AMERICA RETURNS TO THE WATER!

Today was a combination day at Dobson Lake. Technically, it was a scale boat day, but that was combined with a schooner event that brought out some of the prettiest looking sailboats I have ever seen!

On a personal note, today marked the return of the S.S. AMERICA to the water for the first time since August 10. She had some new leak-preventive measures taken on her hull and new red tape added. She looked sparkling out there in the sun. A nice reminder that she is still an active member of the fleet.

The Raffaello returned to the water as well, showing me that her 2 motors make her run laps around the America! When the America ran into trouble with the wind (there was a time when she couldn't turn into the wind), the Raffaello handled well.

The wind was stronger in the ealier morning, but by about 12:00, I was able to put the ZUIDERDAM back in the water. Last time she went out, her prop came loose and she was stranded at Chapparral Lake for more than a half-hour! This time though, her prop was tight, and she sailed uneventfully. Her CD player was used for music as well. There was some concern about wind, but she didn't show signs of capsizing.

As for the other MMYC boats, I think you will see how beautiful those schooners were from these pictures. Also, I got some good pics of Jim Munroe's submarine in action! I have long-wanted to see an r/c sub in action (especially one that uses diving planes for submerging). When I build my sub, I am going to put the diving planes in the middle of the hull, so there is no conflict with the center of gravity when I submerge. As you can tell, I don't really care what my sub looks like under the waterline.

Anyway, please enjoy these pictures of the event (especially if you see your boat up there).

Barrett Hochhaus
diamondback78@hotmail.com