PADDLER DAY - FIRST REPORT.

[Walter Snowdon]

Well, its been and gone! We have had attrocious weather for the last four days, major flooding everywhere. So, when I got up this morning I was pleasantly supprised- hazy sunshine! The work party were at the water park at 7.0am putting out road signs, erecting gazebos and preparing the community hall and kitchen for the influx of paddler fans. What a great support team we have in the Darlington club.
 by 9.30 the first visitors had started to arrive with some very large and interesting models. There was never a time when there was less than two models on the water from 10.0am to 4.0pm and on one occasion there were six sailing together.
By my initial reckoning at least six were steam driven with some very interesting and powerfull home built steam plants. Our good friend Hans was the furthest traveled (Swizerland), there were also a Party from Edinburgh plus a group who traveled from Berry club and numerous solo paddlers from various parts.. There was a steady flow of spectators all day, and the ladies in the canteen had a good supply of pies and peas and sandwhiches to feed the hungry paddlers.
we had at least twenty paddlers on the water, plus a number on static show which did not sail.
Considering the weather and the fact it was fathers day, we had a pretty fair turn-out, so much so that we are planning to repeat  the whole thing again next year.
Hans won the prize for best model on the water with his lovely little MULL OF KINTYRE.
There will be updates as they come in and a steady stream of videos and pictures as and when they are ready for the site.
A great thank you for everyone who took part.
 The MEDWAY QUEEN will benefit by approximately A hundred and twenty pouns taken on the day. Cheers for now, Walter.

[Eddy Matthews]

A thoroughly enjoyable day - I got home exhuasted and sunburnt, but everyone seemed to have enjoyed themselves even though the weather did try it's best to spoil things.

The members of the Darlington club did a magnificent job helping with all the chores that need doing in an event such as this, and the ladies in the canteen did sterling work throughout the day keeping everyone fed and watered - Thanks Sue, Rita and others! The event wouldn't have been possible without their support.

We've learnt a lot from staging this first Paddler day, and we WILL be doing it again next year.

I didn't have much time to take photos etc, but I have posted a few in our Photo Album, and there is also one short video in the Video section. More photos and videos will be posted later when I get them from the guys that were organising that side of things.

All in all a great day, that can only get better in future years...

[Eddy Matthews]

I've added a load more pictures to the Photo Album to show some more of the models that were at the show yesterday.... We're still missing a few, but hopefully I'll get photos of them over the next week or so.

My thanks to Gavin Snowdon (Walters son) for sending this batch of pictures.

[Eddy Matthews]

Another three pictures added to the Photo Album, this time thanks to Ernie Lazenby, one of my fellow club members.

[Eddy Matthews]

Another batch of 24 photos added to the Photo Album, this time thanks to Andrew Gray (ajg141) from Edinburgh MBC.

With Andrews photos I think we now have at least one image of every paddler that was there on the day...

[derekwarner_decoy]

:bow well done PD's ...looks like you all had  a :party [bit cold thou....] so question & comment

1) how much were there freight costs for Hans with his "Paddleduck on Tour" case from Switz to UK & return?

2) IMG 4635 - the blue schooner rigged steamer...... the builder has adopted the [assumed] engine steam discharge both to the STDB sponson support above the water line & also up [outboard] of the chinmey - the set up certainly appeared to provide great quantities of steam... I couldn't make out the oily steam seperator??

3) must be the old saying...... {paddles + steam} + sails adds interest

Edited......sorry... found the oily steam seperator in IMG 4668

[mjt60a]

Looks like it was a great day, I'd liked to have been there - maybe next year.... :roll:

[Eddy Matthews]

Looks like it was a great day, I'd liked to have been there - maybe next year.... :roll:

The more the merrier Mick - We'll almost certainly change the date for next year. At the moment it's likely to be early september, but that will be confirmed at a later date...

[Eddy Matthews]

I'd just like to say a BIG thankyou once again to Mike Mayhew of Waverley Models for the 1:48 scale Waverley hull and plans that he kindly donated as a prize for our paddler day.

The hull and plans were won by Geoff Fish, so now he has no excuse for not turning up with a paddler at next years show!

For those that don't know, Mike produces a vast range of hulls and fittings for all sorts of vessels - Paddlers, fishing boats, tugs, scale sailing boats, and god knows what else. Most of the stuff he does isn't listed on his website, though he did tell me that he's working on that!

So if your after something obscure, give Waverley Models a try, Mike is one of the modelling worlds real gentlemen, and will always help if he can. Just take my advice and PHONE him - Mike uses a steam powered computer and much prefers to talk to people directly. Just don't expect it to be a short phonecall as he can talk for England!

You can contact him on:

Day - +44 (0)1275 546 772,  Evening - +44 (0)1275 791 522,  or Mobile - 07798 502 826

I make no apology for blatantly plugging Waverley Models - I've known Mike for a number of years and have always found him an absolute pleasure to deal with, so I have no hesitation in recommending him to anyone.

[scotfriend]

Hello Eddy,

thank's for organizing the Paddlerday, i will prepare one of my Glasgow's for next year. If you could order a wee bit better weather it would be great.

Kind regards Hans

[Eddy Matthews]

Hello Eddy,

thank's for organizing the Paddlerday, i will prepare one of my Glasgow's for next year. If you could order a wee bit better weather it would be great.

Kind regards Hans

Thanks Hans,

I'm glad you managed to get along to the show with one of your models and that things went fairly well with the event.  You've visited the UK enough times now to realise that the weather is often wet!

We will probably stage next years paddler day a little later in the year, so with a bit of luck it will be drier than it was this time!

I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the day - I was absolutely knackered (wrecked, worn out, shattered) by the end of the day, checking that everything was running smoothly, but I wouldn't have missed it for the world!

Just so there's no confusion, I wasn't the only one who was involved with the organisation of the day - Walter Snowdon, Bob Golder, and John Frank were all involved, and the actual running of the event had more than twenty of the Darlington club members and thier wives all doing their bit! So yet again, my sincere thanks to everyone who contributed and made it such a succesful day.

I still think I got things wrong - How else would I have managed to buy more than £5 of raffle tickets and not win a damned thing?

[Eddy Matthews]

I've started to add some videos from our paddler day to the video section of the website.... Still lots more to come, but it will take a while to get them all edited, so keep looking for new additions...

[Eddy Matthews]

A total of 17 videos of our Paddler Day have been added to the video section - I still have another 10 to do which will be added tomorrow...

[scotfriend]

I still think I got things wrong - How else would I have managed to buy more than £5 of raffle tickets and not win a damned thing?

I'am sorry about that but as you should know, life is allways unfair

[Bob Golder]

Hi All,  Just returned from a week in Scotland so decided to add my two penn'rth, (needed the rest after last Sunday - PHEW!).  A great day was had by all.  I spoke to most modellers attending and to a man (and some women as well ) they all said DO IT AGAIN.  Don't worry, we will, and better than last time.  Eddy and Walter have mentioned most of the activities and one comment was made about a tug actually towing.  We also had a 'pier' made of polystyrene where a few brave souls practised docking, successfully I may add.  Many many thanks to all wo helped to all who attended, with or without models, and especially to Eddy and Walter, the instigators.