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BATFISH BLAST INDEED
While I'm going to save a more thorough write up for the Report, I'll give some brief info and mention several key individuals before getting to the images:
Don Baker put together an outstanding event. Don worked with Batfish to secure the venue and made many trips to create the pond we enjoyed. We had free run of the museum and boat on Friday night. Rick, the park manager, literally handed him the keys and said, "See you in the morning." Don has earned a SubRon Commendation Medal for all his hard work.
When Tom Kisler heard we would be spending the night on the boat, he swung into action and planned a night of Fast Cruise activities none of us will ever forget. It began with three rounds of "Sub Jeopardy" with trivia that ran the gamut from Civil War subs to NATO designations of Soviet boats.
Then we embarked on a comprehensive Sub Qual scavenger hunt during which we decrypted messages, solved for angle on the bow using an Is-Was, fired a torpedo tube, performed an emergency appendectomy, conducted damage control for leaks and a fire, and even had a man overboard drill. The only thing we didn't do was rig an illegal still. Tom, like Don, went way beyond the call of duty to ensure an unforgettable evening. He truly was Chief of the Boat.
Turnout was better than initially expected. While regulars Jeff Porteous, Don, Tom & Marsha Kisler, and myself were there, we enjoyed the company of a plankowner from Sun N Fun 2003 and two new modelers of incredible talent.
Scott Trosper made the original trek to Georgetown, Texas in 2003 for our inaugural run as a group. He has since started a scratchbuilt Verne-style Nautilus project and has both the Revell Gato and Type VII kits. He also plays a mean harmonica which he demonstrated with an impromptu "Whale of a Tale" during a 20,000 Leagues question of Sub Jeopardy on Friday night.
Stefan Ronnebeck, a former submariner in the German Navy, brought his lovely wife Donna and a submarine fleet which included a Patrick Henry, Typhoon, Gato, U-206, and Delta submersible. He ran several of his boats and all of them revealed an incredible attention to detail and excellent craftsmanship. His tales of standing watch on the bridge in the North Atlantic were riveting.
Below, Scott (l) admires a couple of Stefan's (r) boats.
Ron Eichost wowed us with his scratchbuilt 1/24 scale Type VII u-boat. This gorgeous boat amazed everyone and looked beautiful on the water next to Batfish. Ron is an accomplished modeler and we look forward to featuring more of his boat and other projects in the future.
Above, Ron demonstrates for the crowd. Below is his Type VII.
After two years of misadventures, it was great to get things back on track with an event of this caliber. The water was good, the runs were successful, new friends were made and everyone had a great time.
While I'm going to save a more thorough write up for the Report, I'll give some brief info and mention several key individuals before getting to the images:
Don Baker put together an outstanding event. Don worked with Batfish to secure the venue and made many trips to create the pond we enjoyed. We had free run of the museum and boat on Friday night. Rick, the park manager, literally handed him the keys and said, "See you in the morning." Don has earned a SubRon Commendation Medal for all his hard work.
When Tom Kisler heard we would be spending the night on the boat, he swung into action and planned a night of Fast Cruise activities none of us will ever forget. It began with three rounds of "Sub Jeopardy" with trivia that ran the gamut from Civil War subs to NATO designations of Soviet boats.
Then we embarked on a comprehensive Sub Qual scavenger hunt during which we decrypted messages, solved for angle on the bow using an Is-Was, fired a torpedo tube, performed an emergency appendectomy, conducted damage control for leaks and a fire, and even had a man overboard drill. The only thing we didn't do was rig an illegal still. Tom, like Don, went way beyond the call of duty to ensure an unforgettable evening. He truly was Chief of the Boat.
Turnout was better than initially expected. While regulars Jeff Porteous, Don, Tom & Marsha Kisler, and myself were there, we enjoyed the company of a plankowner from Sun N Fun 2003 and two new modelers of incredible talent.
Scott Trosper made the original trek to Georgetown, Texas in 2003 for our inaugural run as a group. He has since started a scratchbuilt Verne-style Nautilus project and has both the Revell Gato and Type VII kits. He also plays a mean harmonica which he demonstrated with an impromptu "Whale of a Tale" during a 20,000 Leagues question of Sub Jeopardy on Friday night.
Stefan Ronnebeck, a former submariner in the German Navy, brought his lovely wife Donna and a submarine fleet which included a Patrick Henry, Typhoon, Gato, U-206, and Delta submersible. He ran several of his boats and all of them revealed an incredible attention to detail and excellent craftsmanship. His tales of standing watch on the bridge in the North Atlantic were riveting.
Below, Scott (l) admires a couple of Stefan's (r) boats.
Ron Eichost wowed us with his scratchbuilt 1/24 scale Type VII u-boat. This gorgeous boat amazed everyone and looked beautiful on the water next to Batfish. Ron is an accomplished modeler and we look forward to featuring more of his boat and other projects in the future.
Above, Ron demonstrates for the crowd. Below is his Type VII.
After two years of misadventures, it was great to get things back on track with an event of this caliber. The water was good, the runs were successful, new friends were made and everyone had a great time.
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