Post from Colin 23/3/2025

The Rugeley Model Boat Club invites members, friends and family along with other members of Manor Park Sailing Club to join them, celebrating 40 years of sailing at Manor Park at 11.00 on Monday 5th May 2025.  Everyone can have a go at radio sailing a Df95 from the Clubhouse patio. Alternatively visitors can try navigating a nautical scale model from the shore, in the corner of the lake away from the wind and waves, weather permitting.

Since the six Rugeley Model Boat Club refugees left the redundant Rugeley Power Station and came to Manor Park, the members numbers have grown to over thirty.  In their previous employment every member was in a skilled role and this is demonstrated by their craftsmanship in model building and their friendly problem solving technique. The competition is all out on the water.

From mostly sailing the classical Victoria yachts, which have no innate sense of direction, members have also adopted the ubiquitous Dragon flight 95 radio yacht, which is 95cm long. Untroubled mostly by the Nautical Rules of the Road, or even port and starboard, races are twice round the six buoys clockwise and then for a change the next race is twice round anticlockwise. Coming from before the digital clock age this is one area where members do know the difference.

An equal number of members build scale models. Here ingenuity is boundless. There are submarines, lifeboats, canal boats, fishing trawlers, aircraft carriers, speed boats, torpedo boats from both sides, warships, sailing trawlers and novelty contraptions, with yet more under construction. Only one speedboat has caught fire on the water so far, then  rescued, undergoing a full on maximum speed trial. The cardboard flying boat unfortunately fell apart on impact with the water and flying is discontinued at present. Likewise the 150kg model tank, which chewed off all of the grass while demonstrating its maneouvres, accompanied by full clanking sound effects.

Please do give me some idea of numbers so that Jackie can cook sufficient bacon sandwiches from 11.00. She is attending due to popular demand. Otherwise do bring your own lunches as normal, with or without a healthy side salad.

As members are now enjoying their bonus years in retirement, birthdays are more important. We are running out of the existing RMBC Birthday Cards and would like some photos from the event to create a new card including both radio sailing and scale modelling. I am looking for a keen photographer.

The new www.rugeleymodelclub.org.uk website created so superbly by Paul Golder and Chris Griffin, would benefit from more pictures of scale models and a few cheerful members photographs, preferably in the sunshine. Subject to approval, we will have a competition with prizes to award to the best scale models on the day.

Susan and I are working on a suitable celebration cake.

Colin Walton

07773 887711