More news from Barrow

09/03/2008 by Ted.

Sunday 9th March 2008.  A lovely day here in Barrow again - a bit breezy perhaps but plenty of sunshine.

I popped into Barrow park again this morning and saw a beautifully rigged sailing boat voyaging across the park lake. It was too small for there to be anyone on board and yet is was tacking and sailing against the wind and doing everything that a full sized boat with crew does. I watched it for a while and then noticed a gentleman in a woolly hat (and some other clothes of course) standing at the side of the lake twiddling with something. So, as is my way, I approached the gentleman and saw that he was “twiddling” with a radio control handset and it was he who was making the boat perform its wonderful manoeuvres. We opened a conversation during which he asked me if I would like a go. Wow!  So I did and found that it really was easy to control the boat. The radio operates servos which move the sails and rudder, and after a few minutes I was chasing very confused geese around the lake with no trouble at all.

By this time a small crowd of one other gentleman had gathered who seeing my delight at my success said that he had an almost finished one-metre boat which he did not require, and he would bring it along to the park next Sunday for me to have a look at if I was interested - which I was, so he is.  I had apparently stumbled across the Sunday meeting of the Barrow Model Boat Club. I asked if the boats were suitable for sailing on Windermere and they said that that was one of their favourite sailing locations.

I am now eagerly awaiting next Sunday morning, and in the meantime have put in a bid of £20 for a one-metre R/C yacht on E-bay, which auction closes in two days time.

As well as chasing geese around Barrow Park Lake (a pretty tame sport, really) I am now considering adding this to my fishing repertoire.  In the past I have hired a rowing boat on Windermere and have rowed along the lake with my fishing rod over the back of the boat. In this way I have caught pike and sea trout.  I am now considering doing the same without hiring a boat, but with a length of fishing line and spinner attached to the rear of my one-metre sailing boat which will be controlled by me from the shore of Lake Windermere. There could be problems if I hook a twenty-pound pike or something, but I think it may be worth a try. Also it is probably illegal  as the fishing licence is for one “rod” and not “one R/C sailing boat” - though I suppose if I have a diddy rod holding the length of line on the boat that would fit the bill.  I will, of course, let you know how I get on!

I hope everyone is OK. Peter confirms that he and Barbara are now back from Lanzarote and Bob that his house is on the market. Also Andrew will be putting his boat in the water for the summer so I am looking forward to being able to have a trip out with him this year - on a “real boat”.  I also spoke with Richard who is tonight returning to work with aches and pains after a week’s holiday - digging out tree roots. Ouch!  And Alan says that if I put all the black and white photos on a disc and let him have them he will edit out all the marks and scratches. What a lovely brother.  Thank you Alan.

That’s all for now - more soon

Much love to everyone,

Ted.

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