sail area 325 square feet, with construction time of four to five knots. He says that they regularly slug months. Their masts are eighteen it out to windward, and have sailed feet, and the cost about against30US$20,000. knot winds on occasion. Wayne Tedder and Archie Malloy are big kids at heart, and proudly so. If one’s heart remains young, one takes longer to grow old. 12 Kr SF One tenth the size of the ships sailed in the 1700’s, the hulls are painstakingly painted, with highlights of yellow and green. Tedder’s latest (Ariel) has glass windows a couple of inches square in the stern, and naturally, they both hoist the Jolly Roger when at sea. Control is from comfortable seats in the stern, the rudders operated by authentic wooden wheels. Concessions have been made in the interests of safety, marine batteries and CB radios, and electric motors as mentioned. “That’s an authentic 17th century depth finder” says Wayne. courtesy of Shipbuilding is Wayne Tedder’s trade and he is currently well advanced with a 60’ catamaran for a customer. The pirate boats ? They are never finished in his eyes – he can always see areas of improvement. What have hang gliders, kite flyers, glider pilots and model __ sailboaters got in common ? Irrespective of age, they are usually young at heart and keen to take advantage of the only Show cannons have been made from pipe, but battles at sea rely mainly on super-sized squirt guns Archie and daughter aboard the Anna Marie the grandchildren who often join as free commodity left in the world…the wind ! Have fun and never lose touch with your youth, and they say that you stay young – perhaps forever ! crew. 13 fs, From ore-carrying to barrage balloon hulk to films to scrap… An unusual but endearing boat was the Emily Barratt, up until about a year ago, the last surviving working craft of North West England. She was, according to Bob Straughton (writing in a 199O issue of Classic Boats) given many labels…an Irish sea schooner, then later when ketchrigged – a West Country ketch, and a under radio, and although the original Emily Barratt hulk has now been scrapped, Frank is happy that at least he has a model of her to enjoy. It is sad that she was overlooked for maritime heritage long by so interests, in fact when this 76’ vessel was taken in 1984 to Mayport in Cumbria to be restored as part of the Coasting Flat among them. It was some that said, also. old considered her (because of harbour, her cut-down rig, “one of the least elegant sailing craft around’. certainly Victorian the hull was restorable. Fourteen years later when Frank again visited, he was saddened by Stockton — of Frank To Massey outside of Auckland (seen dwarfed by EB’s derelict hull a few years back) she was however worth replicating and sailed the lack of progress as well as deterioration. 14 the he found. The Emily Barratt was built in 1913, the design calling for a strong vessel to be able to take the ground at low tide even when laden with cargo, as the estuary at Duddon was both difficult and shallow. The rust-red in colour ore she carried, as well as pig-iron and coal, resulted in the boats very rarely sailing light. Other boats engaged included a sister boat the Maggie Barratt, and they were usually sailed from Millom to Shotton on Cheshire’s River Dee. Often a triangular trip would see them taking lreland, before loading timber for the mines. In 1915, the Maggie Barratt coal The model weighs 6lbs with the keel, the frames are of marine ply, and the planking is done in New Zealand kauri. She is sailed with the Ancient Mariners fleet at Onepoto in Auckland. The Emily Barratt must. be remembered as possibly the last true sail trader (other than the Thames Barges) built in Britain out of wood, at a time when steel to was lost when the sister boats sailing in company missed the tide. Trapped in a vicious storm, only Emily was to make it. During World War Il, EB would be used as a barrage balloon hulk and was in vogue. later, tied up at St Catherine’s dock in London, and used occasionally for filming. When moved to a river berth at Wapping, she was vandalised, at one time settling on the bottom where she remained under water for several tides. Frank Stockton’s model – a half inch to the foot and 38” long, was built from plans scaled up from Classic Boats It shows a very good builders eye as it retains that stumpy look that the real boat displayed. Then again, the real boat was not built for speed, instead to transport heavy loads. UK’s Mark Tindall (right) with his 1744-1758 ‘HMS INVINCIBLE’ at the Round Pond. 15 “Skippers on the water’ when said at the Cape Porpoise Model Fourth finishing Nellie J Lealand above Fishing The model schooner skippers follow the boats, and alter course, before turning them at the mark, the event very much a community effort. The boats compete in classes, and each year it is held, the event is popular among spectators in what is quite a delightful area on the Maine coast. Schooner event, means just that, for at this event held in July in Maine, U.S.A. the model schooners rely on being accompanied by their skippers in oar-propelled dinghies. The event was first held in 1930 when it was won by Freemont Ridlon sailing a boat called Wendell Wilkie, then again in 1939 and 1941, then it seems, not again until 1993 when Ed Hutchins sailed a schooner called Christina Mae (seen at right) to victory…repeated in 1994. Roger Dearborn is also a fine modelmaker whose work was shown in the December 1998 issue of Windling World. Nine boats raced for honours in the 1998 event, honours eventually going to Incognito sailed by the “96 ! winner David Westphal. 16 Ernest Hawkes of Peacehaven has added the above (Blue Tack) – a Peter Wiles Peken design 1OR. He enjoys his windling (as well as Windling World) sailing sometimes for up to three hours when the weather is right. in Sussex, UK, became hooked on sailing at age 56 when he was left in sole charge of a 36’ gaff-rigged wooden yacht on the Norfolk broads. Ernest is seen above left with his trio of boats, the 1OR at extreme right of the photograph. This was to lead to his purchasing an 18’ Foxcub trailersailer which he and his wife enjoyed, their favourite cruising ground, the Solent. Their next boat was a 23 footer which they moored in Brighton marina, but high cost of ownership led to his then downsizing to model yachts, and a 34” fibreglass hull formed the basis for Blue Calico. With a Tony Abel 6m Dolphin hull he then built Kittiwake seen above, and 17 2 BA’s Zi: ial EES A mighty nice and beautifully built little RC model of a unique full size New Zealand mullet boat (Nomad) has been built by Electron model yacht sailor, Aucklander Dave Moore, what’s more, the little boat sails magnificently ! i Dave (seen at left with the model), after The story of Nomad – once owned by Des Townson’s father Tom, sailed by Des as a boy, and later prised from the mudflats of Point Chevalier on Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour, then lovingly restored over twelve long years by Ron Copeland, was the subject of a brief article in WW/April 1997 issue. The boat is still sailed by Ron, and is the only surviving 26’mullety in New Zealand. Dave Moore does not. do things in half measures, some research, dug up a set of line drawings of Nomad by a Charlie Collings in 1924. The model was built on a strong back and planked in one eighth inch balsa in a semblance of the original methods stealers). planking (including Without drawings of the coamings and and cabin top, a visit was made to study in the fullsize boat, and because of a building his model, he did so from longtime admiration of another actual plans of the big boat. 18 famous Collings mullet boat (Tamariki), a slight variance was made by lowering the cabin top, and straightening the coamings. The inside of the hull and the outside were later glassed. There was no sail plan, so the spars of the original boat were then measured, and with the aid of the sail plan from Tamariki, and when _ they were scaled up they were almost identical. Spars are of laminated cedar, the sails of spinnaker sailcloth, the shrouds of fishing trace. The original mullet centre plate would not have worked in a model, so a kevlar 1M fin and bulb was used. Mullet boats have always nose-dived without their entire crew weight on the tuck of the wind, so delta wings were attached to the bulb with a reversed angle of lift, aft of the centre of buoyancy. An extension was also found necessary to the original sternhung “barn door’rudder. Now to build a Hauraki Gulf scow ! (Mark Steele & Dave Moore) | was delighted when | heard that friend and WW subscriber, Graham Bantock of the UK, returned to form to win this year’s World One Metre title in Malta in April, | have had five suggestions that WW should go to four issues per year, and have sought opinions from our “keepers of the spirit’ of windling. Your views might be helpful. Because you asked ! For overseas readers, the phonetic pronounciation of (the schooner) Huia in the April issue, is Hoo-eeah. (Now I will probably have someone with a “culturally correct’ outlook tell me something totally different – at which point | will build a ‘leaf boat’ and set sail for Antarctica !…never to return ! Also celebrating 100 years in 1998, was the Mill Pond Model Yacht Club, Port Washington, NY. An excellent Centennial Commemorative book in colour has reached me, kind courtesy of editor Virginia (Ginger) Marshall Martus. Of Whistlin Beback’s ! One reads and learns, and one often “borrows’. From Lee Wilbur in the Fisherman’s Voice, What is a *whistlin beeback ?’ The boat show attendee who after plucking up the courage to ask the price, gives a good long whistle, then hastily says “be back” prior to leaving the stand never to be seen again. HOLY CATSCAN ! That’s all lcan say@& about Fossett ‘s 24 hour distance record with Playstation! MEOWW | and GRRRR ! 19 A One-design gatheringfor the Onepoto Cup… The Onepoto ever-present Course observer at left. It was the last Saturday in March, with Auckland turning on the most beautiful of days for a competitive airing of thirty-three of Des Townson’s hand-produced, one design Electron yachts on the North Shore’s Onepoto lake. named Flamboyant winning over brother Don’s boat Pegasus. Both proven big boat sailors, and both World A steady, frisky north-east wind of five to ten knots saw out-of-towners like WW reader Bill De Renzy (below left), and overseas sailors from the Cook Islands gathered for a “fun regatta’ for the first ever Onepoto Cup. A 18’ skiff Champions, a profile on the latter appeared in WW’s /April 1997 issue. Flamboyant is seen at left on the way towards victory in one of the events. pre- start ‘all boats on the water’ sail towards the pointed camera of the editor yielded the opening photograph. As was perhaps to have been expected, the Lidgard brothers demonstrated their skills, the younger of the two (Jim) sailing his pink-hulled and aptly Among the entry was the well presented ‘Black Magic’ (seen above), an 20 Electron owned by Bucklands Beach Yacht Club east of Auckland. We can’t always play the winning game someone is sure to lose yet we can play so that our name, no-one may dare accuse; That when the master referee scores against our name, it won’t be whether we won or lost, but how we played the game !” Des Townson, (at right) the creator of the Electrons, as usual was on hand, ever ready to carry out any adjustments and minor repairs From the U.S.Vintage Model Yacht Group’s excellent publication ‘The Model Yacht, the poet’s name unknown. Bought in a second hand shop by Dave Moore, then given a nice clean up and a plinth… VOILA – the Onepoto Cup has a Curlew- the cruising supremo Falmouth punt. Dunedin Martin’s big windlers. The sailing and musical Todd’s. “Euan Fourfootsix’s Dream’. Slocum and Spray Spencer’s rocket ship ‘Infidel’. Thames Sailing Barges. nice classy look about it, and long may it be the Lipton Cup of the Electron yacht world. Having been present for the majority of the day, and being an advocate of ‘fun, non agro’ racing of the kind that we know can be achieved, given a firm regatta-controlling hand, and the right “fun-based’ attitude by sailors, here was further proof that there is a place for competitive model yachting of a_ pleasant Star 45 Class. Smeed’s amazing Starlet. The really lovely “Lady Annette’. The models of Peter Sewell. Squadron at the quarry A bit of vintage on the pond |! The windjammers of Maine Sunday SEAWIND fleet. Of PASSAT and PAMIR Auckland’s Brigantine BREEZE. Two fine model shipwrights, A sailing model of AMERICA, The boats that nature. Indeed, a well run regatta. Boats are bound to be nudged – even hit at times, for the wind is always the unknown player, and we must expect error-like moves by perhaps a few not-so-familiar with racing rules skippers. So long as penalties are carried out, and the over-zealous we sail, lim Young’s ROCKET ’s refrain from fiery abuse, this style of Neil’s racing could do wonders for model yachting. 1OR’s and always much more | Mark Steele 21 From the workshop of Barry Gibson in Australia, comes news of his very recently completed little gaffrigged yacht which he has named Seonaid- the Scottish equivelent of Janet, the name of Barry’s wife. Built balsa planks on balsa frames then fibreglassed, the deck is planked with obechi strips, trimmed with mahogany. The bowsprit is Huon pine, the mast of hoop pine. The sails are made of Japara cotton,and both the cockpit and cabin are constructed of basswood. Barry says that the design is loosely based on a model (JENNY). by Douglas McGhee, issed asa free plan in Model Boat magazine some years ago, which he enlarged from 24” to 30”, making a few changes in the keel, rudder and sail areas. Sailed for the first time at Cobden on 18th April, Seonaid pleased the builder greatly, and he plans to add some winches on the deck, and a few crew for visual effect. The dimensions of Seonaid are: Length (incl bowsprit) 36.25”, Beam 8”, Draft 5.5”, Mast Height 32”, sail area 440 sq”, Weight 5 Ibs. (A little beauty without a doubt, Barry – Ed) Barry Gibson has joined the ranks of Windling World’s “Keepers of the spirit’ (of windling). He lives in Victoria, Australia, is married to Janet, with two young sons, and was the 43rd subscriber to magazine way back 1995. the in A good friend of the editor, he has been a regular contributor of material. Even before WW, he built Eric – a Spencer design Fiji Magic schooner, also sails an Alden design Malabar sloop (see WW April 97) can you windlers of the world get, | ask ? Remember the late Eric Tabarly’s famous cutter Pen Duick ? Well, in Paris there is an available GRP look-alike OfJim , Pen Duick, : and poo-ums n’ piles ! Basic is the name, and she’s hull, and you can see basic alright ! Note the state of the art keel – to ‘nail’ the fleet’, and the swing-rig squaresail ! Built by Aussie, Barry Gibson then sailed across the Tasman ! BELIEVE man, BELIEVE !! One of WW’‘s readers, Jim Dempsey in Port Washington, NY, has a collection of boats that includes two vintage Marbleheads built by Ains i Ballantyne whom | am told, was a what a great looking boat can result. New Zealander. Methinks there is a pooumm coming on here – by Eliza Cook, no relation to the Captain. Jim is Secretary of the Long Island MYC. The hull with Jim here, — is We dared to think, we dared to say that he could frame a boat, and many others said the same, but questioned ‘would it float ? Ballantyne’s lovely Arrow VI design, sporting one of the many keel styles tried at the time. The boat was vanesteered, and will be RC for the first time in her career. This keel has a Haemorrhoids – why are they known as piles, and is there a boats carried enormous spinnakers, with boats, in that their draught of nearly 14 inches, and the Another scoop story – and nautical ‘bottoms’ often get similiarly affected with just remember you read it in my column, Next issue will be a bumper issue – (No thanks -I dont’t want a Toyota bumper !) with 4 extra pages. It is not only the wind and water that are free you know ! Extra pages, as well, connection barnacles ¢ To conclude, here’s the pr San! vd abe aptly named WINDLER Have piles of in nei Holy Guacamoli ! How lucky 43 Abel the Fyi Sslands | activity played out on island waters with For more i nformation on holidaying in Fiji contact your local Travel Agent or FiJl VISITORS BUREAU 48 High Street, PO Box 1179, Auckland Telephone: 0-9-373 2133 / 34 Facsimile: 0-9-309 4720 Z (/fama A certain book defines y the occupation of time ; spent sailing model boats for fun and relaxation as *Windling ‘ – an Off the water, and everywhere in these islands, a further activity (defined in another book as “one at which Fijians are the absolute best’) is evident. Un-officially called *Friendling’, Fijian * smiles’ are the delightful tell-tale signs. @ Me 4 connection, can substantiate most of what one reads or hears. simplicity and charm, liberally sprinkled with natural island friendliness. x The travel glossies tell you that the Fiji Islands are akin to ‘paradise on earth’, and a certain editor having spent fifteen years of close eee email: office@fijinz.co.nz TBLANDS