Early
Marbleheads from Queensland.
I
have included a couple of stories into this article, because
they are connected with the Marblehead class about the same era.
One is of a remarkable M called Snow Goose from Bruce Robinson
and another story from Col Cameron on the early Marbleheads also
in Queensland. Sometimes people send me stories that, while very
interesting in themselves and are relative to our subject are
not long enough for a complete article on there own and hence,
rather than not produce them, I put them in to tell a common
story of their state. I hope you like it?
Let me begin, if I may, with this little
bit of research of Model yacht history from 1961 circa and it
reads:
A Mr T. DeDere wrote to the English Model
Boats magazine in August 1961 and said “we have been racing two
36” catamarans for about a year. The Cats’ were raced at the
expense of the few 36R’s that sailed at Brisbane’s QMBC”. He
went on to say his model the “Wild Cat”, has beaten M class
models over 12 knots wind speed.
He goes on to tell about his craft’s
dimensions: 36” OA, Beam 18” and 600 sq” SA and how he built it
and adding it was steered by Braine gear as were all the model
yachts at his club.
These types of little snippets can add
history and they help to build the picture of the early days.
The next Item is from Col Cameron. Col
comes from Mackay Model Mariners. We exchanged a few Emails and
this is what he says [in part]: He was trying to do a history
of Radio Marbleheads in the north of Queensland. His letter
goes on and “Radio Marbleheads started to appear in the north
about 1977/78, I know this as I built an RM out of Balsa from a
set of plans designed by Roger Stollery, it was the “March
Hare”, a beamy 18lber, egg shaped in section (See ED notes)
design that I modified to suit my skiff ideas. This boat was the
first in NQ as one of our members, Russ Caesar had built a RM
from the Mad Hatter Plan out of balsa and glassed the hull. He
made the sails himself and they were not very good so he bought
a set off Nylet in England.
I
then proceeded to build my March Hare as I was sailing a Gwen 12
at the time, which was also called March Hare, it took a while
for I got married in October 76. My original boat is still in
Townsville as I swapped it for an outboard Tunnel Hull but soon
got bored with the powerboat. Went back to Model Sailing with an
Airbourne (magazine) design by Terry Seabrook “ Sea Lynx”
designed in 1979. One of our members built the boat. I liked it
so much I took the hard chines out of the design and built a
mould for it. Using a lot of Fiberglass and Polyester resin and
a lot of swearing, I was able to launch the boat in time for the
1983 Queensland Titles. This hull shape was further developed
until the end of 1986 when a couple of Cyclones destroyed my
shed.” He goes on to say that “they didn’t join the AMYA, He
always thought he was part of the (scale) group until the
formation of the QMPBA. Graham Shanks was the secretary then and
would know more about that”. Graham Shanks was one of the first
in Qld to use radio control in his scale boats and another bloke
was Ken Williams of Townsville. He was one of the first to use a
clockwork winch and radio control for yachting purposes.
“We had the inaugural NQ RM titles at
Castenelli’s Lagoon in Burdekin in 1979 Circa. George Manders
was first, Col Cameron was 2nd and Graeme Turk 3rd.
In 1985 I competed in the Qld Titles in Maryborough with Russ
McGlougin First and me second. I remember this because Tom
Porter was a sailmaker then. He was so impressed with my boat I
swapped him for a set of new sails”.
(Editor’s note## Roger Stollery in that era
brought out 3 designs namely “White Rabbit”, “March Hare” and
“Mad Hatter”. They were all done around an elliptical section
design, one heavier and one light and one all rounder. They
ranged from 16.25lb to 20lb. March Hare was considered by some
as the best one. But they were all good).
Col reports “the boat is still sailing in
its original condition with its home made winch made by the
member, Graham Shanks.
The scale and powerboats were popular with
the scale boys forming a club that encompassed all sailors from
Mackay to Cairns. It was called the Barrier Reef Model Boat
Club. This (later) formed into the Mackay Model Boat Club and
the Burdekin Model Boat Club, Townsville and their own club as
well. The Marbleheads started to be build in Townsville with
about six boats sailing on a regular basis. Just ask Graeme
Turk, Publicity Officer for the ARYA, he was one of them. We had
3 boats in Burdekin and a couple in Mackay”.
----------------------------------------------------
THE SNOW GOOSE by Bruce Robinson.
He
writes: “Well this boat has an international flavour. The Snow
Goose that I have is the original prototype. The yacht was
designed and built by an Australian, Charles Yabsley who was
living in the England in 1975. Charles had won many events with
own skiff design including the Ashton 24 hour race in Yorkshire.
Charles then came back to Australia and
decided to modify the original skiff design to incorporate a
bumper for a Marblehead based on this design. You will see from
the photo that Snow Goose (KA250) has no full bumper and has
maintained its registration under the grandfather rule (?) Snow
Goose is at least 30 Y.O this year. When Snow Goose Too become
available I purchased that as well.
I have had great fun, success and
enjoyment from these two yachts through the years. Snow Goose
sails just like a real skiff and loves it when the pressure is
on. We have achieved reasonable success at club, state and
national level. I have a passionate bond with the Snow Goose as
the yacht has no bad habits in light or heavy conditions.
Sometimes I enjoy the model better than when I am on the high
seas in the real boat.
Charles
built 7 of these models for family members and some of Snow
Gooses achievements are: Qld Champion in Gladstone, Runner –up
in Townsville. Was Club champion a few times in different clubs.
5 times winner of the Carbrook 24 hour race, 10th
place at the 1981Nats in Melbourne and numerous other events
throughout Queensland.
Regards Bruce Robinson”.
The last one I want to show you is about
Bonython Park in Adelaide. Now you may not remember Bonython
Park? It was here that the AMYA (later ARYA) first started this
association with the Model Ship and Powerboat Club in 1964/5
circa.
The writer, Bill Anschutz says that “the
sailors who sailed at Bonython Park had done for decades and it
was an institution. The bottom of the Pond was not properly
sealed and leaked continuously and it was normal practice to
turn on the tap each Sunday Morning to raise the water level so
that the yacht keels cleared the bottom. The Bonython Pond mob
had short keels to be able to participate.
Adelaide City Council suddenly decided to
empty the pond and not refill it. It was an act of meanness and
stupidity but they failed to respond to any pleas for a review.”
Bill goes on to say that this club in later times was an
informal group of ship modellers.
Stephen Crewes. National Historian 2009