SubRon5's
first annual fun run, Sun 'N Fun 2003, was held on
August
16-17, 2003 at San Gabriel Park in Georgetown, Texas.
Not only was it SubRon5's first fun run, it was mine
as well. I may have run a little prior to this weekend,
but I've never had as much fun.
San Gabriel Park turned out to be a wonderful facility.
Minutes from hotels and restaurants, the river
was surrounded by huge shade trees which kept things
bearable
despite the Texas heat. Though not as clear as anticipated due to the unusually
heavy summer rains, the rich, green river water provided visibility down to
between three and four feet in depth.
Turnout was even better than anticipated. Approximately ten boats in varying
degrees of assembly arrived early on Saturday. Michael Laubach brought his
1/96 Seaview which drew quite a crowd to the water. Albert Johnson arrived
with a
Sheerline Trafalgar and a Burke class destroyer which made an all too brief,
but very high speed, run. Gail Phillips' nearly finished 1/72 Alfa, and Carl
Dietz's 1/96 Gato helped round out the display table.
Jeff Porteous, SubRon5's associate member from Los
Angeles, flew in with his 1/96 Blueback. His boat
ran well and put on quite an exhibition throughout
the weekend. On Saturday night he put on a solo demonstration with his
freshly
installed
running lights. Both Jeff and his boat were real crowd pleasers.
The opportunity to run my 1/96 Permit with good buddy
Jeff's Blueback was an event we had both looked
forward to for a long time. I learned a lot
from watching
Jeff's stately patrols and after much pre-ops briefing we only swapped
paint twice. Some called them collision scars, we called it weathering.
When the
running ended at noon on Sunday the ducks were relieved. The fish which
stalked our baffles
were sad to see us go.
One lesson learned about these events is at least
one Master Sub Modeler should be in attendance.
For us, that role was filled by Matt Thor, proprietor
of
ThorDesign. With his beautiful 1/96 Seawolf not quite ready for the
water,
he stood by and
answered questions, solved problems, helped me get the trim on my boat
dialed in, possessed the right tool or trick for each situation and
showed what an
R/C sub can really do when the helm is in a skilled hand. Thanks, Matt,
for sharing
your expertise.
The true reason for the event's success can be traced
to two of SubRon5's charter members: Wayne Frey
and Carl Dietz. Comrade Wayne found the
perfect site, handled
all the set-up, served as designated safety diver and took a load
of pictures both above and below the waves. He
even earned a combat patrol
pin when
a snake appeared and decided to cruise right between his legs.
Cap'n Carl served as commissary officer (along with his lovely wife)
and kept us well fed and watered. He also stood by the boats while
at sea and
took many
pictures. Even without completed subs of their own to run they both
carried the event with their warm smiles, good humor and enthusiasm.
The fun run also saw our fledgling SubRon begin to
form into a real group of friends. I got to meet
several guys who I had previously
known only
through
phone calls and swapped emails including Don Baker, Scott Trosper,
Jeff Godeau and
Mike Broussard. Many who came without projects of their own vowed
to return with running boats next year. Judging from the look in
their
eyes I don't
doubt it
for a minute.
Surprisingly, we had many walk-up attendees who expressed
a keen interest in submarines. Several sub vets
and even the owner of
the local hobby
shop came
by, shook hands, asked questions and admired the boats. My personal
thanks go out to everyone who attended.
By every account Sun 'N Fun 2003 was an incredible
experience. Humor was abundant, the fellowship
enjoyed was warm, and I came
away with
newfound sub driving
skills I never thought I'd get. Running with fellow bubbleheads
was an entirely new
thrill compared to my solo patrols at the neighborhood pool.
What's more, my wife and kids enjoyed themselves too. And it
all goes
back to the
people
we
were with.
Respectfully,
P.
H. Crozier
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