How Embarrasement!!!

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Sorry folks to those who visit my website at dldirect.net.

Ummmm, the automatic renewal for annual payment did not work because earlier this year my Visa card was affected by fraudulent transactions. That card was then cancelled, but I did not advise my ISP hoster  of the replacement card that was issued. The bill was paid tonight, and hopefully thge site will be back on line very shortly.

My apologies to the loyal followers of my sites. Thank you for your patience. 

Announce to all Blognow.com.au users

model yachting Australia website update.

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User submitted Articles:

I have finally tidied up the page. I hope those that have taken the time and trouble to provide me with information are happy.

Mark & Karl, seems to me, that this sport can certainly do with more folks like you.

Thank you for your contributions, and I eagerly look forward to more.

Thanks guys,
Don

Sometimes everything is just great!

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I was out of town this weekend, But still some things happened, that I was pleasantly surprised to find out about.

Fantastic things! Things that I believe are good for this sport. Things that make me believe that there is a future for this sport. And it has, per se, nothing to do with being totally competition orientated. But has everything to do with building boats from the ground up, by the passionate sportsman, to the level that both guys tell me that they fully expect their boats to competeitive against the most modern designs sailing today. 

But the thing that excites me most about what these guys are doing, And that is what excites me. It is about the attitude that new blood is being reintroduced back into this sport. And the best thing of all. Both Mark and Karl are all for also accomodating the needs of the absolute novice.

The two things that happened were that Mark Roger's sent me some photo's of his building of his T50, and a phone call from Karl Texler today about  what he was doing. 

Karl has posted some photo's on the forum, but I also, with his permission, am able to make them available on the webste as well. Mark's photo's will also be available on the website.

Maybe, down the track, if I can persuade these enthusiasts to give me some more info, I might be able to publish some articles on what has driven these guys to once again, take up a hobby/sport after many years away.

But for the first time in years, I am really starting to feel rejuvenated. And it is blowing my mind!!!

What a great weekend it has been for me!!!

2010 Nationals - Marblehead Champion.

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Congratulations to Lincoln McDowall, one of the gentlemen of this sport!

VRYA website updated

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Andrew ran into some computer problems which caused a delay in getting some comments posted.

Read his commentary at http://www.vrya.org/

Australian Nationals 2010 Website at  http://www.nats2010.saradioyachting.org.au/index.htm

A-Class & 10-Rater Champions

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Congratulations to Andrew Reid on becoming the Australian 10-Rater National Champion for 2010

Congratulations to Gary Cotterell on becoming the Australian A-Class National Champion for 2010

VRYA webside updated

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Comments from Andrew Reid, leading the 10-Raters at the end of day 2.

Read his commentary at http://www.vrya.org/

Australian Nationals 2010 Website at  http://www.nats2010.saradioyachting.org.au/index.htm

VRYA website updated

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Andrew has submitted an update of the first day of the 10-Rates' competition.

Click on the link on the right hand side of the front page.
http://www.vrya.org/

Australian Nationals 2010 Website at  http://www.nats2010.saradioyachting.org.au/index.htm

Inaugural Micro Magic National Regatta

 At Easter this year the Assn has scheduled its first National Regatta for the class to be held in Canberra ACT.

For those that regularly visit the AMMCA Web site you will notice that this is now ten weeks away. At this stage we have 14 entries representing Vic, NSW, Qld, SA and WA which is pleasing.

 For those that do not regularly visit the web site:

 On Line entries are now been taken at: http://www.aus.magicmicro.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?2192.last
Notice of Race at: http://www.aus.magicmicro.org/e107_files/public/1255357672_8_FT0_easter_nats_-_nor.pdf Accommodation Options at: http://www.aus.magicmicro.org/e107_files/public/1255422735_8_FT2193_nats_canberra_map.jpg

If you are considering being involved now would be a good time to enter online.

This will be a low pressure weekend catering for all levels of experience and sailing skill. The emphasis is on having an enjoyable weekend to remember.

Come on .... be part of this historic event .... it can only happen once.

Regards
Graeme

The Australian 2010 Nationals Start

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Well, the R/C Nationals start today with the"A" Class boats leading the way.

As a general indication, venue and dates for the competing classes are shown below.

Venue: Patawalonga Lake Anderson Ave. Glenelg Nth. South Australia

Dates
International A Class: 20, 21, 22 January 2010
International 10 Rater: 23, 24, 25 January 2010
International Marblehead: 26, 27, 28 January 2010
International One Metre: 29, 30, 31 January & 1 February 2010 

May the competition be friendly and the event enjoyable for all!

Australian Nationals 2010 Website at  http://www.nats2010.saradioyachting.org.au/index.htm

Website Updated

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Finally, finally, finally, all my website obligations and committments have been met.

My website has been updated with latest gallery pictures, latest available 'For Sale' information, and latest 'User Submitted' articles. Mark will start building his T50 in February, and promises to send more photo's, to which I very much look forward too.

This is one fantastic hobby/sport if we can just stay away from politics.

EC12's For Sale

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Even though I published some preliminary details a couple of weeks ago, I'm now happy to advise that I have now put up all the details I have on my website http://www.dldirect.net in the "For Sail" menu item.

Check out the photo's and please don't hesitate to leave comments.

That is for the good of all. And it applies to all other blog entries I have made to date, as well.

maverick

Further Battery Info.

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The Nautic 12, "Maverick" was sailed full on for approximately 2 3/4 hours on Sunday 10 Jan 2010.

Boat Design: Nautic 12
Boat Name:   Maverick
TX:                   Spektrum DX7
RX:                   Spektrum AR7000
Sail Winch:     RMG 280DL
Boat Battery:  FlightPower Evo 20, 2100 mAh 2s1p 7.4V LiPo
Boat Battery weight: 129 gm
TX Battery:      NiMh 1500 mAh
All TX/RX batteries were fully charged the night before.

After the 2  & 3/4 hour sail, my observations were;
Boat Battery:         mAh used: 503 mAh
Voltage Drop:       0.10 volts
TX:                          mAh used: 403 mAh from an NiMh 1500 mAh battery.

This was the first time I had ever used an LiPo battery in a boat, and I had no idea of what to expect. Unlike traditional Nicad and NiMh batteries that simply run flat, when LiPo's drop below 3.0 volts, they catch on fire and explode. And as Mark seemed to have set himself in with Maverick, I had started to sweat a bit towards the end of the sail, as Mark seemed really reluctant to bring the boat in.

But as it turned out, my sweating panic turned out to be completely unnecesary.

Website Update

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myA website has been updated.

http://www.dldirect.net

Battery use info after Cherry Lake Sail.

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Well Mark, I don't know how much you used the controls for the couple of hours you sailed "Maverick" but of the original capacity of the LiPo's of 2100 Ma, only 503 mAh was used today. So there was plenty in reserve. Voltage was down from maximum allowed in LiPo's of 4.2 volts per cell down to only 4.18 volts per cell. The minimum safe discharge level in LiPo's is 3.0 volts.

So whilst the milliamperage had dropped 23.95%, the voltage had only dropped by 0.48%, these LiPo's had stacks in reserve, and I would now have no qualms or reservations about using LiPo's for a full day's sailing, even in heavy weather.

And the weight of this LiPo pack?  iiiiiizzzzzzzzzzz, weight only 129gm! Compare that to any NiMh or Nicd battery, which may be 3 - 4 times the weight. And no memort issues either. But the downside is, is that LiPo's if unused should be stored at 3.7 volts, and whether they are used or not, unlike NiCd or NiMh with an indefinite life time, albeit based on charge cycles, the LiPo's only have a lifespan of approximately 3 years.

Same as Li-Ion batteries, and folks may already have realised that the batteries in their phones do not usually last longer than three years. Li-Ion are very close relatives to LiPo's but theit max and min voltages are slightly different and the Li-Ion's are a tad more user friendly.

maverick

What a Great Day!

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was had today by Keith, Mark, and myself as we gathered together for an informal sail at Cherry Lake in Altona. A great day, that is, except for my sunburnt arms, due to a lack of applying SP 15+ too late in the day.

But the sailing was great. And, Keith launched for the first time, his Banckert tug, with great success.

Today was the first time either Keith or I had met Mark, a former sailor, who has rekindled an interest and a desire to once again pursue a sport he hasn't been involved in for many years.

Keith and I were going to have a sail, and as a result of recent, albeit brief, email communications with Mark, I had invited him to come along if he had the time, and the inclination, to check out the sailing location, and to have a sail of my boat if he was interested.

As it turned out, Keith brought with him two boats, so that we would all be able to sail together if it worked out that way. And I have to thank Keith very much for that nice touch, as it ensured we all three could sail together if we wanted too.

Weellll, I stand to be corrected, but I reckon the day was a great success. For Keith who launched his tug for the first time in open water, and after making a slight adjustment to stern ballast, was happy with the result, and for Mark who sailed Keith's "Avalon", and then my "Maverick,"  once again getting a feel for the boats.

The "Avalon" proved to be a bit of a challenge today, with some electrical problems that caused some uncharacteristically erratic behaviour, for which a cause has not yet been identified, and some set-up problems which will require some modifications.

"Maverick," which had not been in the water for what must be approaching three years, also was deemed to need some slight further adjustments made to the jib boom to give it a little more range. These simple changes I will make before her next sail, but she still sailed beautifully in the fluky wind conditions.

And Keith's "Victoria," the third boat in the trio, never ceases to amaze me. Keith just takes it out of his car, puts it in the water, and time after time, it just goes like a rocket. And it always goes like that. Always, just so damn well!

But the real buzz I got today, was from the the apparent pleasure displayed by Mark, and I hope I did not read him wrongly, but there may be, just may be, a newly (re)addicted fan to this sport. If so, then whilst I appreciate that Mark had shown an interest already, having the sail today, may have just possibly encouraged the prompt completion of two projects he currently has under way.

It's days like today that make all the pain, and the long drive for me, oh, and Mark,  worthwhile!

maverick

EC12's for Sale

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Well folks, after receiving a notice from someone wanting to sell a couple of EC12's,  and quite a few emails back and forth, trying to extract information that might be informative to a prospective buyer or buyers, I have finally arrived at the point where I can put some details on the boats for sale on my website .

Contact information is minimal, as is the history of the boats and the equipment in them.

Details will be posted on my website at http://www.dldirect.net  within the next day or so.

maverick

Congratulations

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To the skipper and crew of Alfa Romeo on taking out line honours in the 2009 Rolex Sydney - Hobart.

Well done folks!

New Zealand's Yachties

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Well, whether we like it or not, it seems that New Zealand's yachties, be they full size boats sailors, or model yacht sailors, and boat builders, they surely must rank among the world's best.

They seem to have this attitude of asking what do we want to do?, then asking how do we do it?, and then finally doing it!  And doing it well!!

And perhaps this year once again, it will be Alfa Romeo's turn to get line honours.