6 APRIL 2015 http://www.marinemodelmagazine.com
Latest News
of sNoopy’s
attempts to
Cross the
atLaNtiC
On the 30th November
2014 the GPS Guided Trans-
Atlantic Robot Boat ‘Snoopy’
set out from Boscombe
Pier (near Bournemouth) in
another attempt to complete
the Microtransat Challenge.
After a very promising
start, the wind picked up to 30 mph and she ended up on the
beach at Portland on Tuesday evening. This was a good start to
the challenge as she made her way around Portland Bill before
losing control. Luckily she was quickly rescued and the problems
diagnosed. It would seem that she had suffered from ‘weather
helm’ in the wind possibly due to a damaged rudder, but power
failure, due to corrosion in the photo cells was the main problem.
Having made some adjustments the team from GPSS hope
to launch again early this year. This will be done to the west of
Boscombe Pier when weather conditions are favourable.
If you want to follow Snoopy’s exploits then visit the website:
http://www.gpss.force9.co.uk/autop.htmmtB 219 LauNCh
On Saturday 31st January the restored full size WW2 MTB 219
was launched in Bridgwater Docks (Somerset) ready for fitting out.
Under the leadership of Paul Childs and his family, who rescued the
boat which had been used as a house boat on the Thames, the hull
has been rebuilt and replanked. There was a procession through
Bridgwater from the land based rebuild site to the docks led by the
Sea Cadets and offically launched by the Mayor of Brigwater. The
vessell will need to absorb water into the new planks to make her
fully waterproof and the fitting out completed before she is ready
to join the other vessels in the Military Boats fleet on display at
Torquay.MTB 219 is the last of her type and needs to be fully restored, an
appeal has been made for donations to help complete this mamoth
task. For further details visit http://www.militaryboats.orgNew VikiNg Voyagers exhiBitioN LaNdiNg
at NatioNaL maritime museum CorNwaLL
National Maritime Museum Cornwall is bringing the Vikings to
Cornwall in a new major exhibition called Viking Voyagers. It will
run from 20th March 2015 until February 2017. The new exhibition,
featuring nationally and internationally historically significant artefacts,
explores what is behind the popular myth of the bloodthirsty raiders,
what it meant to become a Viking and shows how their mastery of
maritime technology was the secret to their success.Ships and boats were vital to
Viking expansion; they explored
and colonised, were invaders and
migrants and the seas and rivers
were the highways and byways to
amassing huge wealth and power
through raiding and trading.
Their power was built on their
knowledge of boatbuilding and
their seafaring skills, enabling
them to sail across the Atlantic’s
icy waters to Newfoundland
and Iceland, down to the warm
Mediterranean to Istanbul and as
far east along the river Volga as
Ukraine and Russia.
For further details visit the
website http://www.nmmc.co.uk or
telephone 01326 313388.New Cruise terNimaL pLaNNed for
the thames
If plans are approved the River Thames could see a new cruise
terminal built close to the centre of London. At present the closest
cruise liners can reach the centre of London without using small
boarding craft is Tilbury docks, some 20 miles away. The plans are to
build a new terminal at Greenwich close to the preserved Tea Clipper
Cutty Sark. The last time cruise liners could berth close to London
was in 1981 when the Royal Docks closed.staNd By your Boats for the
iNterNatioNaL modeL Boat show
Plans are well advanced for the 2015 International Model Boat
Show, this annual event is widely regarded as one of the UK’s leading
marine modelling exhibitions. Organised by Meridienne Exhibitions
the event will take place from Friday 6th to Sunday 8th November at
the Warwickshire Exhibition Centre, near Leamington Spa. This year
there is a unique opportunity being provided for individual entries to
be part of the show. The organisers have asked Steve Dean, the
show’s Pool Master, who visits many events around the country, to
seek out 10 entries to be part of a special display ‘Steve’s Top 10’.
This will provide an opportunity for 10 modellers who do not belong
to a club or their club does not exhibit at the show to have their work
on display at this major event.
Steve said, “In my travels I often see models that deserve to be
seen by a large audience. This doesn’t imply that they all have to
be of a Gold Medal standard, they just need to be very unusual,
possibly based on a little known prototype or just something that is
a wonderful piece of model building. Little or large it doesn’t matter
as long as it provides inspiration and admiration or just puts a smile
on the face of show visitors.”
As we move into the summer months, Steve will be on the look
out to make his selection as he visits the shows, therefore if you
feel you have a model worthy of consideration then don’t be shy
in bringing it to his attention. The selected models will need to be
on display for all three days and if Steve chooses your model to be
part of his ‘Top 10’ then Meridienne Exhibitions will liaise direct with
you to confirm the finer details.CLuB LiBrary destroyed By fire!
The Bradford Model Engineering Society had the sad misfortune
of having their club house vandalised and set on fire in late
January. Housed in the club house and totally destroyed was
a library which consisted of all the copies of Marine Modelling
International, Model Boats and Model Maker. An appeal has been
made to MMI readers if they can help to re-stock the library with
unwanted copies of any of the magazines.
Contact Peter Nurse on [email protected] MMIModel SnoopyMTB 219
News items of iNterest to the
maritime modellerVikings
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