Another great club outing

Just got back from another great club outing at Marple Locks Festival, this festival is only every other year and for the last three outing that I've known about we have been blessed with beautiful weather and today was no exception. It was sunny with a bit of cloud now and then, but not too hot!.

We had an early arrival of the gazebos and tables and with the usual members who were used to the set up it was all done in record time.

The setting up complete with guard dog!

Those gaps on the tables were soon filled up and the two boats I had in my car didn't have space until some of the members started sailing on the canal.

We're over here Bob!.

George doing his place cards, being hindered by Bob, or is Bob working him from the back 

The set up ready for the crowds and there were certainly plenty of them.

We were right next to the Buttie stall which was handy, but drove Pepe mad with the lovely smells of beef burgers and sausages

Joe Public starting to drift in 

The gang's all here.

Down at the canal at Lock 16 and after that it was into this turning area for a bit of sailing, the Narra boat on the right there was a cheese shop with a large selection of cheeses and chutneys.

I bought some Cheddar cheese with a hint whiskey flavour, purely for the sake of reporting to you in a future post, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!.

Then through the tunnel behind the cheese Narra Boat came a boat carrying a piper who piped the Mayor on to the site

There was a choir to entertain us all.

Even the donkeys were there, these were not for rides but to promote their organisation which is just round the corner from where I live and was a volunteer there for a number of years before the model boat bug bit me. I even recognized Rusty in the front here who came to the centre at Debdale with his mother whilst I was there.

Joyce Abell, Pepe and I, Don't think you could eat a full one Pepe!. 

Click here to see where they live in Manchester  

Well worth a visit to see these beautiful donkeys in their permanent home for life!.

Just to show you the main show with the crowds that attended

So if you were not fortunate enough to be able to attend this year perhaps this will give you a flavour of what it was like.

Lots of stalls with all sorts of local talent and skills.

Art in the park.

What a pity the weather wasn't this good for our regatta last week, still as I said I don't think we have had a bad one here yet.

We even had a couple of new members sign up, so hopefully they will enjoy their new hobby and join in with all the activities the club as to offer.

Then it was a mini convoy back to our base to off load the equipment into the clubhouse yet another smooth operation with everyone getting stuck in even the sailors that were sailing on our home lake. 

What a team, you are all stars!.

Well on to the next one, Haydock!.

Graf Spee at Etherow plus H.M.S. Jamaica.

Received these nice pictures and a video from Roy Cragg the other day, but always like to post a review of the latest event on here as soon as possible, so it was the weekend Wet Wet Wet show first, but these great pictures are worth waiting for aren't they!.

........................................ Hi Peter. Took these pictures on the club water last week, the movie is of Chris Platfords model of Graf Spee. The other three pictures are of my model of H.M.S. Jamaica which is a Colony Class Cruiser. I thought they might be O.K. to put on the club web site. If you think they are suitable then feel free to use them. Best Wishes.  Roy. Looks like its sat on a mirror  Look at the superb detail there Another mirror shot.

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Very nice pictures and video Roy, thanks for the input!.

That's all folk's

Wet, Wet, Wet.

Wet, Wet, Wet, no not the boy band, that was what it was like at our regatta day!.

From the time myself and the other members who had arrived early to help with the setting up it was clear, (No, not the weather,) it was clear it wasn't going to be a bright sunny day, but dull and overcast.

It was decided that a couple of tables should be put up outside, but the rest were installed in the clubhouse and soon have a variety of boats on them.

The lady from "Compstall for The Christie" a new organisation that has not long been established  in the area, who I'd met the day before and invited to our Do had braved the weather and asked if it was still on!, my answer was "it is if you want to stay", but collecting money is hard enough and harder still if there is no one about!, we have all been to events and enjoyed ourselves, but been on our own with no spectators haven't we, so the lady went home and said she would return if the weather cleared up, which it didn't really.

The usual wet weather sailors had a good time and were geared up like those trawler-men off that program on the television,

Wet day

  I was in my Delboy mode and sold one of those "Freebie" boat's we had been given in the "for sale" section to one of the members for £20, the money to go into club funds, so not a wasted day there.

Del Boy

After a splendid dinner and dessert in Bob the Abell's camper-van,

 (sorry you couldn't all fit in George)

 the weather cleared up slightly and Bob decided to get his latest project Ps Glasgow out for it's maiden voyage, the sparse crowd of members had all but gone by then, perhaps that was Bob's plan in case it was a bad launching, but I was certain it would be alright on the day and it was, it just needed a bit more ballast, but that was the idea of the launch to check it out.
I even supplied the champagne for the launch, but didn't heard what Bob called it, I know what he would have called it if it had gone down with all hands!!.

I name this ship!

The Becker rudder

Off we go.

 Here is the video to prove it.

         

So all in all a very wet day but enjoyed as usual by the people who took part in it.

Hopefully our next venture out next weekend to the Marple Locks Festival will be a little bit drier!.

Marple Locks Festival

30th June 2013

That's all for now folks see you at the Club meeting to-morrow on the 26th June 2013.

Lady Lesley Video and next event.

While at the lake yesterday I took a video of Gordon Longworth's fishing boat, " Lady Lesley", this is Model Slipways kit the "Our lass 2", which Gordon has altered slightly, mainly the colours to suit his own taste, his wife liked it so much he named it after her, But after he weathered it only slightly she didn't like it so much, Women hey!.

Here it is, another great model by one of our members.

This is the real thing,

So I think Model Slipway have done a great job with their boat kit and to show you the model in action here is the video I took!.

           

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Just past the sign that say's "NO fishing beyond this point" spotted these nice fish basking in the top pool 

They must be sniggering all day long up there!.

This Sunday the 23rd June 2013 there is the Club Open day/Regatta which is replacing the cancelled RNLI Weekend, if you can make it at such short notice the stands will be setting up at 09-00AM for a 10-00AM start. 

If like me you can only make it for the setting up stage or the end stage, remember many hands make light work with the setting up.

So hope to see you all there on the day.

By the way take a look at the "For sale" section there are some good bargains on there at the moment!

That's all for now folks, happy sailing.

Warships at Etherow.

A nice change for you to-day folks, a few pictures submitted by someone else for a change!.

Andy Quick sent me these pictures of some of his warships.

As I'm not a navy man you will perhaps excuse me if I've got the descriptions the wrong way round, Andy did send me the types but in a later e-mail so I'm just guessing by the Depth charges on the destroyer, I've watched plenty of warship films with the depth charges rolling off the back and shooting off the sides.

Again forgive my ignorance!, my Dad a minesweeper crewman during WW2 will be spinning in his grave. 

This is the Flower Class Corvette

And then we have a Battle Class Destroyer

 I know this is a Vosper Fast Patrol boat

All excellent models with a high degree of detailing.

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This is me again.

Also on the water at the moment, down the quieter end of the lake there are these nice little Mandarin babies.

Counted 10 babies and I know the sailors won't be too bothered about these extra dwellers at the lakes as these quacker's very rarely come down our end, I was told yesterday that another brood of 12 had been spotted!, so the Mandarins are doing well, not so the other types of ducks and geese they don't seem to have started with any babies yet, perhaps they are too fat with all the bread being thrown in by the visitors.

Still the parks are for everyone's pleasure and what a thrill for young children to feed the ducks, they will be sat in front of the TV, video games or getting up to mischief soon enough when they grow up, they certainly don't seem to be modelling these days, pity really, where is the club of to-morrow going to come from!.

Well that's all for now folks.

Forth coming key dates

FORTHCOMING KEY DATES

Please note two major changes to the published calendar card:

1. Instead of the two day RNLI event 22/23rd June we will just hold our annual regatta on  Sunday 23rd June

2. The Venetian evening and BBQ has been moved from Friday 6th June to Wednesday 11th June

The revised listing of dates/events

Sunday 23rd June:    Club Regatta   -     Tables to be setup at 9am

Sunday 30th June:     Marple Loch show  - exhibitors should bring their boats approx' 8.30 am

Saturday/Sunday 24th/25th August:  Haydock Park show.  Anyone willing to exhibit a boat should contact Mike Hodgson

Sunday 8th September:  11.00am  Commodore's Challenge

Wednesday 11th September:  Venetian Evening and BBQ

Wednesday 25th September:  Photograph competition

  

                                 

Chris Platford

Commodore

       Dates changed in main diary in the tabs at the top of page.                                              ........................................................................................................................................

Another Panart Anteo Tug

I know I've posted about the Panart Anteo tug before but this is another one I found on the lake last week, it also had a couple of barges attached!.

And there you are another fine model built by Eric Presley, don't think he is any relation to Elvis.

A nice set of barges attached. 

                       

Keeping guard on the equipment and boats

These cheeky ducks sleeping whilst members sailing a few feet away 

What's up Duck!

Nice baby you have there dear.

So another couple of fine days at the lake.

Maybe video your boat next?.

That's all for now folk's.