2009 Paddler Day

[Talisman]

I hope you all have a great day - weather does look as if it will be sunny and light winds.
Lookforward to hearing about it and the pics.
Kim

[mjt60a]

I too hope everyone has a good day and we'll have plenty of photos (videos maybe?) so those of us who can't attend can see what we're missing 

[djcf]

Yeah hope the day went well...looking forward to seeing the pics   

[Eddy Matthews]

The first few photos from the 2009 Padder Day are now in the photo gallery - I certainly didn't get photos of all the boats as I just didn't have time, but hopefully it will give a flavour of the event.

More photos will follow over the next week or so, and I'll add descriptions later....

We had perfect weather, so much so that I even got sunburnt! And everyone I spoke to said they had a great day...

http://www.paddleducks.co.uk/mkportal/modules/coppermine/thumbnails.php?album=92

Regards
Eddy

[Talisman]

Good to hear you had a great day.
Great photos and boats. The SWW's look great together.
look forward to seeing more.
Regards
Kim

[mjt60a]

Looks like it was a fantastic day, photos so far are superb 

[Eddy Matthews]

Just a quick report on todays proceedings, as I'm tired after a long day.....

I arrived at the club at 7am, and along with a few of the other early birds, it was straight down to work.... Some people were in the cafe preparing food, putting out tables and chairs etc etc. Others were putting tables out near the clubhouse for models to be displayed on. And yet more were out on the lake laying bouys and other odds and ends....

By about 8:30am everything was ready, so it was time for a quick bacon and egg sandwhich - Thanks Walter!!

Shortly after that the visitors started to arrive, and after the inevitable chinwag, catching up with old friends and quite a few new ones, the models slowly started to appear - Joe Hardy arrived from Tynemouth MBC and much to my surprise he had a paddler!! Joe has done nothing but slag off paddlers for all the years I've known him, but it was always very tongue in cheek and not to be taken seriously! Never the less he kept his paddletug Bamburgh as a complete surprise! And I think he enjoyed the day...

Hans, Joerg, and Danni had again made the long trip over from Switzerland and Germany, and we had lots of people from all over Scotland, and even as far down as Wales, so all in all a great turnout.

The weather gods were on our side and we had glorious sunshine with very light winds throughout the day. In fact it was so nice that I got sunburnt!!

After a very pleasant days sailing, the result of the voting for the Best Paddler on the Water, and the Best Novelty Paddler was announced by Ian Archibald (our club secretary) in the village hall we'd hired for the day. Best Paddler on the Water was won by Gavin Johnston of the Model Steamer Club for his model of the Glen Sannox, and Best Novelty Paddler was won by Doug White of Darlington & District MBC for his model of our Paddleducks Logo.

At that point it was about 4pm, and as a lot of our visitors had long journeys home, they started to depart.... And at 5pm we had cleared everything away, and were ready to leave ourselves. It was a long and tiring day, but I for one thoroughly enjoyed it! A day by the lake with friends old and new, who all had a common interest - What could be better?

As usual, we owe a great deal of thanks to the members of Darlington & District MBC for their never ending support and help in setting everything up, and also a special thankyou to Rita Barras and her daughter for doing a sterling job in the cafe all day.

Regards
Eddy

[Stuart Badger]

Looks like a wonderful day Eddy!

Stuart

[Eddy Matthews]

We'll get a lot more photos over the next week or so, in the meantime my apologies for my efforts..... I'm afraid my photographic prowess amounts to.

#1. Point
#2. Click
#3. Hope for the best!

Plus I didn't really have a lot of time to photograph everything, one of the hassles of being involved with the organisation....

Eddy

[Tug--Kenny]

Looks  like a great day was had by all. I'm sorry I wasn't able to come along. Lovely photo's. They give a real flavour of what we've missed.

Ken

[marinemole]

Glad the sun shone on the righteous Great photographs of a really impressive turnout of paddlers. Thanks for sharing.


Andy

[Walter Snowdon]

Thanks everyone who attended. It was a great day- especialy seeing Eddys monster on the water for the first time). he will have a tripple hernia AND a heart attack carrying that ferry! It was lovely to see a model of THE BEST LOOKING PADDLER EVER Glen Sannox on the  water. I would have loved to sail Waverly alongside it but alas we were both on the same Frequency!
 I must admit to some trepidation last week with all the running about, organising signs catering and shopping but it was all worth it! The parade of paddlers was something to see. I reckon it was probably the largest gathering of paddlers on the water at one time ever!
I am looking forward to the pictures from our photographer Dave who took over 200 pictures which will be to his usual high standard and will be posted by Eddy.
As usual we overcatered - I thought the HUGE german hot dogs would sell out especialy as I had got some saurkraut in especialy but I think i ate most of those that were sold! The lads in the club will be eating hot dogs for the next month!
Again, thanks to all those who came especialy in this time of financial difficulties. Incidentaly there was one very intriguing model of an American civil war gunboat which was built from an enlarged card model featured in an earlier paddleducks which absolutely reaked character- built by member from Wales (sorry I left his details in the club) who had some incredibly fine lazercut paddle wheels on this model and on display.
regards, Walter and may all your wakes be twins.
 

[Bob Golder]

Just to add a little to Walter's comment on the paddler parade, I counted 19 paddlers sailing on the water (and 2 ducks) and there were another two moored up alongside    Perhaps one of Dave's photos will be clear enough to verify by counting.

[ajg141]

Many thanks to all the hard working members for putting on such a fabulous show. The organisation was superb and the food excellent. I would have indulged in one of Walter's hotdogs but the weather was so warm for a Scot that I stuck to the teacake! There were some wonderful models to be seen and the parade was extraordinary. How no one ran into each other will forever remain a mystery. I do have some video footage taken on board from the 'little' Sir William Wallace that gives some idea of what was going on and once I've edited out the bits where I park it up against the bank I'll pass it on to Eddy for posting. Thanks again for a wonderful day.

Andrew

[sandystrone]

Thanks to Eddy and his helpers for giving us another enjoyable event and with ideal weather for those models who can't operate in gale force winds like our Tynemouth paddlers!

To those who missed it, it is a worth while day out, and even to just spectate.
The parade of paddlers was a test of navigation, someone tell that duck, that paddlers can't turn as sharp as him! I'm going to have to fit a bow thruster on my WAVERLEY!

Thanks again to the Darlington club for being a friendly host,
                                                                                          Sandy