model yachting Australia - including d'12metre radio yacht forums

Maverick · Guru

Is the EC12 still alive in Australia?

Maverick · Guru

RE: Australian Information: Wherefore art thou?

Henry · Senior Member

Yes Mav, I understand perfectly. Most good conversations have an element about other things in them. Thats why we all do it.

I had occasion some years ago to write about R/C yachting in the Model aircraft magazine. They didn't call it "model Planes " then but I can't remember what they called it. It was some "political correct" name.

I just think we should concentrate on ways of getting our message across the JOE PUBLIC. What worries me greatly are the ways of getting that message to the vast number of General Public , other than the sailing folk. Having sailing folk there is nice but , really they are "easy meat" . We , in these times have to start being a bit more smarter. TIMES are a changing !! People won't be able to travel, people won't be able to afford to travel. So this is why we will have to go to the general public to survive.

You know I saw somewhere, somebody doing stuff on those vehicles that go on sea and land... Hover Craft. Now looking at them in new light, of the battery revolution it may have something for us, for they could certainly be raced around a course?

Thinking at our pond there is a proper ramp for getting in the water and getting out and JUST MAYBE, the/a course could be laid up that included earth mark and a water mark? confused

And Perhaps we might talk about it in General Info page?

-- Edited by Henry at 12:22, 2008-07-08

-- Edited by Henry at 21:46, 2008-07-08

Maverick · Guru

You know Henry,

If one has one interest, and one interest only, one becomes a fanatic, and we all know a fantatic has no sense of reality, and will never be, can never be, in a position to make rational judgements about anything, even on the one thing they have that fanatical interest in.

Hopefully I will never be fanatical about anything. But also hopefully I will always be passionate, indeed, extremely passionate, about the things I love, like family, friends, boats, mountain bike riding, photograpy, helicopters, hands on hobbies, and a million other things, all with their due share of allocation, of attention, of time, and of priorities.

And funnily enough, my interest in radio helicopters has opened my vision with regard to how things should work. And it has also reinforced the opinions I have had for many years about the powers that be, in the Australian Radio Yachting scene. And that opinion, is, I am sad to say, not very complimentary.

Were it for these people alone, I would have chucked my radio yachts away years ago, but as it is, I still retain my passion for these boats, and consider radio yachting to be a fantastic sport. And I retain my passion for this sport despite the best attempts to kill that passion by inept administration.

That's why Henry, I sometimes take from successful organisations, something I hope can be applied to radio yachting. So I hope you will be understanding of me when I refer to things other than boats in some of my posts.

Henry · Senior Member

There you again Mav on to planes again. We'll have to invent a EC12 plane to keep you on track, eh? Hold out your hand. biggrin

Maverick · Guru

No Henry, we do not want any uninsured radio yacht sailors out there.

And belonging to the ARYA certainly meets this need.

And certainly you have the right to request this condition, not only from a general point of view, but also from your own club point of view, both points of view essential to public safety.

In the areo-modelling world, three visits are generally considered acceptable before joining their club. And I certainly think that is more than fair.

-- Edited by Maverick at 22:33, 2008-06-29

Henry · Senior Member

Yes mav, you should be a shamed of yourself , for I would have had that red pencil working overtime by now.

So after telling us all about what the national association is doing , what happened about EC12s? Zilch personified? Well they seem to be having a nice time sailing with us. This being the time for Paying dues , we are putting the hard word on them. After all they are using our start tape and our boat's side for target practice aren't they? And we don't want any skippers being uninsured , don't we? smile

Join the ARYA and get with it idea

Maverick · Guru

GraemeT wrote:
On the whole radio sailing in Australia is healthy with a growth in the last five years of around 38% based on distribution numbers of Radio Waves the ARYA Newsletter which is produced 3 times a year and distributed to members via their Clubs and recently to a few direct subscriptions both here and overseas.

While there may be a waning of numbers in some classes these are more than picked up by increases in others.

As well of course there are a host of groups/clubs out there that are not affiliated and affiliated Clubs that are comfortable with their existing membership and not seeking to grow at all.

Graeme

Sorry Graeme, but the growth based on distribution of Radio Waves is rather, shall we say, interesting. More important would I think be, the figures based on paid up membership, year by year. But it seems those figures are secret.

And waning memberships in some classes being picked up in others may be true, but does not appear to be reflected in attendances at either State or National Championships, where numbers just seem to have decreased across the board in all classes except perhaps the IOM.

But I digress. I am encouraging off-topic discussion here which I will terminate herewith. This particular discussion can always be initiated in the General Discussion category if considered worth discussing further.

-- Edited by Maverick at 00:24, 2008-06-28

Maverick · Guru

GraemeT wrote:
As you are remote from existing clubs have you had any success in getting sailing going locally?

Graeme

We seem to be drifting a bit off topic.

I've posted a reply in the General Discussion form, link as follows.

http://d12metre.activeboard.com/forum.spark?forumID=103873&p=3&topicID=18599327

GraemeT · Member

On the whole radio sailing in Australia is healthy with a growth in the last five years of around 38% based on distribution numbers of Radio Waves the ARYA Newsletter which is produced 3 times a year and distributed to members via their Clubs and recently to a few direct subscriptions both here and overseas.

While there may be a waning of numbers in some classes these are more than picked up by increases in others.

As well of course there are a host of groups/clubs out there that are not affiliated and affiliated Clubs that are comfortable with their existing membership and not seeking to grow at all.

As you are remote from existing clubs have you had any success in getting sailing going locally?

Graeme

-- Edited by GraemeT at 18:16, 2008-06-27

Maverick · Guru

Hi Graeme

Isn't it terrible. Just for the want of a little effort some potentially great promotional opportunities are being missed by the participants of this sport. I guess that is why this sport is not attracting new members, and maybe, even losing existing members.

And I do have to agree with you absolutely 100% that the EC12 is definitely no beginner's boat. In fact I would go so far as to say that if one can sail an EC12 keeping full control of it at all times, in all conditions, then one is Championship material irresepective of class of boat one chooses to sail.

GraemeT · Member

It is up to the Clubs that sail them to handle promotion at the local and State level.

I have made facilities available for promotion for those that take up the initiative however I would not promote the EC12 as a beginners boat as it is much better to learn on something with more responsive handling characteristics.

Graeme Turk

Maverick · Guru

How lucky you guys are to spy some of these secret society boats!

SO Henry, do you know what these EC12 folks are doing to actually promote the boat? Simply telling them to go to another lake is really going to p*** some people off if they go there especially to see these secret boats and they are not there.

Do you know how do they go about telling people when they are sailing?

Henry · Senior Member

Well the short answer is they DON'T get any info. It has been designed for that to happen that way. I must say that the ARYA has provided the "means to them" , to get their message across the public but they (the Class) have not made themselves available to it so it is not the National Association's fault. , is it?

So the question is , is it a SECRET society? Perhaps, There is no secret that if you want to attract people you have to tell them that you're doing it at "such and such" a place. If you don't want them to know, you do what they are doing now, simple.

At our lake the Ec12s keep telling people to got to Carrs Park to see them. But what is the point for they can see them at Scarborough Park. We have managed to keep the numbers of EC12s down by keeping them a secret that they are there in the first place and it works and we don't get more than 4, which is good. smile

Maverick · Guru

Well, I'm not sure what has transpired at your club, but it seems to me that the EC12'ers are their own worst enemies.

Their history shows that they are definitely not into promotion of the Class, apart from notices of Regatta's, and the odd article in Waves, which until recently was only available to members of the ARYA through their State clubs. So that is not much good with regard to encouraging new people into the sport.

If you are a completely new person to the sport, you would probably never even have heard of the ARYA, so the little information available about the EC12 from that source, for a start, would not be available.

And apart from that, what other information is there in Australia specifically referencing the EC12?

So then that leads me to the question of where does the absolute beginner go to get into EC12's in Australia? weirdface

Henry · Senior Member

Well it appears Maverick that I should not say too much about what our EC12 freinds do when they sail with us . It appears they have some answering to do when they get back to their own club, later.

So lets move on . My mate Arthur is going good with his new/old boat. He broke a back stay on his last sailing day and because he is a novice skipper didn't have any tools with him. We were going to lend him some but he said he was getting cold and departed . Not long after it started to rain. That put a scurry into everybody . So you see Mav , all is not always rosey at the sailing pond. smile

Maverick · Guru

Henry wrote:
The New catch cry , Sail till you drop!

How I would so dearly love to be put into such a situation.

I think lots of folks don't know how lucky they are to be able to sail with any degree of real regularity.

Henry · Senior Member

For a Maverick you have too many unanswered questions. Forget about it . It will just happen, Maybe? Just go out and sail is the command!

Well the KA31 hit the water yesterday. The old Capricorn 1 to be exact, New everything, except my old battery. It was blowing nil knots , so it was ideal day for putting it back on the water. I presented Arthur with his little note tuneup book and we recorded a few measurements for him . to start. The New catch cry , Sail till you drop! It sailed like,,,, a EC12. Did you think it was going to sail like something else??

Hey after sailing that other class, this design steers all different. The bow stays still and the transom moves around ?

Henry

-- Edited by Henry at 16:13, 2008-04-13

-- Edited by Henry at 16:15, 2008-04-13

Maverick · Guru

Henry, your secret is safe with me.

You have my word.

I would be, in accordance with established protocol, the last person to reveal sensitive information relating to anything that was happening with EC12's in Australia, especially as there is nothing available, at least, that my most highly paid Sleuth's have been able to find.

It seems that anything to do with EC12's in Australia is a secret so highly kept, that even the most senior people at the top of the EC12 hierarchy, including those at the ARYA, do not even know what's happening.

I mean, what on earth could otherwise be the reason for the dearth of information from official resources, anywhere?

I mean, again, that this is an official ARYA sanctioned Class that now finally has rules, but where is the information that allows aspiring new participants to this class to ask questions such as, where do these people sail, who manufactures these boats, how much do they cost, how often do they sail, who makes sails for these boats, how are the winches set up, what line strength cord do they use for sheets, what should they use for stays, what do I use this for, what should I do with that?

Who should answer all these questions?

Existing practice is that err......., ummmmmm, I have no idea, ummmm, err, no idea.

Hardly the ideal environment to encourage new sailors into this Class.

And to add insult to injury, just go to the ARYA "For Sale" page and note how many EC12's there are for sale, and who has them for sale. There are some serious previous supporters of EC12's who now have their boats for sale.

But the ridiculous thing is. Who is going to buy them? Unless someone has the same feeling about these boats that I do, that they are not only boats, but works of art, why would you buy one?

-- Edited by Maverick at 00:42, 2008-04-12

Henry · Senior Member

Well I got that 12 metre I've been working on almost ready to go. with its new sails, new RMG and a new radio raring to go. And , and I find out I don't have to get a number for our mate Arthur, cause his boat is KA31. Arthur wanted me to use as much of the old boat for his new refit. So I was committed to be using his old 5/8 round mast with Jack line on it. I had a monkey's time working out how to fit these new sails with the slugs on, till Hairoil happen to mention that I should put the jack line down through the slugs. Well what a great idea?

and Hush Mav, its secret!!

-- Edited by Henry at 17:36, 2008-04-07

Maverick · Guru

We now have a set of rules approved by the ARYA.

We now have a new Australian EC12 Class Co-ordinator.

But is still seems to me that the Australian EC12, I don't really know what to call it, be it Community, Class, Organisation, Association, Group, Bunch of Sailors, or just Secret Society, folks, now there's another word, are most definitely not in the business of promoting the Class.

I mean, how can you promote something if you keep it a closely guarded secret?

I would have thought that now, with all the positive things that have happened recently, that the EC12'ers would be a buzzin' with news of developments, like, maybe making known a list of approved Australian manufacturers of hulls, sailmakers, where to get what, who's doing what, how to get into the class, local contacts, and so forth.

Where is this promotional information? Why do the EC12 people insist on keeping their Class the best kept secret in Australian Radio Yachting?

Above comments in addition to others is available on my website.