Windling World: December 1995

[N WINDLING and her ‘Jack Spratt’ Classics DORSET Man-O-Wars With Rum and Reason in Fiji waters At the helm. caper as promised, but I am working on that one. Included is a bit of ‘windling with a difference’ as Tony Searle of Poole in Dorset gives some insight into his (and Summer sailing… and sherry windling. Bob Capon’s) Man-O-Wars. Windling World has slipped anchor and set sail. Whereas the subscriber total to date cannot be deemed either high or ideal, it is suffice to convince me that the I like a person with a sense of humour like Felix Tattersfield of Glendowie who sent me a ‘layby deposit’ many months ago when I was endeavouring to ascertain publication has potential for growth. reader interest in a replacement for ONE. | Unless the owl were to call my name still have that taped five cent bit of silver unexpectedly, and enjoy a quiet chuckle over it from time I am therefore setting course on a voyage to include three more to time. If you decide to subscribe to issues as originally charted. Windling World Felix, you only need to send me eleven ninety-five ! One of the more pleasant happenings between issues has been the establishment of contact, and the resulting development of friendship with fellow windlers here and overseas. It is people who make all the difference in our daily existence, and this sport, hobby or pastime of ours is no I have to ask also – is this perhaps not the exception. very smallest Fiji Magic schooner in the Electron regatta held in Fiji in July, as whole dang world ? Made by and sent to me by fellow keeper of the dream, Tony Searle, it epitomises ‘the greatness of small things’ (and model yachts as small versions of big yachts are just that) as well as being an example of how this activity well as a light-hearted story on an ongoing and interest we share, creates and builds “World friendship among mankind. You will note that this issue is larger than usual, and it includes the story of a very talented lady who has built over twenty ‘island trader’ and cruising classics in Auckland, a report on a ‘serious Ha Ha’ Match Racing Series’ for the prestigious ‘Ratu Bula Vinaka’s Coconuts’ trophy. I hope you all enjoy this second issue – and There on that you manage more than a windle or two over the festive season. For those Auckland’s Sail €x°95, the John Spencer many subscribers in the UK, I realise that column, and a story on a UK Reverend’s may Gold Medal winning vessel. Sadly I did constraint, simply stick a block of ice in not quite your glass of sherry, then watch it windle is also make the it promised with the story mullet boat not be easy. Faced with that AND THE Continued from page 2 FUN FELLOW gently away as it docs it’s disappearing act while you get on with the Winter-build of your next model – or mull over the delights of future windling when your better climes arrive. SAID TO THE AMERICA’S CUP… To those here in Auckland and Australia, scasons grectings to you all. We arc on a fresh breeze as we go downwind. Deputy Dis and Dat, the three other keepers of the dream and I, wish you a happy scason of windling. Mark Steele Publisher/Editor. ye vel Liki Windling World. The ‘un Iellow yachts of the NZYF are seen above with none other than the America’s Cup, which only goes to show that though built for fun sailing (and the NZ Yachting anon profit specialist magazine Federation boats used for training of with limited circulation youngsters) Publisher/Editor the most famous yachting trophy in Mark Steele Keepers of the dream. Mark Steele John Spencer Ken Impey Tony Searle Editorial Address: 42 Trinidad Road, Forrest Hill, Auckland New Zealand. they are worthy of sharing space on a stand featuring the world. Now it could be said (and this is said in humour) that maybe the Fun Fellow RC presence yachts, saying to are the by their auld mug itself…it’s time a bit more fun and a bit less seriousness and bluppy hype came into the America’s Cup ! Absolute Radio conjecture yachts can’t old chap talk – ! only Thomas the Tank Engine can do that ! Wark Steele tniled the fleet in fiji but tells all. With Rum and Reason… and for the LOUIS DUFFEL BAG CUP and TWENTY BUCK BUCKET! ee Tropical Toberua iyi Windlers. A duck on the i charge. Dave jgpggees Moore’s Swamp Duck Ilin 12 knot winds. Tobcrua is, pronounced Toam-beh-roo-ah’) j The origins of this cvent were obviously Des Townson’s creation of the 895mm Iength overall ‘Electron’, Icading to an interest in and the later establishment of a Fiji fleet based at Toberua Island Resort off the main island of Viti Levu. and to get to it onc must fiy into Suva, — Fiji’s Capital, then go by road to Nakelo Landing, It was Michael Dennis (originally of New by small ; transfer voal upriver and out into the sca and head for Zealand and now Boso Levu or ‘Chicf’ at the island. I arrived almost at the end of this Fijian resort) who along with another the first of three days racing – the blue four or five sailing partners, dreamed up Electron (very few bottles of Fiji Townson in its coffin-like container on the brewed beer) a Townson ‘Electron’ World floor of the transfer boat. 1 make this point Championship to be held in Fiji. clearly (at the end of the first days racing) likely over a then BLUEBELL loaned by Des as since I am usually the tail-end Charlie Meanwhile over in New Zealand, the in any regatta, | find it useful to start off Editor (not an Electron owner) having had with a dis-advantage that can be construed the word slipped to him by Dennis then as some sort of an excuse ! mentioned this to Dave Moore – a regular Electron sailor within a group who sail By the time I arrived, Don Lidguard – a every on World 18foot Class Champion had already Auckland’s north shore. A hastily prepared established a semblance of superiority, and flyer, a mecting to launch a tour held in over drinks that the LIONS DEN at Lion Breweries – and wonderful close-knit family ‘fecl’ to the BINGO…a New Zealand fleet of Electron gathering – after all this is a family – owners people from two nations linked by their Sunday at assembled handkerchicf sized Toberua in July “95. Onepoto on_ resort lake the _ pocketisland of evening there was a choice of one type of radio yacht – the Townson ‘Electron’. Here I was about to mix it with people who knew what they were doing – and for the “World Championship’ that carricd such prestigious booty as the LOUIS DUFFEL- BAG CUP and the cqually valuable TWENTY BUCK BUCKET – a galvanised. ‘thingy’ such as this is a ‘thingy’ of beauty no question about it ! And the OD ( I was told just before retiring) was the man who designed an Australian contender for the Amcrica’s Cup (DAME PATTIE) by name of Warwick Hood. BLUEBELL was there, mixing it with others brave enough to come near her, and as reliable as she started,with no breakages at the end of the fleet series. I have nothing but praise for the way these little Electrons went in the choppy sea and strong wind conditions – and the low attrition rate after three days racing was commendable and a tribute rum and coke and plain rum_ that to their designer/builder. More beer and Pinacoladas…and just evening, and much anticipation for further fleet racing and the round the island race the following day. The distance around Tobcrua is about cight hundred metres – I told you it was a small island. one that a friend of mine used to say: ‘Run around it too fast. and “GET A MOVE ON – THE BEER IS GETTING WARM !” – The fleet (less two already at the bar). Fleet racing continued on the Saturday, Lidguard continuing to dominate, and with good supporting performances from Dennis of Fiji with his YELLOW BIRD (with dyed yellow sails), as well as Moore who had warned cveryone a hundred times the night before that he “had a fecling that SWAMP DUCK was gonna fly on the morrow’. Hugh Mclvor and Terry Robinson – both of whom had a good day just smiled quictly. Lidguard – quiet and methodical continued to consolidate his lead in the very windy conditions that Sunday morning. eventually taking the fleet race title despite some good sailing and strong competition from fellow Kiwis and from Michacl Dennis in particular, the latter urged on by his Fijian staff with ‘GO BOSO ! GO ! you are liable to catch up with your own sandshoes !’ Sailors in the round the island event were unable to run – but walk around in the water – Dennis at one point (see cover shot) almost waist high and within a few feet of YELLOW BIRD: The story is that he had to keep a close eye on his ‘navigator’ aboard who was still tiddly from too many straight rum’s the night before |! Ninctecn minutes and thirteen seconds after the start, it was Kiwi Lidguard who crossed the line ahead of Mclvor and Dennis to take top honours. later adding the Match Race Title to his collection over Dennis – and Fiji with Lidguard on loan winning the team prize. It was not uncommon to see the odd sipping of wine in between races, there was a great deal of good cameraderic, commendable sportsmanship and friendly banter among sailors even in the middle of serious racing. Day ras 7h. PAPER : by Tomas Madeira. (with some help from Proust !) ‘Certainly it is more reasonable to ~ eco suit batt devote one’s life to women than to postage stamps or old snuff boxes, even to pictures or statues’ wrote Marcel Proust. Many in the world might agree many others because we are all different, become admirers even obsessed ‘collectors’ of model cars, theatre programmes, old clockwork toys, cigarette cards, pipes, walking sticks, snuff boxes and _ postage great delight in the old sailing ships of long ago – and lick the backs of stamps bearing such_ illustrations before they send them overseas or place them into albums. stamps. On the subject of the latter, and with s, ip sh g in il sa us io ac gr in st re te in y m I set about to investigate just what d te is ex ps am st of e ng ra of rt so featuring such illustrations Some of what I found are shown ~ here – a wide range indeed, only going to prove that in this world we share, we also share a variety of Proust concluded: ‘Only the example of other While some lick their chops and collectors should be a warning to drool over Classic cars, many find us to make changes, to have not one woman only but several.’ interests. Spencer on Wiindling Axe – shaping the Kauri, orange – coloured RED DEVIL – last seen heading for Lower Hutt ! Back in 1945 | built my first model yacht, started into that hard Kauri with gouge down in Wellington. It was hollowed out and mallet. to hollow it out. Eventually it laboriously from a very heavy piece of old got done and | floated it in the bath to sce Kauri that the local boatbuilder rejected as how much lead | could have on the keel, useless. When my mate Bill and T fronted The boatbuilder was right and | could not up to ask if we could cut around the deck have much. plan on his bandsaw, he said he would find me something better and [ must be patient. The next problem was to pour the keel the right weight. I had got away with it when | That was something | was not, so Bill and constructed an ‘electro magnet’ from 1 retired to his basement and got into it instructions in a text book and promptly with an axe, one holding it while the other blew up all the fuses when I tested it when chopped. We roughed out the shape and | Mum was shopping with my two young took it home to finish shaping. and fair it sisters. Having disposed of all the evidence up with a spokeshave. I waited for a similiar opportunity to melt the lead in one of mother’s aluminium pots No problems so far but these were about to begin when TF began to hollow out on the gas stove. the inside. As | said, | was impatient. Building All went well this time – apart from the it was preat, but sailing it was the object of dross from the lead and the origin of the the exercise. keel. I could go on about that boat – I never had time to think of a name for it and my Now | had to walk a considerable distance mates named it RED DEVIL even though to get to school, so had to set off by 8am – it was actually bright orange. It did not last two hour’s long. and was last seen sailing free and imposition at the end of the day – and heading for Lower Hutt – we were unable writing one hundred times “I must not be to late for school”, all done neatly. borrowed. The problem at home was that my father | learned things from that boat that have objected to being woken up at 5am when J guided minutes late) meant an catch it my from the whole dinghy life and we had design Continued on page 8 and size of our boats was determined by the size of the block of wood, so we had no Continued from page 7 philosophy. Older people in those days were into building in what They Construction’ ‘Sandwich was called could sort of class going. 1 designed a 50/800 class now known as together after cutting them inside and out MARBLEHEAD, but never had cnough moncy to build it. Generally our boats were from half a metre up to somewhat short of to the waterline shapes. We meanwhile one metre, but they sailed well on rough were hunting for old Totara fence posts. salt water – that is upwind. We never could As was get them to sail downwind for any distance fast. and T eventually realised as much as we tried, so invariably ended afford to purchase cedar (25mm) for boards the extremely RED and in one laminate DEVIL – she inch them up why. throwing spinnaker. away Upwind the they all rudder and sailed well Now filly years later | write of *Windling’. without a rudder. better in fact than with That is why we were into them. My next i. one was made from a lovely light picce of Totara that enabled it to have more lead on By the time we were 16 we had put aside its keel – and carry more sail. It was the our model yachts for ones we had control same size but nowhere as fast. of. but in the 1970’s it all changed with radio control. Windling is having fun. and allowing others also to have the same. It docs not In the full size ‘people boat’ world. there exclude those who experiment to make are probably more cruising yachts than their boats faster or better, so long as they racing help others to make their boats sail better cruising. You dont need a pond or small instead of bragging and lake like the racing fellows, and you dont ‘bull-dusting’ – and upsetting the ‘winding scene’. yachts. and ‘windling’ is need a fishing line to get if back. like It is exciting sailing a small RC yacht in rough They used to say that “those who play together. stay together”. It is all very true, and many a club has been sclf-destructed by a few who did not accept this basic principle. Today we are long past hollowing out old fence posts. and [ have a 1946 fence post hull to remind me of it. I think my mother water, and pleasant to windle on a sunny light day. ph Egren ‘The those wind is who an sail inheritance model of yachts. knew what [ was up to, and she saved it for Bestowed by nature, it is there me, to be enjoyed but treated with respect, for it can rise and wreak Fifly years ago there was no radio control gear, and if we could not get our hands on a dinghy we had to attach a fishing line to our boats in order to get them back. Design havoc, as quickly as it can bring delight’. Mark Steele. Reverend Peter’s award-winning ‘RESULT’ The world is full of interesting and often very talented people, and it was through Association’s UNDER the Scale excellent SAIL – Sailing magazine edited and Peter has made models all his life. has been an Anglican pricst for 34 years and prior to that was in the Fleet Air Arm. His model of the Topsail schooner produced by my good friend Mike RESULT Taylor, I came upon one of them – Model Engineer Exhibition, before that he the Reverend Peter Spencer of Colchester in England. | have never met Peter (he says he much prefers to be called just that) but we have been exchanging Ietters regularly – and he is one of our subscribers to this magazine. I sincerely hope one day we shall mect. won a won a Silver Gold Medal Medal for a in the Brixham Trawler he built. The real RESULT was built of steel in 1892/93 at Carrickfergus in Northern Ireland – one hundred and twenty feet in Iength, with a beam in excess of 21 feet she measured designed 120 tons gross. to sail fast and sail She was without Continued on page 10 Continued from page 9 ballast. and to be of shallow draught. The registered at a OER TIO NTS last of her type to be British port, she proved to be one of the fastest and most successful schooners ever to sail in British waters. Peter’s model is fully radio controlled, the radio aerial running up the centre of the mainmast. The length of the model was dictated by the length of the back seat of Peter’s car and is four foot. two inches long. with internal ballast she weighs seventeen pounds, five ounces. The hull was built over moulds with bent frames out of teak, the bulwarks and counter from copper sheet, soldered, screwed and glued in place. Deck. masts and spars arc of spruce. Down below according to Peter- became somewhat Editor is complicated. likely to and get since your into * The Lowestoft fishing ketch is another exceptional ‘areas Peter Spencer finely detailed and crafted model. unknown’, I propose to leave the pulleys, Her builder says that she will do anything dnims, winches and braces well alone in this report. They obviously do what was one might expect from a real ship and sails well, being particularly fast on a intended of them ! reach . Like the full sized boat, she can The RESULT has sails made of cotton that was dyed different shades with tca and dye fixer, many fitting including the binnacle and ship’s bell turned from brass, and the model is ballasted with lead also at times be very wet. hull to bring her down to her waterline informative Another of Peter Spencer’s fine modcls is a Lowestoft fishing ketch. My thanks to him for all photographs blocks and sheet along the length of her the information provided, and and the for his and always — cntcrtaining letters. amidships. The Yindler’s Code. “Windle with cespeet – share the pond and the wind, and the time of day: Share a smile, a grecting, pechaps even a bit of humour with those around – those who pass by and express interest in tho activity we are engaged in, even those who simply just pass by”. Mark Steele. 10 TM~ ss /0 coming issues… WINDLING WORLD et) is published quarterly Tony —. in December, April & August. A subscription Searle tells us about the construction of his Man-O-War Aurora. for the next three issues will cost NEW NZ SUBSCRIBERS NZ$9 including postage. We look at the Lancashire NOBBY & it’s history, and offer it as a possible subjectfor windling. Allan Hayes writes about his SH ORT SHARP SHOCK racing Ghost Tr ain Trimaran – and we have photos of the multi-hull regatta in New Plymou th. Why “Sail Days’ are important Sor the Sport. The Journal of The WIND WARRIOR- a un ique new class in Auckland. The Quiet Little Windle Club. The Q.LW.C is an entirely fictitious, non membership organisation acting in name only as the publishing body for this magazine WIND LING WORLD. It represents all those who enjoy the pleasure s of model sailing craft for purposes not cent red only upon racing – those who derive sa tisfaction from good cameraderie and the friendship associated with such activities, and those who en joy a ‘quiet little windle’ even if it is of the solitary kind. Cliff Hawkins – from Surrey to New Zealand: His books, his Photog raphy, his model scow built for the Hobson Wharf Auckland Maritime Museum. Mulleting around – to Linga-Longa windle followed by tea ! (THIS APPLICABLE TO NEW SUBSCRIBERS) PLEASE SEE SEPARATE INSERT WHICH PROVIDES RATES INCL AIR MAIL POSTAGE ON THREE ISSUES UP TO AND INCLUDING THE DECEMBER 1996 ISSUE mullet boat interlude (as soon as we can find o ne !) Upriver OVERSEAS & INTERESTED a – A Firebug Rene Serrao’s big RC sailboat s in Nova Scotia. The new EC12 charge to popu larity. Talking about their girls. St an (on his IRENE) and George (on his ELSIE). ATTITUDE| The Editor takes the hel m ! Rum -laced coffee on Fri sky Whisky outings – or ‘is thish reall y (hic !) whut wondling (hic !) ish al l about ?’ Mark Steele photographs the windling traders of The Jack Spratt Yachts S lady. COVER STORY we oes “Go Aloha, go waltz upon the ripples of the tide, Let the waters of the Waitemata splash your keel; Permit reflection of this sun of Winter mom portside Jacqui Wellington of Giendene in the city of Auckland, New Zcaland is destined to be known as the ‘Jack Spratt Yachts lady’ as more and more people discover, then become enthralled by her creations, Having spent a great deal of time on yachts with her late father – and with an obvious upon your hull, your sails to catch the breeze, you to feel that magic moment when you’re free of human touch, free to search for deeper water and you’re on your own, a partner only of the wind, to travel where it takes you on this mystery voyage, destination still unknown.” Mark Steele 1995 She first came to my notice waen uer picture appeared in the New Zcaland Herald newspaper, and in late August we love of the sea and the island trader and classic style cruising yachts that have more or Iess been swallowed up by both ‘Father Fibreglass’ and the passing of time, Jacqui now builds in wood (whatever kind she can lay her hands on) a variety of gaff rigged schooner and ketch models. met on Kohimarama beach with Rangitoto Not under radio (which she says she knows little about) her Jack Spratt Yachts are their stands, and having becn ‘sccurcd ‘ by in the distance, when she and Robyn her sister arrived to mect me for a photo session – and armed with six or seven boats. It was an absolute honey of a Winter’s day, and one by one the yachts were taken from where they lay on their sides or stood on the tiny hook that fits into a hole at the beautifully crafted and rigged, and are bottom of cach hull and through which is minutely detailed down to the inclusion of brass fittings she has designed and had placed madc for her. attached a nylon line, one by onc they were ‘voyage’ on the in the water and Waitcmata. scnt off to Not only do these Jack Spratt modcls look good, but they arc carefully balanced and sail both realistically and exccedingly well. There schooncr was oAloha the mizzcn_ since stays’l bought as a decorative object for a beach house by the wife of one of Auckland’s millionaire citizens. Jacqui was delighted but sad that it would not be ‘sailed’ rather than spend it’s life indoors as an objet d’art. Jacqui Wellington who also builds Then there was the Island trader, mizzen furniture, has now been a personality on stays’l onc of Mitre 10’s television commercials – ketch Glenorehy and the mizzcn stay’l schooncr reminded me passing on a buildcrs tip to host Gary, and Wareo Polo that so of the schooners I predict that more and more of her Jack of the Spratt sailing models will part company Caribbean that were so familiar to me with their creator. Buy one of these little when I lived there, and were oficn subjects yachts and cach owner gets a ‘manual’ that of my watercolours. is in its own right a collectors item – It was however the gaff schooncr (C)veti and Rasil the gaff ketch €dward beautifully written and with all drawings by Jacqui who also has written childrens storics. (named aftcr Jacqui’s father) that totally captivated the Editor. Sccn on the cover of this issue, both ketch and schooner were also the subjects of much attention by beach strollers that morning. This world – seemingly infested by criminals and villains – and by ‘users ‘ of others, does however, have within it many delightful and talented people. Jacqui Wellington is one of them – a lady with I great talent who creates wonderful sailing actually met the builder of these miniature models that are a delight to cven those delights of the sca, I saw and cxamined who do not own them. another ten or eleven on display in a_ little met There are heaps more, and before shop (run by another delightful lady) her, and both I Just by chance I and WINDLING WORLD (and hopefully you -{s,. readers) LieT\ are all the richer for it. in Herne Bay. 13 Yachts and breeze aplenty at Onepoto. A day of “‘YYindjammin’ ! Model yachties sail for the sport and for kids with cancer. oreeenenes The Editor reports on .$ail £y 95. Apart from Townson Electron’s en masse there were yachts everywhere – The media provided paid little minimal interest pre-event and publicity, RM or Marblehead, One Metre, Fun Fellow, but the sailors turned up and the good Wind Lord Rater’s provided the most excellent of Whitbread Warrior, of °36 60 two and and Seawind, beautiful ‘fifties’ Ten vintage weather conditions. The attendance by owned by Neil Lineham, an EC 12 and the public was most satisfying also, and more. Roy Lake brought three lovely whereas some came, had a look, stayed scale creations of his making, Jacqui awhile pondside two or three hours. Wellington – several of her non radio Classic Trader’s. A good fresh breeze ensured that the There were multihulls too, and they yachts were lively and the racing close, provided stole the and with such a wide variety of classes show. Bruce Ewing and Eugene Amor – on all the way from New Plymouth and the left, water a in great many rotation, were spectator interest remained high. performances that with their Trimaran’s, the former with his ThEWING Thing and the latter who is Dave Moore kept the crowd up with the building the Andy McCulloch designed play and Ghost Train, joined at Onepoto by Alan and Hayes and his GT – the still un-painted with introduction summoned his of commentaries boat designers, boats on and off the water, SHORT SHARP SHOCK. When these and the Barbecue run by Roy Cox, and multi hulls move they move, and though the Ken tacking needs almost a full stop at the Black, were kept busy due to the hot mark before they sidle around the buoy, conditions brought on by their performance was liquid refreshments much of the country. run by a high over spot. an event high Some youngsters had the opportunity to have a sail also, and at the end of the day two ‘sailors enraptured with and were most of the future’ Wellington’s reluctant were models to leave the pond for tea. The Fiji Visitors sponsorship that provided Bureau included some advertising and several pondside beach umbrellas, and Boating New Zealand though not present as had been hoped, did come to the party with advertising support also. Still this is not a ‘racing’ journal and this report at least records a great day for ‘windling’ that was held 18th November in the land of the America’s Cup. Radio and model yachtspersons also gave of their time, and supported the dedicated During the day, the North Shore Radio Yacht Squadron presented the Editor of charity – The Child Cancer Foundation, WW with a framed certificate of Life Membership to his club. I am always refreshments sold. which will benefit from profits on humbled and feel un-deserving of such The North Shore City Council also fully awards, but I am most grateful for the great honour – given (as it was said) ‘for services to radio yachting in New supported the event and ensured good water levels and a tidy park on the day. Zealand. 45 Sooneror later Ful MAaic SCHOONERS, FIJIPSY JACK (LEFT) AND FIJI FUN OFF RUSSELL, BAY OF ISLANDS .o Fiji ‘magic’ will get you. HE FIJI WARMTH OF WELCOME is legendary – as warm as the tropical climate you’ll find there. When Fijians say ‘Bula’ and greet visitors with that wonderful smile that starts slowly and extends almost from ear to ear, they are saying, ‘Welcome to our country’, and, ‘have @ The magic is unforgettable. ) Y iwo } WN fun’ -and they mean it. For more information on Fiji as a holiday destination and how to get there, contact your local Travel Agent or the FIJI VISITORS BUREAU 5th Floor, 48 High Street, Auckland. PO Box 1179 Auckland. Telephone 09-373 2133 or 373 2134. Fax 09-309 4720. ISLANDS