Despite a chilly and breezy start we had a good turn out and luckily for us the rain held off for the most part and the sun even showed its face a few times! It was lovely to see everyone at our first regatta in the new lake and to start racing again after our enforced break. At the start of the regatta everyone chipped in to help set up the remaining items to get the regatta underway and also helped halfway through the regatta to put 10 bags of stones in the lake to make the bottom more solid, there are some more bags to go in next week and by then we should have a firm footing for everyone to stand on from the bottom of the steps to the pole in the middle of the lake.

The regatta started off with the A1,A1E,B1,B1S the first person to get a timed run was Angela Gullick with the A1E (97mph). Next was the A2, S40 and A3. Steve Poyser got a timed run of 116.69 mph (A2) and Bryn 64.71 mph (4O Sport). No one got a timed run in A3 even though both Norman Lara and Ricky Neal were running their new Nova Rossi 60 DD. There were no timed runs in the A3 class.

Hard core for the starting area	Rick Neal awaiting inspiration	A1E at speed

Second round was much the same in A1, A1E, B1, B1S although Angela smashed the A1E record with a run of 109.92 mph and Bryn Colman had a personal best of 68.84 mph (A1E). In A2, S40, A3 the second round was much the same as the first only Angela got a run of 102.64 mph (Sport 40). In class A no one got a run Rick was trying hard with with his home built engine

Round Three and no timed runs in the A1, A1E, B1, B1S classes. In A2, S40, A3 Stuart Falconer was the only one to get a timed run of 82.74mph (Sport 40). In class A Rick Benson was trying a new boat out, the engine sounds promising and with some practice he should get some good results.

Norman Lara A3	Pete Dirs' B1	Angela Gullick A1E record holder

We then had some spare time and put the A3 cable back on Tony Collins had a good run but the boat flew and cut out. Norman and Ricky had some good laps out of their Nova Rossi’s, both looking quite fast but cut out before a they were able to complete a timed run so lots of work this week in the workshop to see what they can do for the next regatta.

As Steve said at the close of the meeting, for a first regatta it was excellent. We managed to complete 3½ rounds and although the cold weather may have been the reason so many of us ‘Did Not Start/Finish’ it didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits.

Results: A1E Class Angela Gullick 109.28mph  Bryn Colman 68.84mph A2 Class Steve Poyser 116.69mph
            S40 Class Stuart Falconer 82.74mph  Bryn Colman 64.71mph

May 29th: Another chilly start but it looks as though summer is on its way as it soon warmed up, much to everyone’s delight. It didn’t take long to set up as most of the work had been done in the previous week, the gazebo’s and timing tent were set up, the safety fencing erected and with Covid precautions in place, we were ready to go!

It must fit together somehow	Andi and Ian Berne	Poring over the flash steamer

The racing started at 11am with the B1, B1S, B1E, A1 and A1E. Dave Sheldrake got a run in the B1S Class (94.15mph) with his new boat. Angela Gullick ran the the B1E but the bungee was not strong enough and the prop shaft broke on her A1E so its back the workshop! Both Steve Poyser and Norman Lara had good runs with their A2 boats; Steve 116.44mph and Norman 128.24mph. No-one got a run with the A3 - Ricky Neal and Norman are navigating the complexities of setting up their Nova engines. In the AS class Ian Berne decided to forgo a run in the 1^st round as he was having problems with his flash steam boat so was working on that.

Round Two was much the same, Dave improved his B1S time (96.80mph). John Underwood's pressure pipe broke away from the tuned pipe so more glue needed. There were no timed runs in A2. John Underwood had a good run with his A3 (111.04mph)

In Round Three, Dave improved his B1S time (100.27mph). Pete Dirs was able to sort the the bungee out which enabled Angela to set a B1E record (102.52mph). The boat is looking well on the water but would benefit from a different propellor. Steve had a good run with his own A1 engine (97.49mph) Again, there were no timed runs in A2. John improved his A3 time (113.84mph)

Rick Neal launching his A3	Rick and Pete Dirs	Angela Gullick B1E record

It was lovely to see Ian and Andy at the regatta. Ian had a few mechanical issues with his flash steamboat, (as mentioned above), so it was not able to run, but hopefully with a bit of work he will be able to run it soon.

A nosey swan from the neighbouring lake popped its head up a few times to see what was going on but decided it wasn’t for him and went back to his own lake. Darryl (Rickys brother) turned up to help out and 10 gravel bags later we now have a nice firm footing in the lake with any luck we won’t need any more. The new fully flushing welfare facilities worked really well (thank you Mike)

Swan having a look at tethered hydros	Airscrew boat in flight

All in all another really good day – looking forward to the next one!

Results: B1S Class Dave Sheldrake 100.25mph B1E Class Angela Gullick 102.52mph establishes a record for this class
            A1 Class Steve Poyser 97.49mph A2 Class Norman Lara 128.24mph Steve Poyser 116.41mph A3 Class John Underwood 113.84mph

June 12th: A breezy start but a really nice and warm sunny day lay ahead of us for today’s regatta at Hall Farm Lake. Plenty of team work from everyone involved meant that we were all ready and eager to start at 11am. We started with the B1,B1S,B1E,A1,A1E,

B1 - Pete Dirs had a bad launch and Dave’s boat managed 2 laps before cutting out. B1S - Dave Sheldrake had a good opening run of 92.51 mph
B1E - Angela Gullick had a good run smashing her record 120.68 mph; thanks Pete for a good launch
A1E - Bryn Colman had a good run 86.68 mph and Angela 105.20mph trying out one of Pete's props. Sport 40 - Bryn had a run of 59.54 mph
A3 - Ricky Neal was trying hard but had a bad launch and Norman’s engine lost a conrod so that was the end of his A3 runs for the day.

There were no timed runs in the A1 and A2 A/S. Ian Berne is trying hard but still has boiler trouble

Welcome shade	Rick Neal launching an A3	Minimalism

B1 Pete had a good launch but the engine cut out, Pete said tank need moving out-board a little. Dave had the same couple of laps then cut
B1E - Angela didn't run any more as some more powerful batteries need to be looked into.
A1 - Pete got a good run 120.02 mph the boat is getting back up to a good speed.
A1E - Bryn didn’t run as batteries are not powerful enough and is looking in to new ones. Angela went on to set a new record (112.05mph) smashing the previous one with the old prop; the boat is riding nice
A2 - Norman got a good run 113.90 mph; Steve had a BAD launch (see picture)  S40 - Bryn didn't finish as was trying a different boat
A3 - Ricky still trying hard and couldn’t get a needle setting  A/S - Ian ran his other boat which managed a few laps then stopped

AS record holding boat	Oops!	Warming up the flash steamer

Round 3

B1 - Pete and Dave still having needle problems B1S - Dave didn't finish the course
A1 - Peter got a slower run 116.63 mph and Steve didn't finish. A1E - Angela broke the earlier record reaching 112.56 mph - the boat just gets better every time.
A2 -Norman blew up another engine whilst Steve got a nice run (116.96 mph) which was his fastest speed of the day, so a big smile on his face.
S40 - Bryn didn't press the button so no timed run. A3 - Ricky's prop shaft came unsoldered. A/S Ian’s boiler malfunctioned so he was unfortunately unable to have another run.

K9 underway	A1E record breaking team	Interested spectators

After the runs ended we finished off with a training session; Pete was trying hard to sort out the B1 - it's getting there. Normans initial foray into minimalism with his new boating table raised some eyebrows but he declared it a success and is hoping others follow his lead! It was lovely to see everyone enjoying themselves and relaxing in the sunshine and we also had keen interest from the swans who stayed with us all day. Another good day and it is gratifying to see that along with the weather speeds are also continuing to improve.

Well Done To All!

July 10th: The dreadful weather forecast did not deter the intrepid Hall Farm Lakers and we had a good turnout. Luckily, the rain stayed away until everything was set up, and throughout the day only a few light showers made their appearance.

We started with the A3. Tony Collins had a submarine launch and Ricky Neal could not tune his engine, Norman Lara broke a ball joint and Stuart Falconer didn’t quite manage 5 laps.

Next were A and A/S classes. Rick Benson had a good launch but didn’t complete the 5 laps; While Ian Berne’s red boat had engine problems and it was very hard to turn over. Next was A2 but no-one completed a run. Sport 40 and Bryn Colman had a good run (71.47mph) In the A1, A1E class Pete Dirs had a good run (85.84mph) and Stuart Falconer another good run (72.39mph). Angela Gullick’s A1E would not bind to the radio . B1 Angela got a run (66.93mph) and Pete (81.46mph). Bryn launched his B1 for the first time, unfortunately it did not complete a run.

Tony Collins, the 'submarine'	Pete Dirs, the 'aero'	Bryn Colman launches on the water

In the A3 class, Tony got a good run (128.69mph). Rick decided not to run his A class model anymore as it was having engine problems. Ian got a good run (91.09mph) in the A/S class. Norman had a nice run in the A2 class (122.32mph). In the S40 class, Bryn changed the propeller but it was not enough to finish the run. A1. Pete improved (90.46 mph) and Stuart’s conrod let go, so more work for him to fix it. In A1E Angela managed a nice run of 107.89mph B1 - Bryan got a good launch and a run of 78.92mph

In A3 there were no timed runs. Ian changed the prop in his A/S model but it was too big and the boat stopped after a lap. An improvement for Norman in the A2 with a run of 125.87mph. Bryn’s S40 was a little slower at 70.57mph. Improvements for both Pete in A1 (90.46mph) and Angela in A1E (111.79mph Bryn managed a timed run in the B1 of 80.45mph

Norman launching Ian's steamer	Broken rod and a blown plug		Bryn and Stuart observe

No timed runs in A3, A2 or A1 and Angela’s A1E was slower at 108.90mph. Ian’s A/S engine was very tight, so he decided not to run it as he wanted to check it over before it ran again. In the B1 class Angela got a run 64.66mph

A good day had in all. We think speeds are down again as despite being in July it was not particularly warm; let’s hope the Sun puts in an appearance at the next meeting.

Results: B1 Class Pete Dirs 81.46mph Bryn Colman 80.45mph A1 Class Pete Dirs 90.46mph Stuart Falconer 72.39mph
            A1E Class Angela Gullick 111.7mph A2 Class Norman Lara 125.8mph S40 Class Bryn Colman 71.47mph
            A3 Class Tony Collins 128.6mph AS Class Ian Berne 91.09mph

July 17: What a beautiful day! The sun was out and getting warmer. Another good turn out and the team busy setting up the equipment to be ready for the 11am start. It was nice to see Sonia Collins on her first visit to the new lake to come and watch the racing. Eleven o’clock arrived and everyone was ready to go

We started with B1 Angela Gullick got a timed run of 65.26 mph. Next were the B1S and Dave Sheldrake got a nice run of 70.62mph.
No timed runs in A1 or A2. In S40 class Angela’s boat was going quite fast until the airfoil came off. Thank you Ricky for retrieving it!
A3 Tony got a run of 132.08mph.

Rick retrieving Angela's tail	Tony launches for another mid 130mph run	Pete on starting duties, Norman launching

B1 Dave and Ricky had a couple of quick laps but did not finish, Pete Dirs had a fast run, but it was flying so did not count. Angela improved 121.31mph but boat ducked in the water and broke the tail fin. Bryn Colman got a run of 82.49mph. B1s Dave improved his speed 97.48mph and Bryn 45.16mph. A3 Norman and Ricky still have Picco problems, Stuart didn’t finish the run and Tony improved to 134.54 mph

No runs apart from A3 where Norman and Ricky were still trying hard but did not finish. Tony had a nice diving launch and Stuart got a run 102.01mph but thinks the conrod has broken. Good Old OPS!

Round 4

Only one completed run in the round and that was in A3. Ricky tried but didn’t finish and Tony improved his speed to 135.92mph

A good day had in all. We think speeds are getting better as it is starting to warm up – let’s hope this continues.

Results: B1 Class Angela Gullick 121.31mph Dave Sheldrake 82.49mph B1S Class Dave Sheldrake 97.48mph Bryn Colman 45.16mph
            A3 Class Tony Collins 135.92mph Stuart Falconer 102.01

July 31st: A good turnout despite the weather forecast. What a resilient bunch we are!

The team were kept extra busy with setting up as the wind seemed to want to get involved making putting up the gazebos, umbrella’s and tent quite challenging. More gravel was added to the lake to maintain an even floor and eleven o’clock arrived and we were ready to go. It was nice to see John Hyder on his first visit to the new lake with his boats. We also welcomed Ian Elliot on his first visit. Ian had a go with the clubs ‘Have A Go’ S40 boat achieving some timed runs and leaving the old hands scratching their heads in wonder.

As you can see from the photos, the coots kept Tony busy throughout the regatta. Later in the afternoon a heavy downpour stopped play for a short while and resulted in a slightly early finish to a damp and windy day.

We started with the B1 Pete Dirs had good launch and a couple of fast laps, Angela Gullick set the pace at 88.94mph.
A1 Pete and John Hyder had good launches but no timed run.
A2 Norman Lara and Steve Poyser had good launches, but no time run.
S40 Ian Elliott was having a go with the club boat and showing us all up 72.47mph.
A3 Norman and John H got no timed run, Tony Collins practised his submarine launch.
A Class Ian Berne had pump problems again.

Variations on a theme from Tony Collins		Ian Elliot's first ever hydro launch

B1 Pete and Dave had good launches and couple of quick laps but did not finish the run. Angela was slower 74.81mph.
A1 Pete and John H had good launches but no timed runs.
A2 Steve and Norman had good launches but no timed runs.
A3 Norman and John had no timed run and Tony changed his tactic from submarine to a flying launch.
A Class Ian’s prop was too big which caused the boat to stop after half a lap.

John Hyder A3	Dave Sheldrake B1

B1 Dave and Pete still having fuel setting problems (should ask Norman if they can borrow the flow meter to check the needle) Angela had a faster run 97.47mph (so the flow meter is working)
A1 Pete and John H didn’t run
A2 Norman blew the plug thread on the head of the Nova and it was leaking, Steve had a good run 107.9mph A3 John H and Norman had engine problems and Tony was still doing flying launches
A class Ian had boiler problems we think water in the oil, so we did not run it.

We packed up after this as the heavens opened up for about 45 minutes, so it was everyone under cover.

What a great turnout for our last regatta at Hall Farm Lake for 2021, despite the chilly weather; lots of competitors turned up along with a few spectators. Everyone helped to set up and Tony got busy with his wizardry fixing the electronic timing machine which seemed reluctant to get going. Steve and Pete bought Norman and Ian some new eyebrows and a moustache! (one of the hazards of running flash steamers) Just look at the pictures! John U made a welcome return, to watch the runs and take some videos. It was good to welcome Andy Payne back again to the regatta who came to watch and brought some mates who are keen to return next year which is very good news. The last job at the end of the regatta was for Bryn and Steve who ventured out in the boat to secure netting around the drainage overflow pipe to keep it clear of unwanted debris.

Now it’s back to the workshops to prepare for next year’s season!