News Archives - NH Boat Museum

Model Yachting News • October 23, 2018

Posted on October 24, 2018October 24, 2018 by Paul McBride

One More Award

Because Rick Parent wasn’t able to sail two weeks ago, he missed the awards presentation for our summer series. Sailor Class second place belonged to him, however, and Paul McBride made sure Rick was recognized for a job well done. Rick and his daughter will be busy during the off season building two more boats to add to his current fleet of four Solings and US12s.

Not Much Luck with the Weather

Although several gathered for the Soling regatta on October 16, only Tim Wright was brave enough to launch. The fall day was nice enough, but winds were gusting over twenty mph, convincing skippers to call it quits. The US12’s had hard rain on October 18, so that regatta also was canceled.

First Snow Arrives — Time to Call It a Season!

The plan was to squeeze in one more Tuesday of sailing, but weathermen predicted cold temperatures and rain. Since Monday was sunny and dry, Commodore Whitehead called for dock-out that day, bringing the 2018 season to an end. A huge thank-you to all who helped!

Calling All Sailors

Young and old will enjoy becoming part of our group. Next year’s boat-building class will coincide with the museum’s Family Boat Building from July 8 through July 12, 2019. Our objective is to encourage youngsters to enter the world of model yachting, but everyone is welcome, of course. No experience is required, and we supply everything needed, including expert instructors. Going to https://www.nhbm.org/model-yachting/model-yacht-building/ will take you to the application for our model yacht workshop. The class makes a wonderful Christmas gift, so look for the certificate available on that page.

Model Yachting News • October 9, 2018

Posted on October 11, 2018October 11, 2018 by Paul McBride

A Thank-You to Several

The commodore was on the road following Kathleen’s latest itinerary during September, and wants to thank Tim Wright, Bob Brennan, Paul McBride, and Ed Johnson for covering his duties.

During that same time, Al Stevens went shopping and came home with a Jon boat and electric outboard for Back Bay rescues. Wow! Al, that’s wonderful – the flat bottom should be much more stable for retrieving boats. In addition, Al’s been working on name tags for all of us. What a guy! Thank you, Al!! Now we’ll remember who we are.

Footy Regatta

The Minuteman Model Yacht Club Footy Regatta in Needham MA was rained out earlier in the season, but Rick Gates rescheduled it for October 6 at his Nashua Model Yacht Club at Sandy Pond in Nashua NH with Rick as race director, and Jerry Leach as scorekeeper. Back Bay Skippers’ Bill Hagerup and Paul McBride competed, placing fourth and ninth respectively. Top honors went to Herb Dreher, with Cliff Martin placing second and Steve Doherty third.

Summer Series Awards

The sailing season is split into two series, with awards given out for both spring and summer, as well as the full-season championship. On October 9, the summer series awards were presented.

Sailor Class	Master Class	US12s
1st Rick Gates	1st Tim Wright	1st Tim Wright
2nd Rick Parent	2nd Rick Lalley	2nd John Simms
3rd Jerry Leach	3rd Mark Whitehead	3rd Jerry Leach

Tuesday October 2 was a Btfsplk!

(That’s a raspberry for those who don’t remember Li’l Abner’s sidekick with the rain cloud hovering over his head.)

The Solings were rained out. A few diehards tried to sail, but within twenty minutes the deluge started and the skippers ran for cover.

Thursday, October 4, was a much better day for the US12’s, as was October 9 for the Solings.

Once October rolls around, the skippers sail for fun with no official scoring, just bragging rights.

On straight average, the top five Solings October 9 were:

Tim Wright first, Rick Lalley second, Tim Brand third, Anthony Quinn fourth, and Jerry Leach fifth. Brag away, gentlemen!

New skippers sailing on that beautiful fall day were Diane Labella plus Fred and Sue Beaman. Welcome aboard!

Join the Fun

Weather permitting, the Soling fleet sails on Tuesdays starting at 1PM, and the US12’s compete on Thursdays, also at 1PM. Just head for the municipal parking lot at the end of Glendon Street and you’ll find us along the Bridge-Falls Path. In addition, the Laconia club sails at Lily Pond near the airport in Gilford on Sundays starting at 9AM.

Join us for a great show with many photo ops. And don’t forget to bring the youngsters – we have free-sailing Footies for them to use on Tuesdays. (For those wanting to purchase a Footy, a few are available in the boat museum’s gift shop.) If you want to try your hand at the helm of a radio-control boat, please let us know — we love to share.

Model Yachting News • September 27, 2018

Posted on October 1, 2018October 1, 2018 by Paul McBride

US12s 09-27, by Bob Brennan

The US 12 sailing day on September 27th was a bright and beautiful day for this early fall season. The only thing missing was the wind. Eight skippers were on hand and we completed eight races. Demonstrating the lack of wind, one of the races was timed at 20 minutes long.

Anthony Quinn made a guest appearance with his soiling. Equipped with new Quinn made sails. Anthony proceeded by crashing into the pack of 12’s rounding the buoy on the first leg. The cry of “Anthony!!” rang out, reminiscent of Prince Spaghetti day, (for those true New Englanders in the group). The quiet nature of Paul Wallace was broken when he cried out that he had been “fowled” by a duck landing in the middle of the group. Although the duck did several circles, it didn’t help Paul’s standing. He surprised us all again when he fell to the back of the pack and cried out “I can’t dance and its too windy to throw rocks.” Big laugh by all.

In regards to the race results, Tim Wright won all but one race with John Simms breaking the streak with a first place finish in race #5. We were all pleased for John because it proves the old saying that even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while. Jerry Leach showed well taking five second places and two third places.

For the day, first place went to Tim Wright, second place to Jerry Leach, and third to Donald McBride.

Even though the scoring season has ended, we hope the weather cooperates for a few more weeks of fun sailing.

Solings 09-25

No sailing because of rain, so last week was the last scored week of the season. We will continue sailing on Tuesdays for fun through October until it gets too cold, and we take the dock out.

US12s 9-20

A good day of sailing at last for the 9 US12s that competed in 8 races. Bob Brennan was especially proud of his first place finish in the last race, where he finished “at least 50 boat lengths” in front of everyone else.

For the day, first place went to Tim Wright, second to John McClun, and third to Bob Brennan.

Join the Fun

Model Yachting News • September 18, 2018

Posted on September 19, 2018September 19, 2018 by Paul McBride

Solings 09-18, by Bob Brennan

Well, we had a late call for “sailing is on” by our Interim Commodore Tim Wright for the Tuesday, September 18th regatta. The rains ended and the sun eventually made a appearance. Ten racers we able to make the call and we were able to get 8 races in for the event. Tim Wright continues to make a great showing, placing first in seven of the 8 races. If he wasn’t such a nice person, I’m sure we would be doing something to disable his boat.

Rick Lalley was able to take a first and two second places. Like every good sniper, Rick would benefit from a good spotter. Sitting in his director’s chair while the rest of us walk down the path to get a better depth of field, Rick has cut inside a buoy or two during the last couple of sessions. Maybe he could bring a spare grandchild to help him make the call.

Of course the weeds took their toll on most of us this week. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking by it. The long tentacles of a plant I have no idea of what’s it’s name is, wrapped someone’s keel or rudder seemingly on every race. BB Wright pitched in by using the rescue pole to retrieve the weeds preventing them from entering the water again. It appeared she had enough to make several leis or have the means to line a pit for a heck of a clam bake.

We were entertained by Ed Johnson’s photo journalism and Skip and Ellen Koehler’s continuous showing of love and affection toward each other. Anthony Quinn made a guest appearance (sans boat) to give us just enough grief to make sure everyone knew he was there.

I have to mention that I had a double Bill Quayle sighting last week. Bill was seen out on a field trip with his probation officer Diane. He did have an ankle bracelet on to keep him from wandering without supervision. He also snuck out and sat on the bench last Tuesday. Bill looked good, was in good spirits and said he felt much better.

US12s 09-13

Winds were light, but it was a great day of sailing on Ossipee Lake, hosted by Tim and BB Wright. Only three of the regular US12 sailors made it to the regatta, relocated from Back Bay because of recent treatment for milfoil. Unfortunately, at the end of day, while Tim was carrying his boat, he tripped on a cleat and fell, smashing his boat on the dock. Tim survived, but the boat’s hull was broken on both sides. It’s repairable, and Tim plans to have it back in commission for next week’s races.

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Model Yachting News • September 11, 2018

Posted on September 13, 2018September 13, 2018 by Paul McBride

Solings 09-11

It wasn’t too surprising that only nine boats showed up, given the threat of showers and promise of light winds. Unfortunately, ten boats are required to have the results included in the season totals. So, today’s sailing was scored, but just for fun. Bruce Brown’s boat developed electrical problems in the first race, keeping it out for the duration of the regatta. That left eight boats to compete in the days eight races.

Winds gradually increased, so by the end of the day conditions were perfect. Tim Wright had another good day of successful sailing, coming in first place for the regatta. Bob Brennan, whose boat seemed to “steam” to the finish leaving a noticeable wake while others were dead in the water, came in second, and Tim Brand, with his easily recognizable brightly colored sails, came in third. Except for the occasional weed caught on the keel or rudder, everyone had a good time sailing.

Weeds were once again a problem, but the help is on the way. On the 12th the water is being treated. After treatment, the water is off limits for sailing for 24 hours, so US12 sailing on Thursday was relocated to Ossipee Lake for the day.

US12s 09-06

Once again the US12s did not have favorable conditions for a regatta. Four boats were there for the start, but most soon left. John Simms arrived later, so Tim Wright and John raced each other for a while. At one point John lost control of his boat. Tim’s boat swooped in and rescued it before it hit the shore. He then escorted John’s boat gracefully to the dock. Later John returned the favor by shepherding Tim’s boat to the dock when it had drained its batteries. Even though we have a rescue dinghy, boat to boat rescues often are preferred, because of the time it takes to unwrap the dinghy and then re-wrap it when sailing is finished for the day.

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Model Yachting News • September 4, 2018

Posted on September 5, 2018September 5, 2018 by Paul McBride

US12’s Can’t Catch a Break

It’s been tough for the US12 fleet, sailing every week under difficult conditions. Thursday seems to be high-wind day of the week, and August 30 was no exception. The diminished fleet has sailed, but the numbers are way down and scoring has fallen by the wayside. It always seems strange to say there’s too much wind for the sailboats, but that’s been the case. Hard on boats and hard on skippers. A good share of the fleet stays home.

Leading the 2018 Season

It doesn’t seem possible that autumn is almost here. Leading the Sailor Class as we cruise into September is Rick Gates, followed closely in second by Rick Parent, with Jerry Leach hanging on to third.

The Master Class is led by the seemingly invincible Tim Wright, with the formidable Rick Lalley right on his tail in a very strong second. In third is the very surprised Commodore Mark Whitehead.

The Finishing Touches

This week, Anthony Quinn and Paul Wallace added more concrete to the box that will strengthen the dock railing. Our thanks and appreciation go out to both of them!

Out on the Water

A glorious day on September 4 brought out eighteen Solings for their weekly regatta as the winds held all afternoon at about 6 to 7 mph. The pesky vegetation, however, remained a problem with seventeen weed calls. Most sailors took it in stride and just moved on to the next race. Anthony Quinn won the prize for the most weeds, knocking him out of three races. The prize — more gray hair?

We usually talk about only the top three skippers, but back in the pack there is some skillful sailing worth mentioning. Anthony Quinn, for example, sailed to two seconds in races four and seven and a third in race three. Bob Brennan finished second in races five and eight, and Bill Malay scored an unusual second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth. Jim Opie hit the mark just right and took a win in race six, while Al Stevens picked up the pace for a fourth in the Sailor Class.

Well under the radar, Tom Greig doesn’t want to be scored at all, but was well ahead of the fleet in several races. Tom and Tim Wright, the season leader, have been challenging each other since they were youngsters, and the competitive thrill hasn’t changed.

It’s all about improving, and so far this season, Mark Whitehead leads that category in the Master Class and Paul Wallace in the Sailor Class.

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Model Yachting News • August 28, 2018

Posted on August 30, 2018August 30, 2018 by Paul McBride

Our Mission

Yes, it’s about having fun, building boats, and sailing them competitively. More than that, however, we are constantly educating and sharing. How do the boats work? What makes them go? What do you actually control? These are just some of the questions asked. Age doesn’t matter — those who pass our regattas delight in watching the competition as well as trying the boats.

The nuances of sailing involve hand and eye coordination, aerodynamics, mathematics, physics, meteorology, and adherence to the rules. It’s challenging but fun during the learning process.

The US12’s

Usually we look forward to wind, but during the last couple of weeks, the US12 sailors had more than they needed. On August 24, for example, a strong wind pushed well above 25 mph. That velocity is hard on the boats and very intimidating for the skippers. Only five US12’s launched, and scores were not kept.

The Solings

The Soling regatta on August 28 had winds at about 8 to 10 mph – just about perfect. Despite the continued triple-H weather, seventeen boats were able to complete twelve races. There always are a few glitches, and Tuesday was no exception. Al Stevens decided to run his boat into the dock and break his mast, which took six races to fix. Paul Wallace had electrical issues that required jet-ski rescue.

Not to be outdone, Mac MacDonald dropped his mast, which involved three Solings and the dinghy to retrieve.

A huge thank-you goes out to Anthony Quinn for taking the lead on repair of our vandalized dock handrail — with the help of Paul Wallace, who, incidentally, replaced the damaged dock post a while ago.

Out on the Water

A pattern continued in the Sailor Class with the Ricky-Ricky duo. Rick Gates took first, Rick Parent second, and Jerry Leach a strong third.

Things were normal in the Master Class, with Tim Wright leading the way, and Rick Lalley’s fast-boat grabbing second. Mark Whitehead’s 2112 miraculously pulled off a third!

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Model Yachting News • August 21, 2018

Posted on August 24, 2018August 24, 2018 by Paul McBride

Awards

It sometimes takes a while to present all awards to our deserving sailors — Skipper schedules are full. This week, two awards went to Bill Hagerup and one to Howard Germon.

Bill Hagerup received his third-place spring series award for the US12 Class, and Howard Germon accepted his third-place spring series award in the Soling Master Class.

In addition, Bill Hagerup was given a special award to recognize his model yachting work locally, nationally, and internationally. Over the past several years, Bill has led the way worldwide in the Footy Class — in development and design.

Weed Report

The pesky weeds are still out there, but at least we’ve been able to run our regattas. There were eleven weed calls this week, so September 12 can’t come soon enough, when treatment of Back Bay has been scheduled.

Chuckle of the Day

Paul Wallace definitely won the chuckle award. Having electrical issues, Paul spent several minutes chasing his boat, only to find it sailed faster than he could row! “Round and round he goes, and where he stops nobody knows.” As soon as he’d snagged the runaway, a rousing cheer erupted from the crowd!

Out on the Water

The US12’s gathered August 16, but due to a hard wind and too many boat issues, scoring was abandoned for the day. They hope to have better conditions next week.

August 21 was a strange day! The winds seemed to swirl in from all directions at different times, its velocity ranging from zilch to reasonable, depending where you were on the bay. Downright frustrating when you’re two feet from the finish and becalmed while the rest of the fleet is charging toward you!

Twenty-three Solings launched for this eight-race regatta. Two Ricks led the Sailor Class – Rick Gates and Rick Parent in first and second respectively. A good showing by Skip Koehler brought him home in third place.

For the Masters, we saw a couple of new faces at the head of the class. Tim Wright took top honors, and, surprisingly, we didn’t hear a peep out of Bob Brennan when he not only captured a win in race two but also a strong second in the regatta. Dan Masessa cleverly jumped into third.

Join the Fun

Join us for a great show with many photo ops. And don’t forget to bring the youngsters – we have free-sailing Footies for them to use on Tuesdays. For those wanting to purchase a Footy, a few are available in the boat museum’s gift shop. If you want to try your hand at the helm of a radio-control boat, please let us know — we love to share.

Model Yachting News • August 14, 2018

Posted on August 23, 2018August 24, 2018 by Paul McBride

A Moment on Back Bay

Sometimes on Back Bay we experience feel-good moments that affect us deeply. A couple of weeks ago, a gal who is blind stopped near the dock and expressed great interest in our sport. Since touch is the only way she can “see,” skipper Paul Wallace took the time to go over his boat and describe what she touched.

Those Pesky Weeds!

Just below the surface of Back Bay’s water lurk the infamous boat-stoppers. We’ve been doing our best to sweep for weeds before starting regattas, but inevitably the boats catch a few. Let’s hope the effort to eradicate the milfoil increases then continues. Very little has been done so far.

Award Recognition

Last week, Jerry Leach couldn’t make the picture for spring awards. This is Jerry, who placed second in the Sailor Class Spring Series. Congratulations, Jerry!

Out on the Water

The August 9 US12 regatta brought out seven of the 46-inch boats for a nine-race regatta. Not unusual, it was Tim Wright leading the way with strong showings by Bill Hagerup in second and John Simms in third.

Solings

Tuesday, August 14, had fifteen one-meter Solings. Looking out windows in the morning, it appeared doubtful that a regatta could be completed, let alone started! But out came the sun to chase away our problems. Well, ONE of the problems at least! The winds were another thing altogether — light to nonexistent. And there were eight weed calls in the six-race regatta, others probably not called. The rule is that if you are stopped by weeds, you can’t finish the race and you receive the average of your other scores.

The Sailor Class this week was led by Rick Gates and Anthony Quinn, with a tie. Watch out! Anthony is creeping up every week! Paul Wallace sailed well to a second place, and Rick Parent, frustrated by weeds, finished third.

Tim Wright maintained his leadership in the Master Class, and Tim Brand’s new sails must be working because he took second, tying with Commodore Mark Whitehead. Paul McBride finished in third place.

Of note, Dave Taylor joined us this week for the first time, sailing the loaner boat 111B and tying for sixth.

Join the Fun

Model Yachting News • August 7, 2018

Posted on August 9, 2018August 30, 2018 by Yvonne Lauziere

Spring Series Awards Presented

This week, the awards for the spring series were presented. The series began on May 22 and ended July 26. Basically, it’s the halfway point in our sailing season, with both the Soling and US12 fleets vying for top dog in their respective classes and fleets.Receiving awards were:

Soling Sailor Class
1st: Rick Gates
2nd: Jerry Leach
3rd: Rick Parent

Soling Master Class
1st: Tim Wright
2nd: Rick Lalley
3rd: Howard Germon

US12 Fleet
1st: Tim Wright
2nd: Don Cundy
3rd: Bill Hagerup

CanAm Challenge

August 4-5, Mark Whitehead and Tim Wright from Back Bay Skippers made the three-hour trip to Stowe, Vermont to race with sailors from the US and Canada in a friendly international competition. Among those attending this event are national champions from both countries. Tim Wright was up to the task, leading the first day and certainly very competitive on the second day as well. The top four places scored thirty points while Tim scored thirty-two, thanks to the last two races, one of which he was completely knocked out of contention when fouled. Nonetheless, Tim was presented with the fifth-place trophy. Well done, Tim! Mark Whitehead was way back in the pack, finishing twenty-second, always having trouble with light wind. He, however, was pleased not to come in last! Incidently, the US team retained the challenge trophy!

Out on the Water

The US12 fleet gathered seven boats on August 2, with Tim Wright leading the way. John Simms finally solved his electrical problems and pulled off a strong second, and Jim Opie pulled a hard-fought third.

After a very discouraging weed-plagued regatta on July 31, sailing for the Solings was much better August 7. Only thirteen skippers launched on this brutally hot and humid day, but when the final race had been completed, it was Rick Gates leading the Sailor Class, Rick Parent second, and Bruce Brown third. The Master Class was led by Tim Wright, followed by Rick Lalley in second, and Mark Whitehead third.

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