[rossfloyd Posts: 2047 Status: Offline]

The issue we have with 'travel' is that Gill and I don't have a motorhome now and thus if we tow the hovercraft we are looking at a b&b or hotel together with somewhere to store the craft and a safe place for the Defender overnight - they are just theft magnets.  We are a bit old for tents these days - I'd never get off the ground in the morning !  Hence its basically day trips and I suspect the same now applies to a lot of other club members.


I like the idea of partnering with another club but I guess it really depends on how many operators there are within easy reach of a site and as ever on tidal waters the whole event can fall flat in a stiff breeze.


There is a lovely local quarrying centre that is available for hire near Bristol but to be economic - even if subsidised -  it would need a good number of craft and again, if the weather is bad we are committed and it would be a miserable time.  And to be honest once you've done a couple of circuits, what do you do ?  The joy of a hovercraft is getting to places others can't. Most of the craft are well proven and there is not much fun in driving in circles!


I thought it was just the South West that was fading away but it sounds like the rest of the country is much the same from these posts.  A lot of people seem to have given up, mostly I think in this area due to reliability issues and at Weston the filthy state you get in once the tide has gone out - and that is most of the time.  It just becomes b hard work to operate a craft and keep it in good order when its a 4 hour wash down and service after every trip out.  The Bristol Channel is a balancing act between safe launching, tides that cover the beach if you get delayed, a mile of liquid mud to cross at low tide and a 6 knot tide if it suddenly goes quiet ....


Also a lot of the commercial craft that I've seen are not waterproofed or prepared for serious marine operation and as a result turn into expensive white elephants.  A couple of people I know purchased nearly new ex demo craft that became unreliable with major corrosion and mechanical issues inside a year. They are fine in freshwater but add salt, sand and mud and its a whole new level of protection and maintenance.  The amount of hassle from breakdowns has just taken the fun out of it for them,  despite having a warranty.   Its a great pity as hovercraft operation is one of the few remaining 'outside the box'  hobbies, a bit like the  early days of powered flight !


I am not sure if there is much we can do but it seemed worth suggesting some kind of subsidised activity as things are certainly dying out in this area.  I get a bit lonely on my own !

[Nick Flint Posts: 5067 Status: Offline]

Hy Ross- I share your enthusiasms for "hovercrafting" rather than gently accept this slowly decreasing circle - mainly because we all know where the ever decreasing circles end up!
Perhaps we could piggy back with a club with facilities we lack? I used to really enjoy Liverpool sailing club get togethers especially all the BBQs and who would have thought that a "sailing club" COULD form a useful collaboration with us, as one thinks sailing boats  and mad noisy wind generators like us would NOT be able to partner up like we did. I think it's worth considering partnering up, especially as we could use a little of our cash excess, which would also fit nicely with our club charity status?
Food for thought.

[Al Posts: 1008 Status: Offline WWW]

There is a hover-in every year in Scotland, but numbers seem to be dwindling there also.  That event doesn't need slipway hire etc, has a nice campsite to operate from and plenty of holiday lets to chose from for those that prefer to stay in a cottage or static caravan.  I'm happy to organise an event in my neck of the woods, but people don't seem to want to travel.  Again no slipway hire needed up here.

[rossfloyd Posts: 2047 Status: Offline]

Given the club has a fair amount of funds available, how about hiring a venue with a slipway or suitable lake and holding some hover-ins as we used to do in the early years? 


I well remember the Avon cruise - we had perfect weather and a large number of hovercraft.  It was great fun and I am sure we could do something similar on the Severn -  we used to use the area by the treatment plant at Sharpness - or perhaps at Portishead or Weston.  We might even be able to do another Avon cruise.


It needs three ingredients - a slipway and or a place where we can operate regardless of the wind speed and have a base camp, perhaps some kind of lake or similar - and that could perhaps can be funded by the club - a safety boat - and commitment from members.   We have a few privately owned slipways and suitable areas locally who might be approached, especially if we do the event as a charity run,  and I have contacts who would be happy to provide safety cover. So all we need is funding and people who want to take part.


I've tried to run a couple of trips but they have fallen flat due to a lack of interest in the South West.  While we now have the South West Hover Group that caters for local operators it isn't big enough to organise an 'event'.  I think it would be much better to involve the whole club and have a couple of charity runs that can get  people out on the water en masse with the security of other craft and back up.


It would depend entirely on the weather if we went outside the River Avon or enclosed water, but if lucky with a calm weekend then possibly a run to see the wrecks in Woodspring Bay, another 'History by Hovercraft' trip, perhaps with suitable agreement a trip to Steepholm or down to Minehead to see the BARB rescue hovercraft set up.  We can't just arrive an masse, but with a bit of planning we could generate funds for charity, get publicity for the sport and have a fun weekend.

What does the Committee think?   And equally important .....are there any members interested in spending a weekend near Bristol and going out on the Bristol Channel or joining a hover-in somewhere in the South West ? 


I am happy to do some of the leg work if we have sufficient funding, interest and commitment to make it viable.


'Over .......'

[Kim Taylor Posts: 624 Status: Offline]

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