Sailing Barge Racing

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi All

Come and see some close racing at our final barge match of the year Sunday 4th September 2016 Mote Park Maidstone start 10.00am

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

AMBO Barge Racing Finals Mote Park Maidstone 4th Sept 16

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi All

We members of AMBO are being hosted by my home club Chantry MBC at Bluewater Shopping Centre Kent on this Sunday 9th are racing our sailing barges, come along a see the fun, my own barge Veronica, built by Peter Simmonds of the IOW did well at the last match at Silvermere with her new main sail (the picture shows her old main)

Regards Ray

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

It looks a nice pastime, Ray………I wish we were 150 miles closer

Do you use a deep keep or a mountain of lead?

The sails look nice, light and billowy

We tried to arouse some interest in barge racing in the club, a few years ago, but to no avail

Bob

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Our barges……..Lady Daphne

Your mainsail is much bigger than ours, for some reason

I`m sure, ours is as the Ferguson drawing

Apologies for the stray J class yacht picture…….A slip of the pen

Bob and Geoff

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Bob

We seem to use a variety of fin keels with a lead bulb similar to a 1m boat, or I've had more racing success with a shallow draft winged keel moulded in GRP and filled with 6 lbs of lead which I made for last years racing. The keel is attached with 6mm stainless studding and a wing nut so we can change the keel to suit the conditions, or if the lake is a bit on the shallow side.

Lady Daphne looks like a fine barge

Regards Ray

[Martin Field 1Participant @martinfield1]

Ray, since barge sailing is effectively scale sailing, do you have any idea what happened to that organisation?

Thanks for any info.

Martin

PS, any wherries in your club?

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Martin

My home club Chantry MBC at Bluewater does have members with Wherries who sail on our lake.

AMBO the Association of Model Barge Owners is very active with the match racing in 4 classes/sizes of Thames sailing barge at 6 different clubs through this summer. Last Sunday's racing my 1/32nd Giralda won a race & my 1/24th scale Veronica won the last race. All credit goes to our Richard Chesney for keeping the show on the road, and all the club's who let us use their water.

I also belong to the MYA for yacht racing as part of being a member Eastbourne & DMYC for DF65 racing, I'm sure the MYA has a Scale Sailing Section.

Regards Ray

[Martin Field 1Participant @martinfield1]

Ray, thanks for your reply. Would it be an imposition to ask if your wherry members use a GRP hull I could buy or are they all handmade? I could make one of course, but I am starting to think that life's getting a bit short to make everything!

I've had 2 or 3 expressions of interest for the resurrection of the old Scale Sail Assoc., but I'm not holding my breath.

I'll make enquiries of the MYA.

Thanks, Martin

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Martin

I think our Wherry sailers buy there boats complete on ebay, not much scratch building going on these days !

The days of belonging to associations maybe a thing of the past soon if there is a lack of interest in the subject, which would appear to be the case.

Regards Ray

[Martin Field 1Participant @martinfield1]

Thanks, Ray,

I've never seen a hull or a complete boat on ebay. But what a shame you say"not much scratchbuiding going on".

We are becoming a world of useless people.

600 people was not a lack of interest. The only way that lot have lost interest is that they've all followed their leader and kicked the bucket.

I shall continue, as ever, on my own. Never been a clubby sort anyway.

Cheers,

Martin

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