Sounds great. Would love to see pictures. Heath Robinson or Emmett comes to mind. I did try sailing a bike once.

Cheers, Nerys

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In reality Mark, a real one is better still, but in the context of this forum, I'd like to know if model Ice or Land Yachts are feasible. I've always wanted to try the real thing, but somehow never had the opportunity. Sure you enjoyed your experience despite the bruises.

Cheers, Nerys

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There is a traditional version of the fin, Chinese if I remember correctly. It's called the Yuloh. It's a long sweep over the stern, balanced on a fulcrum but it also has a lanyard which is fastened between the oar and the boat and evidently this makes the oar move in the figure of eight movement just by pushing back and fore. I know that sounds a bit vague, but it's a difficult thing to describe. I am a great believer in sculling, so much easier to handle a boat in confined spaces. Unfortunately it's not often seen in amateur boating circles, but is mainly used by professional boatmen such as sailing barge crews.

Nerys

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Now that I've started talking about Ice and Land Yachts, has anyone ever made an RC model of either?. Not being very technically minded, I don't know if either would be a practical proposition but would be interested to hear what others think.

Cheers, Nerys

Evidently the order was placed in July for Waverley's new boilers and after an extensive design phase, both boilers are being built by Cochrans in Annan. Also, three new electric generators have been built, tested and ready for despatch.

Looks very much as if we will see Waverley back in operation during the summer of 2020.

Nerys

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The lake at Les Rousses is quite shallow, consequently the ice gets very thick and of course it is a biggish lake. The Ice Yacht Club of Switzerland use it regularly as well as individuals. There seemed to be all sorts, varying from the DN which was popularised by the Detroit News newspaper before WW2 up to more modern ones as well as sledges with a makeshift sail Even people on skates holding a piece of cloth as a sail (often falling over). It all looked great fun.
I remember one day, watching the Ice Yachts at Les Rousses, then driving on down to Geneva, where, an hour or so later, I was watching real yachts sailing on the lake in a beautiful (almost) summer's day.

Cheers, Nerys

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Thank you for your congratulations Doug. Sorry to hear you have some health problems too, you have my sincerest sympathy. That's my problem too, a boatyard full of boats awaiting finishing and the flesh too weak to do much about it.

I imagine your lake freezes over, is it suitable for ice yachting? I used to watch it on a lake at Les Rousses in the Jura, but never had the opportunity to try it.

Just going to attempt a little work on my current barge project. Rigging the topmast hopefully.

All the best, Nerys

Hi Doug,

Thanks for your good wishes but I'm afraid I'm still stuck in the endless routine of hospital, probably for another month. We are both absolutely fed up and quite frankly, shattered.

I'd love to feel up to putting to sea again, but the weather hasn't actually been conducive to that recently. Very cold and as for the rain today, unbelievable,

Yes I agree, let the scrumpy smugglers have a free hand for a while, we'll go looking for them when we are ready.

All the best,
Nerys

They were all good looking traditional ships. I don't know when Ro-Ro came in but I do know that a lot of these ferries would have loaded and unloaded the cars with a crane. I remember the family Standard eight being craned on to a ferry at Tilbury. Early Fifties?

Nerys

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The original is a nice looking ship, certainly showing the influence of deep sea trawlers. Should make a very nice model. Will watch your progress with interest. Very best of luck with her.

Nerys

I expect you know that both Lady Daphne and Lady Jean were built by Short Bros at their Borstal factory in the mid 1920's. There are lots of photos of them around as both are still sailing. Models of them are often based on the James Piper hull from Mastman. Good luck with your project, but I still hope the bug gets you and you build a sailing model sometime soon.

Cheers, Nerys

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Purely as a matter of interest, I worked with an elderly shipwright many years ago who had been one of the team that built Lady Daphne. Hope in building a static model, you catch the barge bug and build a sailing model next.

Nerys

My nearest model shop is about 60 or more miles away. Their only interest is drones. A few bits for model boats stocked, but no hope of any advice. I tried phoning a major mail order supplier for information, it was forthcoming, but proved wrong. So the forums are the only place unless you are lucky enough to have a club nearby.

Nerys

I'm not sure, but I have an idea the Billings kit is only intended as a static model, but as redpmg says it is a bit of a toy. My first barge was a 30" hull from Dave Watts and I have been well pleased with her performance. She is the subject of my avatar picture.

All the best, Nerys

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Well done Cash, fully applaud your efforts. Very worthy cause. The cars look good too.

Cheers , Nerys

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I should also have told you that if you wish to build a wooden model, Sarik sell the plan and a part kit to build in 1/24 scale the famous racing barge Veronica. The kit just consists of the main frames, so a lot of your own woodworking skills would be involved. A useful organisation to contact is the Association of Model Barge Owners. The secretary is Richard Chesney, 49, South Avenue, Thorpe Lea, Egham, Surrey.TW20 8HQ.

Cheers, Nerys

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I would think again if I were you. The best and practically only supply of suitable fittings are from Dave Watts Mastman. He makes more or less everything you could want but in 1/24 and 1/32 scale which makes the length of the barges either 42" or 30". Both are popular, but probably most are built in 1/24. He also supplies hulls in these sizes based on a number of well known full size barges. Any help you want, please ask, only too pleased to help.

All the best, Nerys

Lovely collection of cards. Only one comment, what a difference to the cross channel ferries of today.

Nerys

Reading these posts and all the comments about attracting new blood to the hobby, I can't help harking back to the years of WW2. I doubt if there was a town without a model shop. Kits of scale model aircraft were everywhere, most kids bought them or were given them and made them up. I was lucky, there were two shops in central Cardiff and I would catch the bus there most Saturdays and go and buy a kit to see me through the next week. Bedrooms would be adorned with aircraft of all nations hung from the ceiling. I remember seeing a kit of a Russian Stormovik fighter bomber for the first time, I had to buy it.
Flying, or more usually crashing model aircraft abounded too, at least mine always did. There were kits of boats too but they weren't as popular in those days. I suppose I built aircraft and ships fairly evenly. Dinky toys made beautiful die cast ships from liners to submarines. I remember being given a die cast aircraft carrier complete with three aircraft. Would love to have it now and all the Dinkies I acquired.
And now, model shops are few and far between, few kids are interested in models. Unless it has a screen and squeaks it is an irrelevance to the average child. To anyone with a grandchild who has the slightest interest in modelmaking then encourage them for all they are worth. It is so important.

Nerys

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Hi Doug, I guessed you would know all about tuica. Yes I knew about the plum production in Romania. I was travelling there a lot some years ago and took a keen interest in most aspects of life there asnd saw as much of the country as possible. It was always interesting to watch tourists tasting tuica for the first time, the tiny sip, the grimaces, then probably put it down. I learnt at a very early stage to knock it straight back, as did the Romanians.

Don't we digress on this forum, great isn't it.

Cheers, Nerys

Talking of repurposing, wasn't one of the early Townsend Thoresen Dover/Calais ferries a converted RN corvette. I seem to remember pictures of my parent's car being craned on board, must have been early 50's. As has been said in several,posts, restoration and conversion are better than the cutter's torch.

Nerys

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Can't help it, memories of Ceaucescu's Romania are flooding back to me. My then partner and I were the first British people to cruise the, then new, Danube to Black Sea Canal. It was built at huge cost in the 80's to cut off a couple of hundred miles of river and sea for barge traffic to get to central Europe. We arrived in Romania and, knowing that Ceaucescu had officially opened the canal a couple of days earlier, asked if we could visit it. Phone call that evening from a friend in the tourist board, "be ready at 1-30 tomorrow." At 1-30 a car arrives at our hotel, our personal guide for the day tells us that we are going on an official cruise on the canal for local government officials, MPs, his uncle - the Minister for Tourism , Uncle Tom Cobley and us. A great day out, unlimited food of a standard and quality I had never seen in Romania before. The wine and tuica flowed like Welsh rain and the poor old canal was an absolute flop and never paid it's way. But at least I was the first Brit to travel it's length!

Cheers, Nerys

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Hi Doug,
Yes, there were things called Dollar shops in Romania where you could buy anything including spares for Romanian Dacia cars and colour TVs. If you visited a Romanian family and they had a colour TV then you knew they were mixed up in money changing. The Dollar shops were also one of the most reliable sources of obtaining a higher rate of money exchange than legal, but nowhere near what an old gipsy woman with a market stall in Constanta would give. Her stall was draped with tablecloths etc so that you couldn't see inside. Once she knew you, you'd be dragged inside, called my colleague, and a wad of Romanian Lei would appear, warm, from her bra.

I do remember the Russian Berioshka shops too and many a good deal could be done in the Polish equivalent, but only once was I ever offered illegal rates in a Romanian bank.

Those were the days!

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MSM Ken. Apart from the committee meeting, we must discuss future operations for the Bristol Channel patrol. It seems so long since I was involved, just wish things could normalise and let me become a free roaming sailor girl once more. Not too long I hope. As things are, everything is in a state of abeyance. Ships to build, shipyard buildings to finish, it's dreadful to think how far behind we are with everything and these sickbay operatives are proving distinctly unhelpful.

See you Saturday. (fingers and everything else crossed).

Lt Cdr, Nerys

I like the idea of your Juno and Elsa, basically a very simple design developed two ways and both looking very good. Perhaps you have a point, is there any need to build anything really difficult, the simpler design will probably work perfectly well. On the other hand, the way they look, I cannot see you lacking the skill to build a more complicated hull. Well done Phil.

All the best, Nerys

I admire your principles Pete. It's a pity more people do not look at things, not only Korea, in a similar light but as Doug says it's difficult to find items that are completely clean, ethically or any other way. I remember years ago, Ceaucescu's Romania was very short of all sorts of food in the shops. One would go into a supermarket and there would be either nothing, or a few tins of crap (Romanian freshwater fish) and yet there was really lovely looking ( and tasting) Romanian ham on the deli counter in Sainsburys. My principles did not allow me to purchase any.

To- MSM Thompson. Sorry to hear that training had to be curtailed at the lake this morning, but most probably a very wise move under the circumstances, hopefully it will be better at the weekend, I have seen rumours of a heat wave of 11 on Saturday. All being well, we will see you at Cwm Ciddy for breakfast and the committee meeting and hopefully a bit of a sail to follow.

Lt.Cdr. Nerys

Hi Cash. Good to see your report on happenings in your part of the world and also that you and Lt.Errol were able to repel the boarders or invaders, whichever you want to designate them. Pleased to hear that progress on the new flagship is coming along too.

Thanks for the health check. Think I'm going to be out of action a while longer, but what is worse, is that Alice is somewhat under the weather too. And, that's a disaster.

Lt.Cdr Nerys

Sorry Ken. Hospital problems, will not be able to meet you Saturday.


Cheers, Nerys

To- MSM Thompson. BC Patrol

HQ are requesting that all patrols should formulate plans for a return to active service. I suggest that we convene at our HQ on this coming Saturday 30th November in order to put together a possible plan and timetable. Bear in mind that my new command the LFG Baruc Sant needs slipping for bottom cleaning and other maintenance.

Lt.Cdr. Nerys