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| by Mark
Steele - Auckland, New Zealand
From the small
world of the Footy
to Gucci’s beautiful schooner Creole
and other model yachts,
to boats of battle. |
Whereas in Sydney, Australia they had
been racing twelve inch and even eight inch long `Balmain
Bugs’ in years gone by, the Footy as Kiwis know
it, burst onto the scene just a few years ago in 2001
after Richard Webb of UK had introduced his similar
sized model yachts in that country. It started in
New Zealand with the Ancient Mariners `Beyond
to the pond’ race in Auckland, where the small
boats sail down the canal and into, then around the
main lake, with necessary `lift outs’ and re-launchings
as the rigs are just too tall to pass under two bridges.
Richard Webb still produces drawings and provides
instructions on his delightful little 12” yachts
(one seen in the first photograph below) and his email
is [email protected]. The Footy yachts are
great fun and have a unique fascination, and they
can sail exceedingly well though they are principally
a `fun’ boat.
The Beyond to the Pond annual fun race mentioned
still happens annually, the spoils of victory a rather
magnificent Cannon trophy. In the last few years,
sadly the race fleet number has dropped as some Footy
builders produce faster and better-performing boats.
The introduction of a `cruising style' class to boost
numbers and return to the original scale appearance
of those built for the very first fleet (examples
above and below) has not really increased the overall
number, though this year a cruising style boat built
and sailed by Ron Rule won the event.
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From memory, my friend Tony Searle (below, left)
in Poole, Dorset in the United Kingdom has three if
not four `sailing ships of war’ – you
could say he is a man somewhat addicted in his modeling
preferences to the square-rigged Man O’ War,
and one who would dearly like to see more of these
models built and sailed all together at the Round
Pond in London. Introduced to these ships of the Nelsonian
era by a late friend of his, Bob Capon, Tony has never
looked back and is a confirmed fan of these vessels.
Models of square-riggers are generally speaking not
easy to sail and unless they have a good turn of speed
into the wind, `coming about’ can be tedious,
in fact at times very difficult, but Tony has become
quite skilled at it after years of practice.
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Derek Nicholson of Kumeu outside of Auckland has
built an attractive RC sailing model of the famous
Creole, the fullsize 215’ schooner
acclaimed by many as `the most beautiful yacht in
the world’. She was designed by Charles Nicholson
(no relation to the modelbuilder I hasten to add!)
and built by Camper & Nicholson at Gosport, UK.
Launched in 1927 as Vira. she was at one
time owned by Stavros Niarchos. After a few change
of ownerships she was bought by the famous couturier
Maurizio Gucci whose wife we are told is still in
prison for his murder and the boat is listed as being
owned today by Allesandra and Allegra Gucci, the late
couturier’s two younger sisters. But back to
the RC model seen here (in the first photograph with
Derek Nicholson) which has an overall length on deck
of 1200mm plus a 200mm bowsprit. It has a beam of
260mm and carries 5 kg of inside ballast in the form
of lead shot .It has a fiberglass hull, a kauri ply
deck, scribed and planked, all cabin work being of
mahogany, and 2 servos control all sails except the
jib and flying jib.
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Ron Rule (in the first photograph below) suggests
that if you are going to build a bottle boat (Hey
in the United Kingdom they now have a class for racing
them and what started as a bit of fun is now serious
stuff!) it is bad luck not to leave a drop or two
of the liquid in the bottle's bilge! At the launching
of each boat (he says) it should always be accompanied
by the chanting of the official chant of the Rum
Creek Estuary Crazy Bottle sailors Association
where everyone present joins in. Dennis in the sailing
group in Hull, England, joined two bottles together
(see second photograph below).
“DOWN THE HATCH AND DRAIN IT
WELL
THEN PLACE IT IN THE ESTUARY WATER,
IF IT SINKS LIKE A SINKING WHALE
YOU DIDN’T BUILD IT LIKE YOU ORTA!”
Finally (or almost so) here is a quite different
model and not a schooner! (Big sigh …Ohhhh!)
this one a rather sharp looking `sharpie’ called
Jaunty, built, owned and sailed by Auckland
Ancient Mariner, John Stubbs seen with his
model below. John Stubbs set out and built this RC
plank on frame model, the hull and deck in kauri.
Length overall is 1250mm and the whole boat fits into
the car fully rigged requiring only a pondside fitting
of the keel before placing it into the water. In a
nice steady breeze, Jaunty lives up to her
name and is indeed `sprightly’.
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Here is a trio to rave about indeed, three boats
quite different to each other, one a magnificent,
highly detailed square-rigger, one a racy racing sharpie
schooner, and the third photograph of a boat that
was lost at sea off New Zealand but which I am of
the opinion would make a nice RC sailing model. Take
the square-rigger Gallant (of Glenfield)
first. Built by New Zealander, Malcolm Wilkinson it
is based on the 32-gun US frigate the Essex which
was launched in September 1798, the model seen with
the builder having been built at a scale of 1:48 or
a quarter inch to the foot. coming out at 63”
long. The hull is planked, has several depths within
below, each extensively detailed though not visible.
It has been sailed but has now been de-commissioned
and has become a display model. It is a tribute to
the builder’s modeling skills.
Malcolm
Wilkinson with Gallant of Glenfield
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Above
photograph of the Windward 'borrowed'
from Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club, Wellingtron,
New Zealand 1883-1983 publication |
Built primarily for racing is the sharpie schooner
Ollie shown above in the lower left photo
with builder-owner-sailor Tom Younger of Maryland,
USA. The North Carolina sharpie’s are very popular,
particularly in Maryland where there are classes for
larger and smaller schooners in US Vintage Model Yacht
Group regattas held in the waters of Calvert Marine
Museum. Tom is a member of the Solomons Island
Model Boat Club where the 48” Chesapeake
Skipjack is the primary boat for the club. Both Tom
and wife Sandy are volunteers in the Exhibit Department
as well as the carving and model making shop at the
Calvert. I can’t tell you what turns the writer
on more, the 28’ yawl Windward or the
splendid photograph above taken of the vessel in windy
weather off Wellington, New Zealand. Lovely boat with
a sad ending – she was lost at sea with all
four crew on January 6th 1930 on a journey
back to Wellington from the Chathams. She just disappeared
and was never heard from again. The sea pleaseth and
the sea taketh ! Again I say, I believe she would
make a wonderful RC sailing model.
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Down a track at the back of the
bleedin’ beyond
I know of a place with a wonderful pond,
where wind and water are both totally free
and model yachts sail on a pondy-like `sea’.
(Markus Darcycus)
Previous Columns by Mark Steele:
Articles by Mark Steele:
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