The struggle for supremacy!

The six-metre class RC yacht races can be exceedingly competitive at times - bumps and collisions in heat of the race have been known!

This is the 1/33 scale Billing Boats RC tug 'Smit Nederland' carefully dismantling the ice on Aubery waters.

The Smit Nederland was built in 1979 at the BV Scheepswerft & Machinefebriek "De Merwede" in Hardinzveld, Holland. Length 28.40 m, breadth 8,85 m, draught 3.85 m. The vessel is driven by two "Stork Werkspoor" diesel engines, whose 1000 rpm yield 1800 HP. Top speed is 12 knots; the acting radius is 2,250 miles. A special detail of this ship is the propellors, which are equipped with reversible blades in jet streams, and two becker rudders which ensure good manoeuvrability.

The Billing Boats kit of the Smit Nederland features: ABS Hull, wooden superstructure and decks, hull and deck fittings in wood, brass and/or plastic, ramin masts, rigging cord in various sizes, Propshafts, rudders and brass propellers. Includes Full size plan sheets and an instruction manual with English Text.

The Pink Lady on ice!

Balfour Kilpatrick's hand built 'Pink Lady' on unorthodox ice-breaking duties.

Scandinavian tugboat 'North Sigen' charging across the pond.

Here is a terrifying video of a very similar tug struggling to remain afloat in a treacherous waters in the North Sea:

Click here (video opens in new page).

Another Caldercraft kit - this is the scale model 'Ocean Crest' 75ft motor fishing vessel.

Not having a 'Hard Chime'!

Eddie Kerr's example of a 47ft US Coast Guard lifeboat.

The Four Powers: Wind, Steam, Diesel and Man!

Four very different vessels.

Another wonderful shot of Billing Boats completed museum-quality model kit of Jacques Cousteau's RV 'Calypso 2'.

In 1975-76 Jacques Coustaeu, and his famous RV Calypso 2 located the wreck of Titanic's less-famous sister ship HMHS Britannic, which sank in 300ft of water after hitting a mine on 21st Novemeber 1916, less than three years after her launch, less than five after the sinking of RMS Titanic and before she even had the chance to undertake her maiden voyage as an ocean liner. She never even had the opportunity to undergo her sea trials in her intended White Star livery as the First World War had begun while she was still being fitted out.

Those seeking more information of HMHS Britannic can't do better than here:
The Unseen Britannic: The Ship In Rare Illustrations (Amazon GB)

In years past the club has been known to host an 'evening sail' where some of the club's models equipped with onboard lighting will take to the waters of the pond.

Here can be seen the exquisite model of the MV Maid of Argyll.

Maid of Argyll was the second of a quartet of passenger vessels ordered in 1951 to modernise the Clyde fleet. Built by A & J Inglis of Glasgow, it was launched on 4 March 1953.

She was the only ship of the quartet to survive unaltered into the Caledonian MacBrayne era with the new livery. This only lasted one season and she made her last Clyde sailing on 12 September 1973. After a lay-up through the winter, she was sold to Cycladic Cruises of Piraeus on 1 March 1974. As City of Piraeus, she sailed from Flisvos marina on day cruises to the Saronic Islands, Aegina, Poros and Hydra. Her landing platform was extended to make a little upper deck and by 1978, it ran almost to the stern, serving as a sun deck. She was relieving City of Hydra, the former MacBrayne's Claymore. About 1989, she moved to Corfu, sailing for Aronis Coastal Cruises. As City of Corfu, she ran excursions to the island of Paxos, and the port of Parga on the Greek mainland. In 1997, City of Corfu suffered a serious fire and did not sail again. In 2002, she was partially submerged and decomposing at her berth.

Racing around the pond on a calm Winter early evening.

Ray Istad's Tamar class RNLI lifeboat.

It's not often we see whaling vessels on the pond. This is Alex Fletcher's German whaler the Rau IX, originally built in 1939.

Here is some further information on the original vessel from the German Maritime Museum.

Despite it's Greek-sounding name, MV 'Pharos' (by John Scott) was in fact a lighthouse tender built by Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. Ltd., Dundee and owned by Commissioners of Northern Lighthouses, Edinburgh.

In 1988 she was converted into a passenger vessel in honduras, was trasferred to Panama in 1994, Malabo (Equitorial Guinea) in 1997 and finally Port of Spain in 2001 before being broken up in 2010 at Aliaga.

Looking like she has a full hold, this is Donald Ribbeck's wonderful Clyde coaster the 'Sannox', here seen with it's gig resting on the cargo hatch.

Safe in the harbour, 2010.

As previously stated, the club has held occassional night sails. This image is from one such occassion on a Summer's evening in 2010, showing the extent of the Club's 'Port Aubery' harbour.

The vessel at the far left is a scale model of the Caldeonian MacBrayne ferry MV Juno (1974), the first in the Calmac fleet to be fitted with Voith Schneider Propellers, which allowed the ships to literally turn within their own length - revolutionary (ahem) at the time.