HELLO OLYMPIC...GOODBYE SOVEREIGN

As the R.C.S. OLYMPIC nears completion and her maiden voyage, another Green Sea icon is preparing to leave the stage.

For several months now, the fate of the R.C.S. Sovereign of the Seas has been an open question. The trouble really began during a very successful voyage on March 25th 2006. During a brief grounding, the rudder shaft was broken, allowing large amounts of water to get into the unprotected cardboard. This exacerbated the situation reguarding her hull integrity. Additionally, the electronic speed controller has been on the fritz since the maiden voyage.

The co-opperative voyage with the Zuiderdam on April 29th revealed that the problem cannot be rectified with epoxy or silicon. Sovereign was laid up, pending re-assessment of her condition. I considered redoing the underside of her hull and painting the hull black to hide the water damage.

For a few months, nothing happened, while I languished the decision of retiring the Sovereign. Finally, with the list of proposed new ships growing almost every week, I felt I had no choice but to take Sovereign out of the way, in favor of new ships.

Still, I dragged my feet. Finally, with the construction of the new OLYMPIC, I needed a radio and servo, so I took them from the Sovereign. It appears final now that she will not see another powered voyage.

The Sovereign was originally built as a single-channel ship with 3 radio-shack motors running on 12 AA batteries. When her performance was not satisfactory, she was laid up for about a year and a half. During that time, I considered refitting her as a 2 channel ship. There were times when I thought to throw her away. Finally, I got her sailing again in January of this year.

Now, after only 8 voyages, it seems that the road is finally ended for Sovereign.

Barrett Hochhaus