St Helens Model Boat Club

Sunday Morning Sail 26th February 2012

2012-02-26T12:28:00.004-08:00

Hi Everybody

Wow what a morning, by the end of it I think most of us, but mainly David B, Dave M and I were mentally and physically worn out, to say the least.

David B and I arrived early to set out the Club 500 Course which David managed to do with great professionalism and it took him no time to complete the task, thanks very much David.
We were soon able to have a race for the first time, just for fun, and we kept on going until all the batteries ran down. I don't actually know who won but we had in excess of ten models taking part. Lets hope that we have an equal number of members taking part in the races throughout the coming Spring and Summer months.

All being well, David would like racing to commence on Sunday 11th March 2012, so come on everybody do all your final adjustments, charge your batteries so we can all have lots of fun on the 11th. Rob P has been appointed by the committee to act as a scrutineer for the 500 Boats, to ensure that the rules are being adhered to. He has also agreed to ensure that members who wish to race very fast electrics do so in a responsible manner, having regard to other members boats and even more to the welfare of the wildlife on the lake. Remember YOU NEVER KNOW WHO IS WATCHING YOU!!! A quick call to the Council with photographic evidence and your club is in trouble!!!

It's your Club! Don't abuse it! Don't lose it!

We had a couple of incidents at the lake this morning which I will not go into here. Only to say that I urge all members to read the copy of the Constitution which is contained in your Membership Booklet and the Club Rules which were given to you when you paid your Subscriptions.
These rules are very important and must be adhered to at all times.

All in all I think we all had a very enjoyable Sunday morning.

See you all next week.

Christine Hon Sec.

Got the paint !

2012-02-22T08:55:00.001-08:00

Shipmates

Despite the poor weather 11 of us assembled for the mid week sail and seven of us went on to the Stanley Arms for lunch afterwards.

Hon Sec and Ship's Scribe went shopping for paint to refurbish the rescue boat. Chris was wearing the club colours which we used as a guide for the paint to be mixed.

We shall be painting the inside white .....over to you Dave to make the bracket for the flagpole.

She will be a trim little craft when we have finished and see no reason why she cannotjoin the Queen's Diamond Jubilee fleet on the Thames later this year.

We are looking for volunteers to wear pirate costumes on the fun day, if you are up for a bit of plundering and looting an can say arrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh in a cornish accent please contact Hon Sec . I will be providing the Rum.

Sorry about all confusion concerning the GM meeting dates, the next meeting will be at the Stanley Arms on the first Tuesday in the month, next meeting will be on the 6th of March..thats cast in stone !

Aye John .........Ship's Scribe

Sunday Morning Sail 19th February 2012

2012-02-19T13:19:00.000-08:00

Hi Everybody.

Here we are again, another fine Sunday morning, a lovely sunny day but a little chilly. We had an excellent turnout once again, with quite a few different boats on the water. Judging by the numbers of club 500 boats on the water, our members cannot wait to get racing again, please be patient we will be starting again very soon now.

David Baker brought his springer tug "The Sherman" and did some sea trials which were very successful, another form of rescue boat for use in emergencies. Ian R continues to have trouble with his fast electric boats even with Rob's help. I think he will have to go back to the supplier and complain about it's poor performance.

Ian R has given us an excellent trolley for club use and it will be ideal for transporting the rescue boat to and from the "leg", we will be able to push the boat into the water and then remove the trolley making it much easier to manage and less strain on the "old backs" which can only be a good thing.

Most of the members present made their way to the cafe for tea and toast before leaving for home around 12.00.

Thats all for today, speak to you next week.

For those who can make it, don't forget the Luncheon Club on Wednesday at the Stanley Arms after we finish sailing, I promise you, you will not be disappointed with the comfort of the place and goodness of the food!!

Christine (Hon Sec)

Waves- James Bond - Log Fire

2012-02-15T15:03:00.002-08:00

Shipmates

Eight of us assembled on the landing stage this morning, the ice has gone to be replaced by scale sized waves which were challenging for the faint hearted. There were five Club Boats running in
and everyone is talking tactics and itching to get racing.

Nice to see Christina and Olivia at the lakeside, we are missing some of our junior members.

Highlights of the morning were when Evelyn's Wicked Lady decided to hide under the floating jetty (must be shy and not so wicked as we thought) and when Hons Secs Club Boat 500 did a James Bond exit from the lake and landed minus prop on the foreshore, result of having two beige boats on the lake at once and not knowing which one you are controlling.

Goood news ! the council have started enlarging the car park and the fountain is now operating properly.

Well done the Rangers for keeping the landing stage clean and tidy and opening the rest room for us. All in all everything looks promising for the year ahead and we are sure to have some fun.

After Sailing, Christine, Ian and Evelyn and Ships Scribe decided to recce our new GM meeting and Luncheon club venue at the Stanley Arms. We all agreed that we have sourced a good venue,great food at a reasonable price - and lots of it ! Traditional log fire to warm our cockles and friendly staff to boot.

Our meetings will take place in the glass extension show in the above picture

Wonderful Day....................

Aye John ( Ships Scribe)

Sunday Morning Sail 5th February 2012

2012-02-05T03:28:00.000-08:00

Hi Everybody.

No sailing this morning

Dave Maddocks and Martin Davies braved the weather and turned up at the lake.
The park gates were closed and locked the lake completely frozen over apart from the area around the fountain, there were no Rangers in attendance and the cafe was closed. If anyone else turned up, well done! I'm proud of you.

Thats it for today.

See you Wednesday, weather permitting.

Christine (Hon Sec)

Sunday Morning Sail 29nd January 2012

2012-01-29T12:48:00.000-08:00

Hi everybody.

Here we are again another very pleasant Sunday morning weather wise, virtually no wind and calm water, just perfect for sailing vessels of all types.

We had around fifteen to twenty members on the landing stage today, we all had fun and lots of good banter about boats and anything else which took our fancy.

It was an excellent morning for trying out new boats, Ian Rees tried out his brand new very fast electric but unfortunately it performed badly and he was very disappointed with it. Rob joined us and did his best to sort things out for Ian but unfortunately did not manage a result today, I think he has a few ideas which might work, time will tell.

Bob B sailed his motor torpedo boat and the lads said it sounded like Jaguar engine or an old Rover engine, very throaty. With three motors on board it looked and sounded magnificent on the water.

Rob let one or two of us have a play with one of his high performance racing boats, you certainly have to have your wits about you controlling one of those!! but it was, and is great fun.

For my part can I thank you all for all your kind wishes for my birthday which I celebrated yesterday and for all the lovely cards and gifts. It's really nice to have so many friends who treat me so well Thank You all.

Well that's about it for today.

See you Wednesday or next Sunday.

Christine Hon Sec.

Wednesday Sail and Luncheon Club

2012-01-25T07:09:00.000-08:00

Shipmates

Fourteen members fell in on the Landing Stage, bright eyed and bushy tailed, obviously we had all taken our (prescription) pills ........ although I have my doubts.

What a pleasant day it was! lake was calm with just enough breeze for Ian Jones to sail his yacht, the banter was great as usual, Ian leading the way. Ian would have made a good Matelot, why he ended up with the RAF goodness knows.

Evelyn has passed the Admiralty Examination Board Examination and she is now capable of launching, sailing and recovering her own craft. Evelyn also has a Club 500 on the stocks "Wicked Lady" no.21.

There are now 23 Club 500 boats registered with the club. The list will be updated on the 500 page shortly. I need to photograph of those members' boats which are not already on the 5oo page.

After sailing four of us made for the "Wellie" for victuals and refreshments and in just under an hour we solved the national debt, changed the judicial system to benefit victims instead of criminals and held a board of inquiry into the sinking of the Costa Concordia

A good day..............Whoooooooooooooooooooooop Whoooooooooooooooooooooop

Aye John (Ships Scribe)

Sunday Morning Sail 22nd January 2012

2012-01-23T01:54:00.000-08:00

Hi everybody

Once again a day late but not to worry we got here in the end!
I arrived at the lake EARLY!!!! first one to arrive, see I don't lie in bed on Sunday mornings! Keith.

What a day, it was blowing a howling gale today the lake was like the north atlantic in a force 10. Three idiots sailed their boats, Ian and I sailed our 1metre class yachts and had rather a lot of fun in the strong wind. Ted sailed his very small boat which eventually disappeared under the waves. Fortuneatly it sank near to the landing stage and after a bit of messing about he managed to salvage it none the worse for the sinking.

We had 15 members at the lake this morning which considering the weather and the time of year is absolutely great, in previous years we would be luckily if we got 3 members at the lake during the early weeks of the new year.

We spent quite a bit of time discussing silly things and boat related problems in our centrally heated room in the boathouse. Some of us had tea and toast in the cafe before departing for the day.

Rob stayed behind with me and Dave M so he could show us what might be the next new type of model for the club. A very simple but veeerrryyy fast hydroplane, it went like crazy and generally performed extremely well considering it was its first outing and he had made no adjustments to it at all.

Thats all for today.

Speak to you next week.

Christine Hon Sec.

Wednesday Morning Sail 11th January 2012

2012-01-12T02:50:00.000-08:00

Hi Everybody

John is not feeling shipshape this morning so I am sitting in the Wednesday seat today.

We had a very pleasant morning's sail with eleven members present on the landing stage. The weather was reasonable with just a little of the drizzle which seems to wet you more than heavy rain.

As usual there was a good mix of fast and slow boats, but there is a risk of us falling into bad habits once again. Slow and scale to the left of the landing stage and fast to the right please I am going to make a notice to indicate this and it should be in place on Sunday morning. We don't want any fights when somebodies model is damaged or sunk!!

Jim, Sue and I did not go to the Wellie today so we all left around 12.00

That's all for today, see you Sunday.

Christine (Hon Sec)

Sunday Morning Sail 8th January 2012

2012-01-09T07:29:00.000-08:00

Club 500 Racing Presentation Day 2012

Well what a morning! for our first presentation day for Club 500 racing, the first of many I hope.

The results are well documented by John on the website along with a great collection of pics of the winners. Just to remind you the winners were as follows:

SENIORS

Richard Armstrong (First)

Andy Axton (Second)

David Baker (Third)

JUNIORS

Jay Rayner (First)

Andrew Murphy (Second)

Becky Leatherbarrow(Third)

I was awarded the Outstanding Member of the Year Trophy for 2011, and can I take this opportunity to thank you all for voting for me, it is a great honour for me and I feel very proud to have served you all in 2011. I feel that I am only doing my job and that is what club Secretaries do. Anyway enough of that.

We had twenty seven members on the landing stage and what a great crowd you are too, we had fast boats, slower boats and very ffffaaasssttt boats. we had members determined to rid the lake to wild life who fortunately did not succeed! a strange red UFO flashed over the water and nearly rose into the air! then disappeared! Jim took his eye off his boat and lost it for a while only to recover it at the far side of the lake. Ian R did his best to sink his boat and as usual thanks to the rescue boat failed, thanks John and Dave for the recovery.

To round off the morning we had a very nice group photograph of all the members present today and this is featured on the home page of the website.

Once again thank you all for turning up and making Sunday mornings so special. Don't forget we still have a number of calendars to sell so contact me for one while stocks because once they are gone, they are gone!!

See you all next Sunday.

Christine (Hon Sec)

Sunday Morning Sail 1st January 2012

2012-01-01T14:52:00.000-08:00

Hello again!
It's 10.00am it's dry and quite warm! and it's NEW YEARS DAY welcome everybody to 2012.

I was not going to attend the lake today as the weather looked decidedly wet and I thought the likelihood of anybody turning was probably quite small. How wrong I was, we had ten members present and two guests, my brother and sister in law, thought they would come and see what their little sis did on Sunday mornings! It was a nice surprise to see them as I did not know they were coming to the lake.

I did not take a boat this morning but Ian R very kindly let me sail his MTB while he sailed Gordie Whippet.

Barry K brought his children and Jacob had a chance to sail his new boat which Father Christmas had brought him. Unfortunately it capsized and Dave M got the rescue boat out and rescued it for him. No harm done, after a little drying out of the electronics, Jacob will be able to have another go next week.

We called it a day at around 12.00 and everybody made their way home to New year's day dinners I suppose.

Don't forget everybody, next Sunday is prize giving day. winners are:- Rich, Andy and David B, Jay, Andrew M and Becky. It would be nice if we could have a winners photograph with their club 500 models. Please do turn up and make the morning worthwhile

Don't forget to come and buy your calendars as well please!!

That's all for now

Christine Hon Sec.

Rum & Mince Pies

2011-12-21T07:57:00.000-08:00

Shipmates.

Arrived early ( 0915 ) expecting a large turnout on this, our last sailing day before Christmas, pleasant morning and a good day to sail.

Took a stroll around the lake and eventually met up with Ian Jones with yacht in tow and more importantly home made mince pies. Martin, Jim and Sue joined us making a grand total of five

Launched Flying Phantom with music aboard to get us into party mood, we actually did a bit of a jig, (hope that does not surface on U tube)

Ships Scribe provided the rum and Ian provided the tot measure and sailors call pipe, "Up Spirits" was ordered and we assemble for a group photograph, would have been nice to have had more members at the lake today to welocme the festive season in.

Afterwards Jim ,Sue and I made for the "Wellington" for refreshments and a sharpner. another good day at the office.

Hope you have a wonderful Christmas

Aye John, Ships Scribe.

Sunday Morning Sail 18th December 2011

2011-12-19T04:13:00.000-08:00

Here we are again, Sunday morning. As usual plenty of members had arrived before me, I really must get up earlier I can't let the side down can I?

It was quite cold today but free from rain which was great. The lake was frozen in parts and Ian Rees took advantage of the ice and successfully flew/sailed his air boat, it really worked very well.

I brought the Club calendars today and managed to sell twenty to the members present, we still have a long way to go but we should make a little profit for the club if we we manage to sell them all. So let me have your orders please as soon as you can.
Design4print, who have put the calendars together for us, say that our calendar is probably the best designed calendar they have ever produced so that says it all!

We made use of the Wimps room today and I actually found John (ships scribe) sailing his coaster from INSIDE the room, I thought you were a tough seafarer!! John Ha!

Dave M and I sorted out the "leg" and removed all the clutter which we do not use on a weekly basis into the Container. To save a lot of legwork we used Dave R's 4x4 to move the stuff from the leg to the container, thanks Dave.

Soon after Dave M and I went for tea and CAKE in the cafe.

The Fleeces will be available from Friday this week, but I will not be able to get them to you before Christmas, as I will not be down at the lake until possibly new years day, if anyone wants to turn up.

If anyone has not voted for outstanding member yet will they do so by Christmas please.

That's all for today and indeed for this year.

Have a great Christmas and hopefully a Prosperous New Year.

Christine (Hon Sec)

Wednesday 13th Dec

2011-12-14T08:47:00.000-08:00

Shipmates
Arived early,weather cool but fine. good sailing day.

Christine followed soon after and we launched the Rescue Boat as soon as we could to bring in the 500 course buoys for the winter. There was a hole in one which we can repair, but we need to puchase some more for spares which we can also use for a steering course in the future, over to you Dave (M) & Purser.

The Rescue Boat will be out of action until further notice, we need to carry out repairs to the rowlock guides and support brackets , hope this will not take too long but it has to be done. We have to revert to using other craft to push disabled ones to safety.

Grahame, Ian and Evelyn arrived soon after, Ian brought along a couple of airboats for trialing, one was quite atheletic as it kept flipping over, the other had the smell of death about it!, back to the drawing board Ian, thought you RAF types were genned up on airprop propulsion.best leave it to the Fleet Airarm or Airy Fairy's as we use to call them.

Ian Jones brought his yacht along and Christine her steam launch., Jim and Sue joined us later.

The wimps room was opened up for us, much appreciated, as the temperature was dropping rapidly as the morning progressed.

Another good day, got a few jobs done and had a bit of fun, the usual crowd made for the Wellington for refreshements, a double rum introduced some blood back into my fingers which I had not felt since having them in the oggin lifting the buoys. hope to see all the Wednesday Club next Wednesday. I will supply the rum, someone bring the mince pies.

Let go Foward, let go Aft, Full speed ahead. Whooooooooooop WHoooooooooop

Aye John

Sunday Morning Sail 11th December 2011

2011-12-11T11:28:00.000-08:00

Well here we are again another Sunday morning sail and what a sail it was!!

Today was the final day in our Club 500 racing season, the "FINAL". What a day it was too, it poured with rain all morning except for a short period when the rain stopped.

I arrived at the Lake and thought to myself, what am I doing here on a day like this. I made my way to the landing stage to find Dave B, Andy A, John Brad, Keith and Jay, Ted Jackman, Rich, Jim N and Lewis had already arrived and were all sheltering from the torrential rain. This did not stop us getting all the required equipment out of the "leg" and getting on with racing.

Eventually the rain did stop for a while so we all rushed over to the 500 course. We had a total of five boats racing today and five markers, sorry I forgot to say Jim and Sue arrived just before we started racing. The race was as usual very exciting and past off without any major problems like sinking, turning over or been smashed out of existence. We could not use the white board because the rain made all the writing run and the water caused the pens to stop working. Rich happened to have a pen and paper and managed to record the figures for me to enter into the results table on the 500 page of the website.
We were going to have a second race but the heavens opened and we had to abandon racing for the day and bring Club 500 racing to a close for 2011.
Thank you to everybody who came down to the lake today and have helped to make Club 500 racing such a success for this club.
I am personally looking forward to the 2012 season which will start as soon as the weather permits us to do so. Lets take our fun to other clubs in the area who do 500 racing, or invite them to join us. Lets have some fun!!

The Cups for winners will be awarded as soon as they are engraved. The winners will be able to keep their cups for the year, but they must be returned to the Club at the AGM.

A few of us retired for tea and toast and left the park around 11.15am.

See you next time.

Christine Hon Sec

Wednesday Morning Sail

2011-12-07T08:24:00.000-08:00

Hello Everybody

Ian reporting for duty this morning.

Four members turned up on this cold and blustery day.

I was the only one who ventured out onto the water, I sailed my one meter yacht with a trimmed down set of sails. It was hurricane conditions and amazingly the boat did not take on any water.

Grahame F brought his Club 500 and was going to sail then he wasn't and then he was. The wind blew harder and his spirit went indoors and so did he.

Jim Grundy, Sue and Grahame F huddled the wall for a teeth chattering natter (say that when you’ve spliced the main brace)

We had a chap named Rob call in, he was looking to became a member and was given a form to fill in by Jim.

The trepid few stuck it till about 10.50 then retired, Jim and Sue to the warmth of the tea shop, and later to meet up with Chris at the Welly for mid day nosh.

Me, off home for a warming mug of soup.

Good sailing everybody, see you next time

Ian Jones

Sunday Morning Sail 4th December 2011

2011-12-04T04:13:00.000-08:00

Morning everybody.

Had planned on not going to lake this morning because the weather at 9.00 was horrible. In the end I decided to go anyway.

I arrived to find that Keith and Jay had been on the landing stage since before 9.00am and were happily sailing their boats. John Brad had had a run round the lake for his mornings' exercise.

Jim and Sue arrived a little later followed by Grahame F. The only boats on the water today belonged to Grahame, Keith and Jay.

The weather was pretty miserable with a lot of rain interrupting the sailing, but we had a change to get a breath of fresh air and have a good natter. John, Sue and Jim retired for tea and toast.

That was that for this mornings sail. We all left around 11.30am.

Don't forget monthly meeting on Tuesday at 8.00pm

Christine Hon. Sec.

Day of Action

2011-12-01T08:41:00.000-08:00

Hello Shipmates and Wall Huggers

Despite having to move our sailing day at short notice because of the Day Of Action we still managed to get 12 members on the landing stage this morning. Hope that no one turned up on the Wednesday, It is always a good idea to check our web site notice board for the latest imformation before you come down to the lake.

We are still being blessed with decent weather whilst the rest of the country has suffered, we have not had to cancel a single sailing day this Autumn, it is getting a bit cooler though, hope this will not deter our valiant Shellbacks and Tars over the winter months.

We had a mixture of craft on the lake which was like a mill pond, Derek trialed his 500 ready for racing. Don't forget the last race day of the year will be on the 11th Dec.

Good to see that the water level is rising and the weed dying off. The landing stage is looking nice and clean, lets hope it stays this way!

The General Meeting is next Tuesday, the last of 2011, pop along if you can.

As usual, Chris, Sue, Jim and I retired to the Wellie for lunch and a chinwag.

Aye John (ships scribe)

Sunday Morning Sail 27th November 2011

2011-11-28T01:48:00.001-08:00

Hello Everybody

This morning was reasonable, weather wise the only problem was that it was extremely windy and VERY cold. We modellers are a tough old bunch and we had a good turnout with all sort of models on the water.

We had three committee members and two full time helpers, Andy(safety officer) and John(webmaster) with us this morning so the setting up tasks were dealt with very quickly and efficiently.

Today was Club 500 race day which we held around the 500 course which is now in it's permanent position to the right of the jetty.
We had one race with initially eight boats taking place, but Paul, Grahame and myself dropped out with mechanical problems.
The water was very rough, the wind very wild so we decided for the safety of the boats, it was best to abandon racing for today, which was a pity.

Ian Jones sailed his yacht and in the windy conditions he had a lot of fun. Where are all the yachts? at on time we couldn't move on the landing stage for them. Now the weather is changing and becoming more blustery lets see some more on the water. come back to us Ron and lets have a good sail and a laugh!!!

Around 12.30 we packed up went for tea and toast and then went our separate ways.

Please note there will be no sailing on Wednesday 30th November due to industrial action, so we will sail on Thursday morning instead. John has put a note on the Home Page to highlight this.

More exciting news next Sunday.

Christine Hon. Sec.

Wednnesday

2011-11-23T15:48:00.000-08:00

Hi Shipmates and Wall Huggers

Another great sailing day for the Wednesday Club, sounds like an oldies outing but we are young of heart and nimbl -ish of foot and soon had our craft on the Lake.

Got to meet and have a chinwag with some of the new members for the first time, what exciting lives we have all lived. there is a lot of friendly banter down on the Landing stage these days, long may it last.! No John Waynes or Bette Davis's to rock the boat , thank God !

Hope you are all getting to grips withe the new forum , thanks for that Rich ! looks great !

Don't forget 500 racing this Sunday, we need as many boats as is possible at the start.

full speed ahead

Aye John

Sunday Morning Sail 20th November 2011

2011-11-20T12:27:00.000-08:00

Hi Everybody

Well here we are again. What a brilliant morning!!

I woke up, drew the curtains back to find a dull misty cold morning. Would there be anybody at the Lakeside? you bet there was! Members turned up ladened with models of all kinds, bags, chairs, you name it, they were there!
At one time there was a queue at the gate with members itching to get there models on the water.

We welcomed a new member today our 60th. His name is Graham Hough and he travels all the way from Rhyl in North Wales, nice to have you on board Graham. Some of us already know Graham because he flys helicopters with us in Warrington from time to time.

It was not Club 500 day today, but you wouldn't have thought it. There were more 500's on the water today than there were racing last week, Odd!!!

David Baker tried out a prototype of the air boat which we hope to be flying/sailing? when the weather gets very cold and we cannot sail our 500's. Once again the result of his efforts was nothing less than spectacular, even at half throttle it went like the wind, sorry for the pun. Well done David!

Eventually all batteries ran down, everything was packed away and we all left at around 12.30.

That's it for today. I'll see the old codgers (I suppose I am an old codger too) on Wednesday and the rest of you for Club 500 Racing next Sunday and LETS HAVE A GOOD TURN OUT OF 500 BOATS!!!

Christine (Hon Sec)

Wednesday 16th Nov

2011-11-16T07:24:00.000-08:00

Hi Shipmates.

Ten of us mustered this morning for the Wednesday Sail, nice to see new member Martin Davies who brought along his recently assembled 500 which caused quite a stir, fast !!! Even Rich was taken aback.

Christine launched her new 500, and Grahame brought along his 500 too, we also had a steam launch, a cargo ship and a couple of pleasure craft on the water,

It was a dismal and damp day and getting colder by the minute but we are a cheery bunch and all agreed it was another pleasant days sailing without any breakdowns or nosey swans butting in.

Christine and I retired to the Wellington afterwards for refreshment. She reports that things have quietened down since the AGM and most of the subs had been collected, so we can start planning for next years events.

We have put an ad on the Home Page recruiting for dedicated assistants to help at the lakeside, quite a few members have commented about the lack of help Christine is receiving at the lakeside on a Sunday.

A lot of blame has been put on absent committee members, but these members are already doing a useful job away from the lakeside, so volunteers please! I am willing to come on as a sub for Christine should she need time out on a Sunday.

Please put you name forward before the next General Meeting on the 6th of December.

Aye John

Sunday Morning Sail 13th November

2011-11-14T03:03:00.000-08:00

Today is Rememberance Sunday at 11.00am all members present gathered on the Landing Stage to take part in an Act of Rememberance; to remember the Dead of two world wars and subsequent conflicts since then.

Hello Again

You might say, late again! I have so much to do!

Anyway down to business. Another great morning's sail once again, the water calm the weather beautiful and not too cold considering we are half way through November, just perfect for flying boats, I mean Club 500 racing!

Seven of us took part in the racing; I wish more of you would take part as we are getting a distorted picture of what you 500 Clubbers are capable of under race conditions. We raced today on the original course to the right of the jetty and once again attracted loads of the general public to watch the racing and general fooling around! Even the Swans and Cygnets came to watch the racing; we had to stop the race for a few moments until the Swans lost interest and then we carried on with the race.

David B and I were very pleased with all of you who helped get all the equipment out of the "Leg" and put it back again when we finished. Thanks everybody for helping it was very much appreciated.

I think we had every kind of model on the water today from little boats to tugs, steam and even though it was quite calm, yachts. I counted almost thirty members on the Landing Stage. Mabel very kindly did the Lottery and collected £22, so £11 for the winner and £11 for club funds. Thank you for that, in these hard times it is good to see that you care about the club and of course you might win some money!

Next race day will be on 27th November weather permitting, we will keep you posted on the website.

I will see you on Wednesday and next Sunday, so until then good sailing to you all.

Christine (Hon Sec)

Wednesday 9th Nov

2011-11-09T10:35:00.000-08:00

Twelve members assembled for the mid week sail, The lake was like a a mill pond and ideal for all craft except sailboats.

Nice to see new faces on the landing stage as our club goes from strength to strength, two more onlookers have shown an interest and Chris had another request for an application form.

The rescue boat was launched to recover two models, Flying Phantom's rudder locked to port and Joffe
also broke down.

I did a recce of the 500 course to check for weed, there are a couple of small patches, did my best in the the short time I had to remove this by hand and we put a 500 around the course without picking any weed up,however there are still a couple of patches floating aound so we hope for the best.

Unfortunately I was unable to attend the post sail refreshments in the Wellington. Did have a tot in the Rose and Crown later to round of another pleasant day sailing. we have some very friendly people in our club. a good crew all round.

Full speed ahead. Whoooooooooop whoooooooooop

C -in C Home has called all hands to dinner

Aye John

Sunday Morning Sail 6th November

2011-11-07T04:57:00.000-08:00

Hi Everybody

Sorry I am a bit late updating the Blog, I've been very busy looking after the Subs for 2012 Hint! Hint!

I arrived at the lakeside a little later than I usually do and was pleased to find sailing activities in full swing. As usual I organised getting the notices, chairs etc.. out of the "leg", not really the members fault because they do not have keys to the "leg".

I bumped into a gentleman who was happily sailing his yacht and chatting away with other club members. I introduced myself and found he wanted to join the club immediately without first giving us a try; you know, a couple of sailing to get to know the club setup and chance to get to know us first. He gave me his £17.50 and joined there and then. Welcome Frank and I hope enjoy being a member of this club.
Steve also joined us today. He had been down to the club a couple of times before and likes the setup so his subs were paid today, again welcome Steve, who incidentally travels from Saughall in Chester to be with us; I hope you too will enjoy being a member of our club.

Most of my time was spent collecting subs but eventually I was finished so had a sail of my steam launch "Christine".
The weather was perfect not too cold and not a cloud in the sky. We had over twenty members with us today, but funnily enough no visitors, so I didn't manage to get any names in my new visitors book.

Did anybody leave their transmitter on the landing stage? I have it here so it is safe.

We all left at 12.00 so...

Until next time "Good Sailing"

Christine (Hon Sec)

Wednesday Sail 2nd November

2011-11-03T01:50:00.000-07:00

Shipmates

Another pleasant mornings sail, new members Ian and Evelyn Rees joined us, nice to meet you both and welcome to our club, we have 57 members now.

We had a boat wander into the 500 course during racing on Sunday. Unfortunately it was a new member who was not aware of the set up. It was not his fault and we apologise to him. We are introducing safety officers to ensure the segregation rules are adhered to.

The club is concerened that some members are still unhappy about the set up and we decided to move the buoys back to the old course area as the weed is dying off, however there is still some weed there and we will assess it again before the next race day. We know that quite a few of your joined for the 500 racing and we are trying everything to make it a success.

We have attached the lighter weights to the buoys, they are now a lot easier to lift and it is possible to relay the course in approx 20 mins. I hope these lighter weights hold ok, will keep an eye on them. Has anyone got large nuts ( stop bragging) or anything that will act as a sinker to attach to the shot line about 12 in below the buoy to keep the rope from floating, this way we can have some slack in the rope for the rise and drop in the water levels and the hills and hollows of the lake bottom.

Thanks to all those members who attended the AGM, Our aim is to become one of the premier clubs in the country however to achieve this will depend on how professional we become but not at the expense of our friendship, after all it is a hobby. esprit de corps

Thanks to Christine (Hon Sec) for the hard work she put into the AGM, it was quite daunting for her to have so many members present.

After sailing, buoy lifting and general husbandry, Chris and I made for the Wellington for refreshments and to discuss the marvels of model boating, hope the smell of duck poo did not put the other diners off .

Full speed ahead,

Aye John

Sunday Morning Sail 30th October

2011-10-31T07:39:00.000-07:00

Hi Everybody

Wow what a morning!! Dave B and I arrived at 8.30 to find a queue of members who could not wait to get sailing and they kept on coming!

We had over twenty members and guests with us today and we gave out three new applications for members. Two new members Ian and Evelyn paid their subscription for 2012 there and then. A warm welcome to you both.

There seemed to be every possible type of boat on the water today, from the very small to Steam to Club 500 racers. Just great! nearly everybody stayed in the designated areas and if they did stray, when told, they complied without question.

We set up for Club 500 racing and had two races. You can see the whiteboard and overall positions on the 500 page of the website please take the trouble to have a look because it takes a lot of my time to collate the results.
Could we have some different faces taking part in the racing, there are some owners who have not raced at all yet! If we do not all enter into the spirit of the race days we will not give a true picture of what this club is capable of when we eventually take our racing to other clubs who do 500 racing. This is my ultimate goal for the 500 racing. Lets make the investment in the buying of buoys the making of the anchor weights by Dave M and the laying out of the course "worthwhile"

The rescue boat was taken out many time today, but it was crewed by the same person all the time, thanks David!! It is not fair to expect the same person(s) to run around after you all, all the time. There are other members who can row a rowing boat, I bet there are a few of you who played on this lake in rowing boats when you were kids, I did for one!
Please don't leave the task of "looking after you" for want of better words; it's your club please do your bit.

The morning ended with myself, Andy and David flying our Flying Boats. We cleared up and left the park at 2.00pm

Thanks for reading our Blog and see you next week.

Christine (Hon Sec)

wednesday 25th

2011-10-26T13:19:00.000-07:00

Shipmates

Wednesday sailing is becoming very popular and with the nice weather continuing there was a large contingent assembled this morning. Nice to see some faces that we have not seen for a while. What a pleasant way to spend the morning.

We have gained another member and also very nice comments from passers by concerning our models and our hobby.

The rescue boat was launched for weed surveillance, there are still patches in the original 500 area, we hope to rake this out next week if it has not died off.

Will members please assist in getting the landing stage furniture out and back in on a sailing day, it is not the committee members' job to do this all the time, we are already working 24/7, on the bridge.

full speed ahead.....

Aye John

Sunday Morning Sail

2011-10-23T04:35:00.000-07:00

Hi Everybody

Have a look at this link for a bit of fun!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=fwzVjsu9XvM

Well I think it's funny!!!

We had twenty members and their families at the lakeside this morning for what was a very relaxing morning for all of us, a little windy but fortunately dry.

A potential new member joined us for a little while as he was interested in our flying boats, I introduced him to David B. He thanked us for our hospitality and after a while went on his way with an application for membership.

We had to use the rescue boat a few times today. Dave R managed to capsize his airboat; we soon retrieved it for him he emptied out the water checked the radio and lo and behold; absolutely no damage to the electronics whatsoever!!!!

The wind was too strong today so no flying practice for Paul and I with our SEA BB flying boats. David B did try to fly his, but even his SEA BB was a handful for him.

Mark and Dave R audited the accounts ready for the AGM and as usual everything was in perfect order. Thanks Rick.

I checked the state of the weed by the Jetty and it appears to have completely died away for this year. we will move the buoys to that area as soon as we can, watch this space.

We all cleared up and left the lakeside at around midday.

See you next week don't forget it's Club 500 racing next Sunday

Christine (Hon Sec.)

Last of the Summer Wine ? No way !

2011-10-19T14:50:00.000-07:00

Shipmates, Shellbacks and Dry Idlers

Twelve of us pill popping (prescription only) crew fell in on the jetty this morning, definate change in the weather, cold wind with occasional showers, we are a hardy bunch though and soon got to grips with the elements.

Christine brought along her yacht, some time since we had a yacht on the lake. John brought along a very nice tug he bought at the Blackpool show. Forgot my camera !

The weed stuation is getting better every day and the water appears to be a lot cleaner.

After sailing Christine and I decamped to the Wellie for refreshments, followed by Mabel, Sue and Jim, what a nice surprise ! the more the merrier. Who says its the kids that have all the fun , No Way!

Last Post is playing...........

Aye John, Ships Scribe.

Blog / Web and a bit of this and that

2011-10-18T07:39:00.000-07:00

Shipmates

Our Website, has now received 10000 hits, without the help of Google or any farming whatsoever. This has taken about 18 Months.

Our ranking is growing month on month and I would like to see us hit the next 10000 hits within twelve months. To help us achieve this, send us your high quality images and video. Please add technical details concerning the image. send them to Web mail or Christine or John

Thanks to all those who have sent us images and videos in the past.

The Forum is up and running after a few hitches, apologies for that, a few more tweaks and we shall be there. All you techheads, shouting "about time". OK, but can you tie a running bowline with one hand, standing in the top gallant yard in a force 10 gale............................................................ Popeye can!

Quite a few members have not joined the Forum and some of those who have joined have yet to post a comment, it is not mandatory but it would boost my morale to see a few more names and posts, make it worth my while. Same ship, same cap tally!

Thanks to Dave Baker for perservering with the 500 boats, what with the weed and the buoys moving around it has been a bit of a nightmare for him. We want the 500s to be successful, I am sure once it is bedded in, it will be, our ultimate aim is to invite and challenge other clubs.

Christine has emailed you concerning our blogs, please answer it, it will not take a second.

Full speed ahead, whoooooooooooooop. whoooooooooooooooooop

Aye John (Ships Scribe)

wednesday sail

2011-10-12T15:00:00.000-07:00

Shipmates

Eight members assembled on the landing stage this morning, rather dampish with a light drizzle but we managed to sail for a couple of hours before the rain came.

Chris and I circumnavigated the lake on foot to assess the weed problem, it is still quite thick on the southside of the lake, however the landing stage area remains clear and all of our propshafts were clean after we finished sailing

We understand your concerns regarding the weed, Christine has contacted the council again , they have promised to look into this matter.

We are sorry to see Barbara and family leave the club, It was a shock to us all,

Quite a few members are going to Blackpool for the boatshow, hope you have a good day, I shall be at Anfield

Aye John, Ships Scribe

Sunday Morning Sail

2011-10-09T07:09:00.000-07:00

Hi Everybody

Fourteen members came down for a sail this morning. I started the proceedings by putting up the club notice on the gate and getting the chairs out for those members with bad backs etc..

I had a walk along the promenade to the right of the boathouse and had a look at the weed situation to the right of the jetty. Low and behold the weed seems to have completely disappeared, it may be just below the surface but it is much much better that it was a couple of weeks ago, later, after I returned home, Dave M called me on his phone from the far side of the lake and he told me that the weed had gathered in very large clumps against the wall. Anyway fingers crossed it will all be gone soon!!!

I put the red and white striped pole in the water at the middle of the landing stage and fast boats stayed to the right side and the slower boats stayed on the left and stayed clear as much as possible of the Swans and other waterfowl, with no problems at all, WONDERFUL!!!!

It is a while since I have been able to come down to the lake on a Sunday morning and relax in a comfy chair and to listen to the sound of the birds.

We had no boat failures or boats being turned over so the rescue boat was not required today.

All in all an excellent mornings sail.

Christine (Hon Sec)

Wednesday 5th October

2011-10-05T08:19:00.000-07:00

Shipmates

Eight members assembled on the landing stage for our Wednesday sail, the wind and rain held off and we had good sea conditions. Christine trialed the club boat which has been expertly painted and decaled by Dave Maddocks, thanks Dave.

This mornings main event was the moving of the 500 course buoys (again) in an attempt to segregate fast electrics from slower craft to prevent accidents.

We will trial this set up for a couple of weeks to see how it works, we may also trial slots at some time.

As it stands now the 5oo course has moved over to the right away from the side where the wildlife congregate ( there has to be a joke here somewhere). Slower craft will use this area. A demarkation line (around the middle of the landing stage) will define the two sections. The demarkation line will consist of a red and white pole, to form an imaginary line from the marker to the distant LARGE PINK buoy.

SLOW CRAFT to the left. FAST CRAFT to the right. PLEASE adhere to this rule.

The good news is that the weed appears to be sinking and we hope to move the 500 course further to the right soon. We are not discriminating against either genre as the club needs a mixture of craft, the more varied the better..

The club has grown beyond all expectations and we now have 25+ members on the landing stage on a Sunday morning. As you know it has become a bit chaotic and we need to introduce some order to the proceedings for us all to enjoy a safe and enjoyable sail.

Please bear with us whilst we resolve this problem.

A very good morning for all concerned and to top it all I found the sock I lost last week.

Will someone please start a topic on the forum, it feels like I am in a padded cell.

After our sail Christine and I made for the "Wellie" for victuals and refreshment.

Whooooooooooooooooop Whoooooooooooooooooop

Aye Ships Scribe

.

SHMBC forum

2011-09-30T23:39:00.000-07:00

Shipmates

Just to update you about the web site, There is a link to the new forum on the home page. Unlike the old forum members are required to register to gain full access to the boards.

After registration you will be able to send personnel messages,upload and download pictures, add an avatar , join the forums, take part in polls etc.

Aye, john Ship's Scribe

Wednesday sail

2011-09-29T00:21:00.000-07:00

Shipmates

Glorious day, the Indian Summer continues. Eleven members mustered on the landing stage with various craft. . Paul came over from the dark side, bringing his Huntman and 500.

Unfortunately the weed problem still persists in the 5oo course area, we expect this to die off soon and we can return to that area. Plenty of clear water in front of the landing stage to accomodate all vessels, please adhere to the rules of the road.

The membership has now stands at 51, who would have thought that twelve months ago.

As usual the gremlins haunt us, Christine's steam launch suffered mechanical failure and Ships Scribe stepped off the ramp into the deep (again) hello brain, anyone in !

We hope to see you all at the next GM on Tusday

John Ships Scribe

Wednesday 21st sept

2011-09-21T15:35:00.000-07:00

Shipmates

Eight members assembled on the landing stage this morning, weather was pleasant and pretty much plain saling,

Flying Phantom returned for sea trials after a serious melt down in the control room, so far so good !

I have a new flat bladed prop for her which is a couple of mil to big, has anyone got a grinder I could borrow?

We hope to have a new forum up and running soon, until we do please email the bridge if you want to pass messages.

Christine has been hard at work collating all the 500 boat race results, this can now be viewed on the 500 page, thanks Chris.

The web site is being revamped and we hope to have new pics uploaded soon, thanks to all those who have contributed. Please be patient with this as the web site is quite extensive now and C in C nag home has quite a long list of things for me to do.

Full speed ahead both, close all watertight doors and hatches, special sea dutymen close up.............
whooooooooooooooop whoooooooooooooooop

John

Sunday Morning Sail

2011-09-19T03:04:00.000-07:00

Welcome everybody!
We were blessed with a lovely sunny morning once again. John (Ships Scribe) and I are back from our holidays so the Blog will start up in earnest once again.
Andy and Rich met me when I arrived. I think they had been in the car park since the crack of dawn, we really do have some very keen members in this club and for my part it is great to see the enthusiasm shown by everybody for the Club. Bring it on!

Soon after my arrival lots of members arrived for Club 500 racing, General sailing and Flying boat flying. The Club 500 organisation seems to be settling down now we are getting used to the format, everything runs very well and much fun is being had by all.
We have two new 500's which have joined the Fleet, Christina Hunt's CHRISTEVE and Grahame Frodsham's LIVERPOOL LASS. We held two races and the results will be posted on the League Table when we decide on the best way to collate the results. Rest assured we have all the results to hand and everything will be revealed in due course.

Five new members joined us today, so a very warm welcome from myself and the rest of the Committee. You may like to know that we now have 49 members!!

We had three flying boats at the lake this morning, all built by David Baker, we would have had four if I had bothered to bring mine, so I missed out on the group photograph!! We had a flying session at the start of the day but David Andy Rich and myself stayed until around two in the afternoon to get some flying instruction provided by David.

All in all, an excellent morning.

Christine (Secretary)

Sunday Morning Sail

2011-09-04T11:26:00.000-07:00

Good morning and welcome everybody to a lovely sunny Sunday morning. In previous years it would have been our Funday today, being the first Sunday in September immediately following the Model Boat Convention at Haydock, previously Birchwood.

Dave Baker and I arrived at 9.00am followed by what only could be called a deluge of members, to many to count, but there must have been over thirty members and guests present.

We all set too, getting the equipment ready for the days activities. Paul Devlin took charge of the rescue boat and set out the buoys in their new position at the front of the boathouse; they will be moved to their usual position when the weed dies away in the Autumn. Dave Baker organised the club 500 racing and made sure that everybody complied with racing regulations, props, power packs, etc.

We had two 500 races and as usual it was great fun for the members and the general public in the park of which there were many. In between the racing we had general sailing with many vessels on the water. In the Air, David flew his flying boat which was well received by those members who had not seen it fly on previous occasions. He even flew his helicopter for a few minutes or so.

Most people left around 12.30 so once everything had been put away, David gave Andy and I a flying lesson using his buddy lead for added security whilst we are learning to fly. Just to let all members know the members who fly flying boats are covered by BMFA Insurance and our own club Insurance.

That's all Folks!!

Christine (Sec and PA to Ship''s Scribe)

The Smell of Death/ New members?New Boats

2011-08-31T08:10:00.000-07:00

Shipmates

The smell of death hung over the lake this morning as Flying Phantom's (50 amp) speed controller melted down and took a couple of swiitches and connectors with it, looked like it had been exoceted with smoke billowing through the superstructure as it did the dance of death. one for u tube , Back to the drawing board and a bigger amped controller or a smaller motor, nah , keep the motor and go for it, motor rocks !

We had two new potential members in attendance with their boats testing our facilities, hope you find everything you want in our club, if you have a spare 50 amp + speed controller you are more than welcome, thanks for the rescue.

Lewis Nolan tested his newly aquired PT boat which he brought at the Model Boat Convention,

Grahame tested his recently built 500 club boat (Liverpool Lass) which is now ready to join the fleet

News has come down from the crows nest that some members are running their club boats with illegal props, these boats will be not be allowed to run the course.

In all 13 members in attendance , unlucky for some ! and I found a dead pigeon in the garden , is this an omen.

All from the Viking buriel ground, I'm off to sunny Spain for R and R, see you

John Ships Scribe

model boat convention/ sunday sail

2011-08-28T07:07:00.000-07:00

Shipmates,

All hands on deck this weekend with the Model Boat Convention taking place, hope you enjoyed your visit to the show. what a good display of models, and it is wonderful to see there are still so many pro active builders and sailors still around. Well done our crew, I thought our stand looked impressive without going over the top, thanks to all those who manned the stand and those that brought models along to display. I will be posting pictures later.

We could do with some fresh faces and models next year if we are to advance our club and compete with the best. "Esprit De Corps " or as Mr Cameron says "We are all in this together "

Five crew members assembled on the jetty this morning. blustery but at least the rain held off. the recent rain has raised the water level to our advantage.

Enjoy the rest of the bank holiday

John Ships Scribe

Wednesday Morning Sail

2011-08-24T14:44:00.000-07:00

Shipmates

Six members assembled on the jetty this morning and we launched three tugs and two Club 500s onto the water, which was like a mill pond. very quiet in contrast to Sunday when there was 30 members and guests present.

We still have clear water in front of the jetty but unfotunately the weed is still present to the right around where the 500 course was. please be very careful when operating fast electrics with other craft whilst we are sharing the clear water.

Chris and I took our refreshments in the Wellington afterwards and then returned to base to glue back the bits and pieces that I always manage to knock off my model.

Regarding the 500 racing on Sunday....

The first run against the stopwatch and with spotters went well and we are now ready to go, and about time I hear you say! we intend to lighten the buoys so they can be put out and recovered more quickly.

Don't forget Haydock this weekend and the meeting on Tuesday 6th September 2011.

Aye John Ships Scribe

Last Post is playing.

Forum

2011-08-22T09:44:00.000-07:00

Shipmates

Christine has removed the Forum as we were getting inappropriate postings, unfortunately our forum has no membership login facility unless we upgrade our website which we may do at a later date.

Please keep an eye on the web site and blog for information updates. we shall also be communicating through emails.

John , Webmaster