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Subject:
Submarine (R/C) Squadron Five – Sun ‘N
Fun 2011 Patrol - Report of.
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Just when you thought it was safe to stop worrying
about the water, Sun N Fun 2011 came along to remind
us once again how precious a good clear running area
can be. After several years of struggle with unreliable
venues, SubRon5 found the Jones Reflection Pool at
Hermann Park in Houston, Texas. For the previous two
years it proved to be the perfect place for r/c submarine
operations. So much so that I took it for granted that
our third return would be without incident.
Enter the summer of 2011. Actually, the entire year
saw record setting temperatures in Houston (longest
streak of 100+F. highs in Houston history, a tie with
the highest recorded temperature ever) and a 100 year
drought. Coupled with the budget cutting measures enacted
by city hall, the reflection pool’s circulation
system was shut down giving algae free reign. A visit
to the site two weeks prior to the event revealed water
that was murky and had a distinct odor. However, the
fountain on one end had been turned back on.
Emergency planning went into effect and a clear, though
less hospitable, location was procured. A message was
sent to all boat informing them of the situation. Fortunately,
no skipper aborted the mission. When Jeff Porteous
arrived on Friday afternoon, we headed straight to
the park to reconnoiter. Once there we discovered one
of several Providential circumstances we would enjoy
over the weekend. The water was crystal clear. Thoroughly
relieved, we got Jeff settled in the event HQ.
The next morning, September 17, everyone assembled
in the lobby of the hotel. Tom and Marcia Kisler were
there along with a new face, Frank from Tennessee.
He had flown in to check out the event and visit his
father who resides in town. A newcomer to r/c subs,
Frank was patiently awaiting an RPM Tech Kilo and Seehund
kit. His was a very pleasant presence all weekend,
full of eager questions and enthusiasm. We piled in
our vehicles and caravanned to the park.
The weather was cloudy which helped keep the heat down.
It also brought out the crowds. We established our
base of operations near the small square fountain which
conveniently doubled as a test tank for the boats.
Jeff wasted no time in getting Blueback into the fountain
and got her trimmed out. He ran Blueback continuously
throughout the day. As always, she turned on a dime
and responded quickly to her master’s commands.
In the meantime, I set out some buoys for a little
navigational challenge. While I did, Don Baker arrived. As
always he brought some surprise goodies. His collection
of running boats, rare kits, and objects d’subart
is never static. This time he brought both his 1/96
Seawolf and Sturgeon to run, a Teskey 16” Flying
Sub hull kit with which to trade, and a secret project
hidden beneath a towel. As I brought over the last
bit of my gear, Don’s final surprise announced
itself. Ahooooogah! Don had picked up a submarine-used
diving alarm. When the train which circles the park
passed by and tooted its whistle, Don gave it a blast
in return. They really are loud.
All this ahooga-ing caught the attention of a park
visitor across the pool from us. At about the same
time we noticed he was carrying an r/c transmitter
and was using it to drive his own 1/72 Gato. We waved
the man, and his boat, over to our side of the pool.
He turned out to be John Knasis, a Houstonian interested
in scale r/c boats, who just happened to pick that
Saturday to run his Gato at Hermann Park – completely
unaware of our event. John’s Gato was beautifully
done with a measure 32 paint scheme and a Caswell WTC
and running gear. When asked about the project he explained
he bought the Revell kit, the WTC and accompanying
how-to DVD, followed it to the letter and voila: r/c
submarine. John’s boat, the first fleetboat at
a Sun N Fun, captured all our imaginations. There was
much talk of a future wolfpack seeing how we all have
an untouched Revell kit at home. Most of us have WTC
setups for them as well. We shall see.
One of the first in the water was Tom and his USS Scorpion.
Tom’s boat was plagued with gremlins last year
including an extremely uncooperative rudder linkage
jumper. Fully repaired and raring to go, Tom’s
boat put on a show that lasted all day. Scorpion ran
like it was on rails, a tribute to Tom’s hand
at the stick and abilities in the workshop. It was
the events MVB, Most Valuable Boat, hands down.
Tom also brought his in-progress project with him,
a 31” Disney Nautilus from Nautilus
Drydocks. The perfect project for his Nautilus themed
hobby room, Tom is building her as a surface runner.
Given the subject, we certainly won’t hold that
against him.
Making his second appearance at Sun N Fun, Fitz Walker
brought along another fleet of micro boats based on
styrene kits. Fitz is a wizard at making small models
perform underwater. He wow’ed us last year with
a dynamically diving Japanese I-boat. This year he
brought the I-boat back, along with a 1/700 Soviet
Typhoon and a Gary Anderson Stingray.
Having worked on his own boat, Fitz immediately recognized
the shape hidden under Don’s towel and begged
for the big reveal. Don unveiled his secret: a very
large scale Stingray hull of his own. It was a prototype
from an Australian maker who has enlisted Don to work
up the r/c running gear. It looked great, including
the periscope on top. We look forward to seeing more
of this project.
Fitz got his Typhoon underway and
patrolled alongside John and his Gato. They were quite
a contrast both in size and submarine technology. Don
also got into the act with his Seawolf. It handled
well and looked really impressive on the water. I entered the fray with my newly revised 1/96 Permit.
Originally built as USS Thresher,
I spent the summer overhauling her exterior to represent
USS Guardfish (USS-612). The biggest change was the
addition of a scratch built mini-sail for the BRD-7 “football” mast
she wore in the early 1970’s. Inside, she was
much revised as well with a completely rearranged electronics
shelf. I also spent a great deal of time redoing the
foam to greatly refine her trim. Once underway I was
pleased to see the effort had paid off. Guardfish handled
herself very well.
The clouds which screened us from the sun soon provided
what our Sun N Fun events have rarely had to deal with:
rain. For an extended period during the afternoon we
enjoyed both light sprinkles and the occasional steady
rain. Undaunted, we continued to patrol. After all,
what’s a little water among r/c submarines?
In a testament to the fun everyone had we patrolled
straight through lunch. As the afternoon waned, Chad
Divine arrived from Austin with his family. Chad is
bitten by the anime sub bug and has a hull master for
UX, the bad guy boat from the movie “Submarine
707”, in progress. He also brought along a special
sight for sci-fi sub lovers everywhere: a Ray Mason
Nautilus. Having read about the hull for years, it
was a real treat to see one up close. Jeff and I had
to agree, it was the perfect size for an r/c Disney
Nautilus.
Famished
after the day’s events, we headed out
to share what has become the traditional Sun N Fun
Saturday meal: a southern seafood dinner. Afterwards,
we rendesvoused back at the park for our other mandatory
event: the night run.
Hermann Park takes on a whole new personality at night.
The crowds disperse and the water stills. Music wafts
over from the adjacent outdoor theater. It’s
the perfect setting for boys and their boats. With
most lighting gone, the fun takes on almost a camp
out type atmosphere (only with the added joy of knowing
there’s a soft bed and a shower waiting back
at the hotel).
Despite the great setting, the night time submarining
proved to be a disappointment. Blueback’s lighting
rig, detailed down to the timed ID beacon on her snorkel,
failed on the bench one section at a time. Tom got
his 1/96 Liberty ship target in the water, then had
a failure of his own and returned her to her crate
almost immediately. That left Fitz to own the night
with his Typhoon.
Fitz’s
Typhoon put on a very interesting show. It had a green
LED in the top of the sail and we spent the run watching
it flit around the pool. It got to be so dark, and
the light so bright, that we basically just followed
the glow as it changed shape depending on whether it
was above and below the surface. It was a light show
that reminded me of the UFO’s in “Close
Encounters of the Third Kind”.
Sunday proved to be a distinctly thinner crowd. Due
to trip and family obligations, everyone departed from
the hotel leaving Jeff and I to ourselves for another
patrol. Again the weather was cloudy with a good breeze.
We spent the morning running both Guardfish and Blueback
with many opportunities for photo and video shots.
It was the hobby in its purest form. We ran until our
batteries went flat.
All in all, it was a highly enjoyable event. I wish
to thank everyone who braved the brief water uncertainty
and made the trip. Special thanks and appreciation
go out to Ron Misrack and the Hermann Park Conservancy
whose support, three years running, was essential to
the event we had the privilege to enjoy.
Respectfully,
P.H. Crozier |
