Saving Old Seagulls

Got some pictures
Patrick was going well, but not well enough
Andy was waiting for more water.
My yellow boat was digging a hole, but still came third in class
My grey boat was going well, not sure it was planing*, but I was still chanted at by half of the very disgruntled pub, and later informed that "I was not the most popular person on the river"
That made it all worth while.

At least I got a different trophy to look at, getting fed up looking at the same big one for three years.

H-A

*http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/boat-d ... 51179.html

I think it's Lerryn 2016 today & I don't think H-A is going, due to pressure of jobs that must be finished before Xmas.

So we might not see any pictures this year, that's a shame, unless someone else can help.

I hear RBT's boat came in first, but no trophy it wasn't returned.

Charles uk wrote:I hear RBT's boat came in first, but no trophy it wasn't returned.

I returned the trophy to the pub, at half term.

I left it with the landlord.

H-A

Well - I haven't been on the site for some while! Never mind, my interest in Seagulls and discussing their mechanical anguish will be renewed soon after relocation to that village which started the obsession - Lerryn.

Anyway, looking at the 2016 Tide Times I would hazard a guess at Saturday the 24th December for the next Lerryn Race - well what do you think? Close enough to Christmas?? Midday mulled wine and registration. 1 o'clock race start. 3 o'clock prize giving. Oops sorry RLYC committee, wouldn't want to preempt . . .

To be honest, but hoping not to appear miffy, I was a tad deflated after the Sat 19th meeting.
I think the situation in hindsight was a bit up and down. I thought after a final look at the forecast the race might be cancelled due to continuous heavy rain - but the only way to find out was travel the 30 miles for confirmation. Blimey the reply was: It Has Never Been Cancelled . . .
Now I had spent an amount of time, effort and cash rebuilding the engine after it's seizure at the last race. Then up at 6.30am on Saturday (for a usually much late riser) for preparation to a reasonable standard at the start. - Don't forget I'm just the boat mechanic, it's actually driven by Captain Slow (for reasons we won't go into)
So it made two faultless laps, Capt S even said he eased off at times, well he didn't want to be arrested for exceeding the 6knot limit, yeh right.
He cruised in first, but there was no recognition afterwards. At all! Ah well.

I must say there was no attempt to dress for the Race Theme, although it would have got pretty soggy.
And the boat was not constructed by lashing two old planks between the remnants of a pair of canoes.
So the Race ethos was maybe not up to scratch.

Something interesting must be built for the next Race. Time permitting!!

ps I didn't take my electric camera because I thought it might develop a short circuit in the rain. If any worthwhile pics are posted on the Lerryn website I shall relay them.

rosbullterier wrote: Something interesting must be built for the next Race. Time permitting!!.

Yes it must, I have built my next generation race engine, and it is over twice the power of the last one.

Now to build yet another hull that won't antagonise the other entrants.

Roll on 2016, sorry to have missed this year’s race, and more so the night before, pre-race drinks with Patrick

H-A

rosbullterier wrote:So it made two faultless laps, Capt S even said he eased off at times, well he didn't want to be arrested for exceeding the 6knot limit, yeh right.
He cruised in first, but there was no recognition afterwards. At all! Ah well.

Andy, your boat won a bottle of champagne for coming in first! But your skipper had disappeared at prize giving?

Thank you Richard!!
Gosh that makes me feel a huge amount better . . .

I hope the champers went to a deserving home -

So won't give up, will be more interesting next year . . .

ps can't remember Capt Slow ever turning up for the prize giving

We did come looking for you down by the river afterwards, The champagne is being held to pass to you at some point, he may have had a trophy aswell? I forget the drink was flowing by then. Let me know when you are likely to be in Lerryn next and I'll get the champagne dropped over to you? Or go and see my folks, as im pretty sure they have it for you?

What a scholar and a gentleman you are Richard! I had to leave - temptation / drink and drive and such.
I really wasn't moaning about the lack of a bottle just lack of recognition from Capt Slow - or anybody . .sob . .sob .
I didn't think there was a trophy for the over 12' s but if so it would go well in the pub glass case.
Would you ask Brian to drink the champs which might compensate for only getting a draw in the team. Your two engine boat was going well!

Hello all,

A mate and I decided to do this race this year.

I don't have any pics at the moment but another chap we came with did take some. When I get around to getting them from him, I'll put some up.

The race from our perspective;
About about a month before the race, Alex (the skipper) acquired a nice old green old town camper. It went without saying that we'd need to motorise it somehow so after several hairbrained schemes ranging from pedal power to what I thought was an elegant petrol-electric hybrid idea, I found a crusty old seagull (40+ ?) and set about servicing it. While doing so and the frantic googling for information, I stumbled on this site and the lerryn race. As we're both based reasonably nearby we decided then and there we'd have to go. We pootled about with the 40+ once with a bit of board strapped across the back of the canoe for the transom and were unsurprisingly very underwhelmed.

Fortunately, now about a week before the race, Alex found bargain, local, really nice looking longshaft silver seagull so we quickly ditched the 40 and built a steel frame to fix it up to the back of the [s]canoe[/s] boat.

I also ditched the standard "fan" and adapted an anonymous prop from ebay. Think it was labeled 10,3/4 x 12,1/2 or something similar.

Apart from checking the points, fuel filters and plug, I didn't have time to do any engine tinkering.

One test on the canal made me decide we'd need a keel of some kind as it was all over the place in any kind of breeze so I gaffer taped one to the bottom from an old windsurf board. My phone suggested we could manage a sturdy 6knots. No time for more tests though.

Race day was pretty fun, the keel didn't blow off on the a39 as I expected and in fact survived the whole race. We got off to a great start and snuck into a very close second place. Hot on the tail of the leaders out to the far bouy, we were hopeful but it soon became clear something wasn't right. We steadily lost power and the gap between us and the leaders, then us and second place widened.

We also had a bit of a vibration issue that had completely dislodged the petrol tank which sort of held on due to the stiffness of the petrol pipe and not a lot else. I ought to have static balanced the makeshift prop perhaps.

The engine did stumble on though and I had a fair suspicion I knew what the problem was but pressed on regardless. Mechanical sentiment out of the window when racing.

Ended up 3rd overall and 1st canoe which we were pretty pleased about considering our last minute decision to enter and engine troubles.

I've pulled the engine apart and cleaned out the crammed water jacket so hopefully it'll be able to do one or two longer trips in future without trouble.

Not sure we'll go next year or not yet, see how things pan out. Must get the trophy back though so will probably get it engraved and pop it in the post.

Top marks for effort for the two lads in the bailer cord catamaran, looked like it may have been conceived the night before in the pub - I think the spirit in which the race is probably intended.

Excellent result Gareth - and first time!
Yes you must attend next time; I had never heard of the 'spirit of the race' being so discussed before. You are the forerunner of the difference!