Where the Winds Blow...  

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 richardwebb@freeserve.co.uk. The Footy yachts are great fun and have a unique fascination, and they can sail exceedingly well though they are principally a `fun’ boat.

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Victoria, Australia Footy by Barry Gibson

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!”

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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.

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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:

SAILS

EPOXY

GEAR