How should I start to tell you about Speedwell ? I was 12 when I made her and the accompanying photo shows me with her some months later in 1960. My interest in model boats was launched in 1958 when I started to experiment with balsa and balsa cement. I subscribed to Model Maker magazine which gave me an appetite for making boats properly, so after 'messing about' with prototypes I settled down to make an auxiliary ketch. No plans. No instructions. No mentor. Just me and my juvenile brain !

The boat was made deck down using the two shelf principle. A number of bulkheads were shaped and glued on, then the 'shelf' glued in place. For those not familiar with this method, the 'shelf' is a horizontal member that takes the approximate form of the boat at the water-line. A vertical keel member was shaped that fills the whole space from shelf to keel. Bulkheads were then glued between the shelf and each side of the keel piece. Sheet balsa was then attached except at the bows where a solid block was used.

The sides of the boat were prepared, then covered with two layers of doped tissue before painting.
A piece of galvanised sheet was bolted to the keel piece to form the keel, and a lead weight later bolted on.
A Kako No4 electric motor was mounted on the underside of a hatch with direct drive to the propellor via a simple coupling. Batteries were two lots of 5 U2s (D cells in today's terminology), and I made a pendulum switch that turned the motor on when the yacht was becalmed and upright. Steering was with a simple Braine type gear made from an old school set-square.

Masts and spars were simple dowel, and the first set of sails were made by Mum using old bedsheets.
Taking Speedwell sailing was quite an exercise in itself. I made a box to mount on the rear carrier of my bicycle, and cycled around 8 miles to reach a boating pond on Wanstead Flats. Sometimes it arrived in one piece !

Fast forward 40 years and after a move north of 200 miles and Speedwell had not only survived, thanks to that box, but had been given a new set of sails, this time blue.

More later.😉

Thank you all for your lovely comments.
Move on to 2010 and I had made new sails, this time in yellow, and added a lead rudder typical of those found on old pond yachts.
When sailing her at York I was most disappointed because I was unable to get her to sail, even on a broad reach.
So, I sat and cogitated for a while . . . . . . . . . . 🤔

I seem to have reached that age when nothing happens quickly. In consequence I continued cogitating over my boat for many many months and finally, in 2013 took the plunge and embarked upon major changes to Speedwell. It was time to bring her into the twenty first century !
The decision I made was to introduce radio control, but just to the motor and the rudder. In part this was driven by laziness, but more importantly I felt that I did not want to lose the overall appearance of the boat as made in 1959, at least not above the water line.
Pic 1 shows the boat with its new keel and rudder. These were essential to enable radio control to be effective. Those with keen eyes will see how large the keel is, and likewise, how large the rudder is.
Pic 2 shows the new keel and rudder
Pic 3 shows Speedwell on the water, and
Pic 4 shows her with wind in her sails.
Pic 5 shows the motor and the home made pulley wheel that is used to drive the propellor
Pic 6 shows the arrangement of motor, pulley wheel, band and lower pulley (red) mounted on the forward end of the drive shaft. The motor is mounted on a hinged plate that enables the drive band to be tightened. The motor is mounted aft of the battery box (for a 7.2v 2400mAh NiMH battery) which has a removable lid.
Pic 7 shows the general arrangement within the boat. From left to right - battery box (for lighting), receiver, ESC with connectors above, motor and pulley wheel.
Pic 8 shows Speedwell in my boat store, now with the main mast moved back as far as it will go, and with new yellow sails to match.

This brings me up to date. Almost. When these photos were taken I used an Acoms 27 megacycle transmitter and receiver, but this has been replaced with the Joysway transmitter and receiver borrowed from a Dragon Force yacht.

The result of these efforts is that I now sail Speedwell more than ever before, and really enjoy the fact that whenever I chose I can bring her back into port, either under sail, or motor driven. In addition, the motor helps me to tack when it would be impossible otherwise. So a worthwhile exercise, and much satisfaction in being able to enjoy sailing Speedwell 64 years after first making her. 😀😀😉