Next SubRonLA run on 1/14/17

[jefftytoo]

Hi guys! (And sorry I missed your query post here on the forum, Ralph.)

Just a reminder that the upcoming SubRonLA Saturday Fun Run is slated for the 14th at our usual place and time. So far I've heard Neil and Steve are planning to join me. Other takers?

Keep a zero bubble,
JeffP

[jefftytoo]

Have now just heard from Farlan, Mike and Will -- all also planning on attending. Great!

Ralph? Tom C.? Darrin? Alan?

JeffP

[Ralph --- SSBN 598]

Post # 7 at the bottom of the other thread.

I plan to be there.

[steveneill]

Had a great time yesterday after Mary and I battled the Freeways. It's over a 2 hour drive for us but worth it to see friends and one of the best sites to run boats ever. Weather was perfect. About 72 degrees, light breeze, clear waters, no leaks and everyone's boats ran except one. I'll let him tell you more. Jeff?
Missed some of you that didn't make it. Hope to see you at the next one.
My Type 7 was a sight for sore eyes on the waters again after 7 years. She ran great. Thanks again Matt Thor for giving me this old hull in the first place! BD the system you designed worked like a clock.

Video and pictures to follow and a fuller report from our leader Jeff.

Steve

[steveneill]

Until Mary sends me the Nikon pictures here are a few frame grabs from the video to be of my VIIC and my Vosper.

[thor]

That is one gorgeous type VII!!!

[steveneill]

That is one gorgeous type VII!!!

It's because of you I have this boat Matt!

[steveneill]

Mary made a slide show. Enjoy!

[jefftytoo]

Thanks, Steve. Yeah, it was indeed a good run. Great to see you as always and particularly good to see that big 32nd Parallel Type VII of yours menacing local water traffic again. (A handful of my own pics shall soon be somewhere below.) I'll attempt a few details here and to also put a little something into the next SCR FOX Schedule.

The day started out cold, showing up at 7:00 as I did to nab our favorite spot before any other park goers could claim our usual picnic tables. Mike Dory and I soon retreated to his truck cab to warm up for a bit, catching up while awaiting the arrival of Will and the others. (Later it did turn into a perfect day: warm and sunny plus our usual clear water despite a lot of rainwater runoff into the lake over the prior few days.)

Our humble So. Cal. squadron was definitely down in numbers this time around: two regular skippers in Sick Bay (“Vegas” Tom C. and Ralph F.), one planned-but-no-show (Darrin H.), and one simply not heard from (Alan H.). On hand, then, were only Mike D., Will O., Neil S., Farlan C., Steve N. and myself. All ran some, some ran all. My own Seaview, such a happy surprise performer last time (for once!) was a total non-starter this time: a dead dive plane servo for no explainable reason, so she never even got in the water. Back to the shop she goes (it’s an ordeal to get at her innards; no onsite repairs possible), but she still looked purty just sitting around. My Blueback ran like a trooper as usual though, thank goodness, garnering wonderful compliments from old salt Dory. THAT felt good! I did have a good scare from her though: a sudden propulsion power loss at one point had me thinking I’d lost my irreplaceable Dave Manley brass prop. But Mike pushed me in with his Skipjack while Will also came up from behind—unnecessarily, fortunately—with his rescue skimmer as a backup. Turned out to be a loosened set screw only: no lost prop, and I even found the offending little set screw down among the lead weights in the keel. (Now if only I could recover that lost ’scope I knocked off out there somewhere off the dock last time!)

As for everyone else, well, Mike and Will each brought impressive, brand new Akulas from Engel—a new offering from the renowned German model sub company. Each was finished but not yet tested or trimmed, so they were on display only this time. Those two will be making the rest of us envious with these sharp boats next time, I’m sure. Their other boats ran as always: practically hands off. Such a joy to watch those guys sail. Neil Schmidt had a couple of long, good runs with his little Delta. He still tinkered with her a bit, but did get her running completely submerged once as I watched this time. That’s good news, because maybe he’ll be satisfied now and be able to, ahem, get back on our mutual build of a certain French novelist’s big Victorian fantasy boat from a certain popular ‘50s Disney movie with a five-digit numeral in the title. We’ll see…

Speaking of tinkering, Farlan tinkered too, with his Small World Blueback. He was still having leak and APC problems, but ran her more than ever and despite frustrations seemed to have more fun with her too. He is tantalizingly close to having a well-performing boat, needing only a better trim job and a few more bug fixes. As a contribution to the cause, I just put some fresh new O-rings in the mail to him.

Steve N. then showed up at that point, having made the very long trek down from Ventura County with Mary and the dogs in tow. He ran his Type VII as mentioned—beautiful!—plus his OTC Brit WWI R-boat (still needing adjustments) and a modern military PT skimmer variant we hadn’t seen before. After hours, so to speak, when he and I were the only two still hanging around, he also put his beautiful sailboat (seen last time) back in the water. Different on this cruise was the fact that a tiny waterproof videocam had been attached to her stern. Hope that recording turned out because I’d really like to see it.

So that’s it from your Hollywood area submersible connection. We missed the guys who weren’t there, and hope they and perhaps even YOU can and will join us next time.

Green Board,
JeffP

[thor]

It was my pleasure, Steve. You did a magnificent job on it. Really neat to see it in the pond again.

[jefftytoo]

By the way, ladies and germs, our next scheduled SubRonLA full-squadron run has by on-site agreement yesterday now been set for...

SATURDAY, MARCH 25th.

Mark your calendars...!

JeffP

[jefftytoo]

This Run's sulking non-starter.

Farlan and his Blueback.

Blueback, Blueback, Delta.

(Tried to delete and move the shots below to my final post with the other R-10's, but they remain as thumbnails here too for some reason. Weird.)

[jefftytoo]

Neil and his Delta.

Mike's Skipjack.

T-bone—almost!

A fine Delta—love that color!

Skimmers too!

[jefftytoo]

Steve Neill's fleet.

Type VII and Vosper skimmer.

Brand new Engel Akula offering closest to camera.

Farlan's Blueback gets another looksee.

Commerce raider and a passing defender...

[jefftytoo]

Steve launches his Type VII.

My Blueback rests happily on the bottom.

Farlan, Mike and Steve.

Achtung!—she looks glorious.

R-10 diving.