Southern Calif spring Regatta

[steveneill]

Matt and I are working on a much needed southern California Regatta.

It would be held in spring. No date set yet. Reason being? Cool weather. Clear lake. The lake is always clear that time a year as is evident by this video of my Gato(I know decks awash but that's fixed now):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1In3bi_3aU

And here it is in Summer]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fX9-rLXwTXE[/url]

Black as tar.

We have a designated RC boat only section. Parking lot is right at the edge of the lake. Nice grass and shady trees.

All kinds of restaurants, places to stay and Van Nuys Airport and one of the best hobby stores all close to the lake. Look it up on Goggle Earth.

This can either be a fun, run which means we don't need to acquire a permit. Or we get one and have it all to ourselves. Retrieval is an issue as they don't allow swimming or diving there. But you can take out boats they have there and lean over. Or we can find a different location all together but I have never lost a sub there.

It would be two days. Friday we could visit site and have dinner at the Van Nuys 94 h Airport Aero Squadron resteraunt. Great place.

http://www.the94thaerosquadron.com/VanNuys/index.html

Just putting out my thoughts. Nothing is set in stone here but I wanted to get it going and start the conversation. This is also listed on SP and we have a list going of those that would attend. I am looking for SC members here to do the same and add their name to the list from SC so I can get some numbers counted.

This could be a lot of fun and I'd finally make it to a Regatta. The lake is 15 minutes from my house. I suppose I can put up a couple of you bums here. Well make that one more since Wayne Frey has the front seat! LOL!

Steve

[pigeonfarmboy]

Damn I'll be moved by

Damn I'll be moved by then. Wish I could stay and help out get this event going. Not being able to get your boat should anything happen is the bummer about Balboa. And the billions of children that are there on the weekend. Might be tough to leave boats unattended with all those booger-ridden hands running around.

[steveneill]

As long as it's not

As long as it's not on a holiday weekend and in spring there's really no problem with the public. It's light trafic.

As far as recovery is concerned I bet I can work something out with the city and life guards there who love the subs.

I'm very careful and don't dive except when I can see it and have never lost a boat to date.

Sorry you can't make it. Sorry I haven't met up with you before. I'm usually the only sub ever there.

There are other lakes I would suppose but all will have the same issues. A large pond like the one at the SC Regatta or in Texas where Subron 5 had there event would be best if we can find one out here.

If anyone can look into that it would be a help to start.

Hansen Dam is no better and even worse for losing a boat if you go too far out. Plus it usually populated by a local boating group at all times.

Steve

[pigeonfarmboy]

Wonder if any of the

Wonder if any of the water parks in the area would be willing to work with you organizing an event? Might be worth it to check out their websites for photos if they have any large wading pools or something. Balboa is a good spot though.

Ever been to the Aquarium of the Pacific? That big tank they have with the glass side would be ridiculous!! (Just dreaming of course haha)

[steveneill]

I hear you but it's

I hear you but it's been tried and even if approved it would cost us. First we have to have an interest. But so far this thread and the one on SP is a flat liner.

Steve

[jefftytoo]

Hey Steve,

I spend little time

Hey Steve,

I spend little time on the message boards these days and so didn't know about this thread till SanFran Fun Run buddy Lance Ellingson brought it to my attention yesterday.

Just wanted you to know that if you indeed get some kind of planned run organized up your way in the spring, large or small, I'm in. I've been meaning to get up there and run with you for ages anyway.

The two So. Cal. guys you should definitely e-contact individually when making any plans are Will Oudmayer and, of course, Mike Dory. Both travel up north to the SanFran run regularly, and I'm sure either or both would happily show up for an organized So. Cal. event, given some notice. Tell 'em I sent ya! With either or both of them and their magnificent boats in attendance, you've GOT an event!

I definitely hear you in your frustration in getting something going in these parts. You may recall that a year or two back I put considerable preliminary effort into setting up a So. Cal. event at our city-run community water park here in La Mirada ("Splash!", featuring multiple different-sized pools and a meandering river ride). I figured that if our East Coast pals could regularly run at their local YMCA during the winter months, I ought to be able to get something going out here. Well, "Splash!" management was supportive of the idea at first, but it eventually turned out to be all talk. When it came time to finalize, they insisted we provide some kind of club insurance (expensive stuff and a major nuisance, according to Tim Smalley, whom I'd quickly consulted), and then wanted to charge us ridiculously high usage rates that, even broken down by the hour and spread among all participants, were totally out of the question. (I'd already done a quick poll among local sub drivers, so had a pretty good idea going in what people were willing to pay.) Anyway, no negotiations were allowed so -- poof! -- it all went up in smoke, and I haven't made another attempt since. Pretty darned frustrating, as you well know. And remember, this had been when the park was just opening and was looking for all the publicity it could get; I was convinced we could get the local media to show up to cover our subs -- one hand washing the other, a perfect scenario. But these folks just didn't get it.

So there you have it. Lemme know if you have better luck...

Best,
Jeff Porteous

[steveneill]

Jeff the best way to

Jeff the best way to handle this and cheat the City out of it's extortion money is have it an official get together. We all show up at the lake we pick and run our boats. There's no law against it and they can't charge us anything.

This city has it hand out for so much money from everything from a simple movie shoot to and planned hobby event it's no wonder they've cased everyone and the jobs out of town.

Still the interest is low. At this point it would be just great if you, Dorey, Ralph, Darrin and a few others could just get together and run the darn boats.

Thanks for your input Jeff!! Dying to run my 1/32 VIIC with you guys,

Steve

[steveneill]

I don't have the time

I don't have the time or funds to take on that suggestion. I have to work all the time if I even can to pay my bills. I appreciate your suggestions but I don't see why we can't just meet at Balboa lake for a Sunday, for free (that's the key word) and run our boats.

Steve

[thor]

Steve,

I think if you are

Steve,

I think if you are going try and get these guys all together we need to plan something. With the way our luck runs, the day we all 'just show up' to run out boats something will be going on that will mess the whole thing up. For me, I would be really nervous driving 1,500 miles for an unplanned event that runs a good chance of not working out. The old axiom of Those who fail to plan, plan to fail always seems to apply to situations like this. If you want to keep it to locals and roll the dice, you will probably be ok. California is a LONG drive from Kansas....

Matt

[steveneill]

My wife had a bad

My wife had a bad fall. She destroyed her heal. She will never be able to walk normally again. She is wheel chair bound for a long time to come. There is no one to take care of her but me.

She can't be left alone. So I wouldn't be able to go to my own Regatta or anything else until she fully recovers or I can get a baby sitter to stay at my home while I'm gone.

So I will not have any time to give to this until she's able to get around and start taking care of the house again so I can work.

Sorry for the long drawn out wine. I'm stuck.

Steve

[steveneill]

Thanks John,

Yes it does seem

Thanks John,

Yes it does seem that way. It's been two months now since I've run or flown anything.

Steve

[junglelord]

I am really sorry to

I am really sorry to hear about your wife's fall Steve.
Her busted Heel, is not good.

If you can, when it healed to a certain degree, try to seek out a Rolfer.
This form of deep tissue therapy, will allow the ankle joint, knee joint, hip joint, to open up again, a lot faster, then any other therapy.

Trust me.

I know.

[steveneill]

Thanks Jungle Lord.

Steve

Thanks Jungle Lord.

Steve