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• Mayhem at Wicksteed: May 28, 2011 - May 29, 2011

[klunk]

No firm plans to go. Will see what the weather's doing on the day. May sling some stock in the car if it's OK. If not, well at least I get to keep all my fingers intact.
DM

I will lend a HAND as well LOL

[Ghost in the shell]

Milbs just for you I WILL PUT UP YOUR TABLES


Stav

can we bbq them ? 

[Bill D203]

Just make sure you have got room in your car for the BEER Ghost. Leave the boats behind if you have to but not the beer. 

[arrow5]

Hi,

What is the best way to get from London to Wicksteed (Kettering) if one do not have a car? Train? And how to get from Kettering Station to Wicksteed Park?

HelgeBe

  The bus might be cheaper HelgeBe. You have a PM.

[Martin (Admin)]

  Afternoon all.

Had a meeting with the Wicksteed club last night, (thanks for the beer lads!).

1. Can anyone help with car parking Saturday for an hour or so please?
    ( Please be nice to the parking attendants... they are not traffic wardens!)

2. No fast IC boats are not allowed this year, sorry lads! I have have a concession for 'slow' & scale type boats for this year but
    no OMRA or 'multi' boats this year.

3. If anyone had any frequency checkers and could bring them, I would be most quite grateful!

3. NO one is allowed over the train / level crossing unless accompanied by myself or the chairman of the Wicksteed MBC.
   ( With has been enforced by the Wicksteed management because of the old Health & Safety. )

... I'm sure there was something else, so I'll check my notes and add to this post.



 It's gonna sunny, hot and fun... and you get bank holiday Monday to recover!

  Come on everyone, I want to hear boats being cleaned and polished, batteries being charged and the last desperate efforts of boats
   being finished in a mad rush!

[Bill D203]

Hold on!!!!
2. No fast IC boats are not allowed this year, sorry lads! I have have a concession for 'slow' & scale type boats for this year but no OMRA or 'multi' boats this year

If this means i canot run my petrol lifeboat, or my race boat wot is the piont of going Martin??????????
Yours VERY unhappy
And Its a bit late as i have paid for the camping and IF i had found this out a long time ago I would not have booked in for the weekend
BAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[TugCowboy]

More than happy to help with car parking Martin, I'm not staying on site, im in a hotel down the road, but planning on being there the whole day, and Sunday so can be there any time from early.

Alex

[Colin Bishop]

NO one is allowed over the train / level crossing unless accompanied by myself or the chairman of the Wicksteed MBC.
   ( With has been enforced by the Wicksteed management because of the old Health & Safety. )

Isn't that going to separate the car park from the lake Martin? In which case you will be spending all day manning the crossing! Plus what about members of the public who are spectating? If that is so then it seems to be quite unrealistic to me.

I think it's a bit much when the park starts changing or laying down rules just a few days beforehand. Bill for one is well and truly scuppered!

Colin

[tmbc]

hi
can you confirm martin if there is any ic boats allowed at all ? as not willing to travel from manchester not to get a boat wet ! just seems a waste of £60 in fuel  !

can you confirm that its wickstead park that have put a ban on ic or is it the club ?
cheers
mark

[Colin Bishop]

How about Phil's straight runners? Not exactly slow and scaleish.....

[Bill D203]

How about Phil's straight runners? Not exactly slow and scaleish.....

Yep & I was talking to Phil and he has a JAP petrol engine in one of his boat!
Martin RING ME. pm sent

[klunk]

Can I ask a question....the level crossing, are we talking about the one by the entrance that we all use, or the one further down the track near the other gate? if it is the one near the gate, then the park management are out of order. you can cross the track in several places in the park where there is no level crossing! In fact, last year I saw several joggers running on the train track, while the train was running!!!!

[ACTion]

Nah -Thought I might be able to park up where the traders were last year and trade from the back of the car, but I'm blowed if I'm going to lug a pile of boxes 100 yards from the car park and beg space in someone else's tent - even if it is all free to traders.
I'm sorry for folk like Bill W who've seen the goalposts moved in the last few seconds of extra time. "Mayhem" is spot on.....................
See you all somewhere else some time, eh?
Dave M

[Number 6]

Sounds like the ott 'Health & Safety' brigade are out again in force trying to spoil the fun and games for some...

[Marks Model Bits]

Will Martin or the chairman from the boat club be holding our hands when we put our boats in the water, just in case we fall in? Will life jackets be supplied to ALL modelers and public when at the lakeside??? Will they be checking we have washed our hands after sailing our boats just in case we get a stomach bug????

And will the tinkle fairy be in the toilet making sure you don't shake it more than twice!!!!

Mark.

[omra85]

Bill, Mark et all,
We knew that it was Martin who 'allowed' our demo runs at the last events (many thanks) but as the local club cannot have IC boats on that lake, it follows that the park management would put a stop to it eventually.   This does not come a great surprise, as any conversations I have had recently with persons "in authority" regarding the use of lakes for IC boats, seems to consist solely of the word "NO" with a feeble excuse or even absolutely no reason given!  It WOULD have been nice to have a bit more notice though!
The fast boats (which look great fun and DO secretly appeal to boys of all ages) are not dangerous in experienced hands, but the management perception is that they are DEADLY!  This, though totally unfounded, spills over to include Bill's tug, Phil's straight runner and even the chap with the glow engined Huntsman!
However, I would be surprised if they too, were included in the ban and would be VERY surprised if they were asked to leave the water if doing less than maybe 10 mph.

The BMPRS are organising a stand, where fast IC boats WILL be on display together with information on the "wicked" side of the hobby, even if we will not be seeing them in their natural habitat - water!
  
Now, as I will not be demonstrating the finer points of high-speed crashing driving, I no longer have to stay in control of my faculties (- fortunate these days, as I haven't many to control). I will be able to misbehave (regarding food, drink and Mexican impersonations) to my heart desire - so every cloud has a silver lining.

Still looking forward to being there.

Danny
BMPRS Chairman

[Bill D203]

OK I have come down a tad.
I see NO resson why at this late stage the issue of running IC boats on the lake has been band!  As it has been pointed out IT IS ONLY A DEMO, not a Flat out race to show off the dark side of model boating. In fact when I spoke to the member of staff there last year he was very keen to see a demo run on the big lake!
I have indeed put off other family events to go to Wicksteed park this weekend & PAID up front some mouths ago £30.00 to camp there. I have rearrange my work so I can be there.
I am going to Weymouth this year but I know I will only take my lecy boats to run on Radipole lake. I have made plans to do this the same as i HAD a plan to run 1 IC Lifeboat and my race boat on show.
This is just not fair WMBC.
As for the rail crossing. As I recall it is the only way the boaters and members of the public can get from the car park field to the lake. So in short we will all have to cross the line. It's a public park & I'm sure the H&S dept have worked out what the risk is by now otherwise they would have made a bridge for all to cross the line with.

Anyway I like Danny will take my lecy boats and as I can't use a IC powered generator to charge my battery's will join him in a Beer or 6 just as soon as they are flat.

[6705russell]

All seems a bit cock-eyed to me and is putting me off already, we usually display numerous boats on our stand but i think it will be a waste of time this year?  To much hassle for so little fun me thinks.....
 

[scoop]

Bill, Mark et all,
We knew that it was Martin who 'allowed' our demo runs at the last events (many thanks) but as the local club cannot have IC boats on that lake, it follows that the park management would put a stop to it eventually.   This does not come a great surprise, as any conversations I have had recently with persons "in authority" regarding the use of lakes for IC boats, seems to consist solely of the word "NO" with a feeble excuse or even absolutely no reason given!  It WOULD have been nice to have a bit more notice though!
The fast boats (which look great fun and DO secretly appeal to boys of all ages) are not dangerous in experienced hands, but the management perception is that they are DEADLY!  This, though totally unfounded, spills over to include Bill's tug, Phil's straight runner and even the chap with the glow engined Huntsman!
However, I would be surprised if they too, were included in the ban and would be VERY surprised if they were asked to leave the water if doing less than maybe 10 mph.

The BMPRS are organising a stand, where fast IC boats WILL be on display together with information on the "wicked" side of the hobby, even if we will not be seeing them in their natural habitat - water!
  
Now, as I will not be demonstrating the finer points of high-speed crashing driving, I no longer have to stay in control of my faculties (- fortunate these days, as I haven't many to control). I will be able to misbehave (regarding food, drink and Mexican impersonations) to my heart desire - so every cloud has a silver lining.

Still looking forward to being there.

Danny
BMPRS Chairman

Danny mate,

The I.C ruling was imposed not by the park management but by a certain member of the Wicksteed MBC committee who has an absolute dislike of everyones boat unless of course it's his own. I was aghast a few years back when I went to Wickies as an ordinary punter to be told I had to be a member of Wicksteed MBC to sail on the lake, now I know this is a load of twaddle so I pleasantly requested said body to go away. On my way out of the park I informed the MD of what had happened, his reply was he would have a word and he also stated that any punter who pays their admission fee to the park has the right to use it's facilities, including the model boating pond, in other words YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A MEMBER OF WICKSTEED MBC to sail there at anytime.
I wouldn't be surprised if the backlash from this see's Mayhem at another venue next year, the event is bigger than any one member or come to that any one MBC or venue.
I have just received a call from a person in the know who has stated that if Mayhem allowed I.C. boats to run then the event would be cancelled by Wicksteed MBC........so I don't see that it's Martin's (admin) fault, in fact he is to be applauded for all the past Mayhem events there. I too will go along, show off my battle scarred race boat on the BMPRS stand, make the odd trip back to the traders operating out of their car boots in the car park and generally misbehave with Danny, although I can't do Mexican impersonations  

Lets face it if it wasn't for yours truly (and another committee member of my local MBC) applying for a government grant along with Wickies management to get the lake refurbished some years back it would probably be overgrown by now and completely silted up, and therein lies another story  

Here's a promise to all Mayhemers, if I can find us another venue with equal or better facilities would you support it ?????

Kind regards to all
Scoop
ps I promise I won't bring along any motion lotion to tempt me to chuck me boat in when no-one is looking  

[shipmate60]

Scoop,
I would try and support ANY model boating event.
The Mayhem events have always been special to me as it is the only way so many from the site can actually meet face-to-face.
But part of that special atmosphere has always been that it is Martins event.

Bob

[klunk]

is the brushless lifeboat going to be operated this year??? What about the hovercraft....noisey, but fun, or no submarines allowed as there are surface ships or visa versa!!!    how about barriers around the lake to stop the gazebo's committing mass suicide by drowning this  year!!! How about last year when there was a ramp into the lake.....was that so there was equal opportunity for the wheelchair users to get their feet wet?? no boats over 15lb in weight so no one strains there back?????

questions questions!!!!!


ps Martin, I don't shoot the messenger, I think you and the team have done a great job!

[scoop]

Scoop,
I would try and support ANY model boating event.
The Mayhem events have always been special to me as it is the only way so many from the site can actually meet face-to-face.
But part of that special atmosphere has always been that it is Martins event.

Bob

Hi Bob
Glad to hear you are willing to support any model boating event, I completely agree with what you say about Mayhem being Martin's event........ I was just offering to help search for other venue's that would welcome ALL types of model boats should Wickies be unable to entertain us in the future. In fact I have an excellent one in mind.

Regards
Scoop

[philk]

he also stated that any punter who pays their admission fee to the park has the right to use it's facilities, including the model boating pond, in other words YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A MEMBER OF WICKSTEED MBC to sail there at anytime.
 
I have just received a call from a person in the know who has stated that if Mayhem allowed I.C. boats to run then the event would be cancelled by Wicksteed MBC.......

from the above quotes i gather that if wickteed mbc did try to cancel the event they can get stuffed

phil

[klunk]

bill i agree with you mate, Martin is not to blame here.

[SteamboatPhil]

All seems odd to me, maybe we should ask the park themselves about using the water, as the pond belongs to them not the Wicksteed Club, therefore if the club don't like IC / fast steam/ rowing boats etc then they do no have to attend. meanwhile I shall bring along my boats, show them off and join in the Mexican wave......BBQ and maybe the odd beer. I shall be there from Friday morning so start the fun.
Mayhem clothing will be on sale, so we can all fly the Mayhem flag (tea urn packed as well)
You have to bring the lifeboat Bill as we all want a looksee inside---you can look at my JAP powered monster as well)

[Colin Bishop]

Wicksteed is a superb venue and centrally situated for most parts of the country. There may well be alternative venues but if they are in the North or the South then it will put people off coming.

I don't understand why problems have been raised at this late stage. Things have gone very well in the past without difficulties (weather excepted). I always thought that the Wicksteed club were pleased to showcase their venue and host the event and am quite baffled at what I am reading tonight.

Colin

[TugCowboy]

Yeah more rules are a bit of a pain but let's not forget all the effort that has been put in to date. How about we all have a good weekend, see how it goes and any problems can be addressed on the day or afterwards eh. I bet it's not the huge washout most of the misery mongers are making out.
Discussing alternatives on this thread, is it really going to add anything? How about that waits for next years planning thread?
It's a fun weekend for enthusiasts so let's take it as such!

[shipmate60]

Scoop,
If this is the way we are going to be treated at such a late stage then I feel you should pm Martin with your suggestion.

TugCowboy.
This event brings a lot of revenue into the park, these restrictions should have been made a long time ago.
Even the local hotels are full, some of them have to be from us.
200 odd people all spending money in the park and the locality is not to be ignored, well I wouldn't if it was me.

Bob

[Colin Bishop]

Hi Colin

The alternative venue I have in mind, should it be necessary IS centrally situated.  

Kind regards
Scoop

Well, we will have to see how things go but one of the big attractions of Mayhem is that you get to see almost all the different branches of the hobby on the water which makes it almost unique. If Wicksteed is to be restricted to scaleish and slow then it no longer fits the bill. (even if all my bopats ARE scaleish and slow!)

Colin

[nhp651]

i have to ask, Colin....where is wicksteed "centrally" situated to...........

it certainly isn't centrally situated as far as our scottish modellers are concerned.

a good and lovely site, but only centrally situated if yo live  south of manchester.

[Colin Bishop]

Yes Neil, I know that Wicksteed is not centrally located if you live in another country  , neither is it centrally located if you happen to live in Cornwall or even the Isle of Thanet or perhaps the Channel Isles. But is is quite well located as far as making a day visit is concerned by a large proportion of the UK population.

Of course the alternative option is what the MPBA used to do with the Scale finals which is to rotate the event around the UK so that each reagion hosts it in succession. This does have its attractions as you get to see parts of the country you would normally never go to. There are some nice ponds on the Isle of Wight for instance....

Colin

[SteamboatPhil]

I think we need clesr clarification on a couple of points
1   Seen across the railway line, does this mean with the cars so we can unload near the pondside as we have done in the past, because there is noway we can unload gazebo,s boats etc from the car park.
2   Is there a IC ban !!! because my ic boat goes at a snails paces

Bu,t all in all my toy sail boat and a case of beer might beer and a weekend boat chat may be the way to go    let the fun begin  

[Colin Bishop]

Richard.

It's true you need to take out a mortgage for the standard ferry fares but the day trips with car are a bargain when split three ways. Makes a nice day out for a bit of walking.

Scoop

Yes, the IoW is a tranquil and very pleasant place for a holiday, I have been visiting regularly for over 50 years but have grown out of making sandcastles now. I don't suppose they'd welcome IC boats inland but of course Cowes is well known for the full size racers, real offshore stuff with a chance to bash into the Queen Mary 2 included.

Neil
I'm sure Fleetwood is an excellent venue for the IC boats. I also recall from reports in Model Boats over the last 25 years that it can get pretty choppy there too!

Stav/Andy

The train makes a loud noise, has a whistle and is brightly coloured. Anybody that gets hit thoroughly deserves it.

Colin

[Martin (Admin)]

Evening all!

I see my earlier post has gone down well !!!!


2. No fast IC boats are not allowed this year, sorry lads! I have have a concession for 'slow' & scale type boats for this year but
    no OMRA (powerboats) or 'multi' boats this year.

    Please don't think that the Wicksteed park MBC (WPMBC) are being belligerent for the sake of it, they have to look out for their own
    best interests too. They are rightly concerned that we all turn up, cause havoc over the weekend, go home leaving any problems at
    the lake. All it takes is one single complaint goes into the park management and WMPBC end up loosing their water through no fault
    of there own. We know it our boats are safe and Bill and Phil have always taken on himself to check any boats for safety before
    they've been allowed on the water, but all we need is small incident and we all know it will be front page news in the local rag!
    WPMBC  issued a blanket ban on all boats this year but I gained the "slow" / scale concession for a few boats, Bill, your Arun in
    particular and of course Phil straight runners.

   I know we ran the Powerboats at a very safe speed ( and put a striking display ) but they are loud (compared to electric boats) so
   some people see these boats and think, "Loud! Looks fast! MUST be dangerous!" As I understand it, no one has actually
   made any actual complaint, and I think WPMBC are very keen to avoid one, after all, they don't run "powerboats" any other time
   of the year.

  'Hand up guv!' Most of this issue is due to me personally. Due to my sudden change in employment circumstances earlier this year,
  ( I was made redundant ), I decided call off the whole show due to the financial considerations. I notifierd the moderators that I was
   pulling the show and was about to post the notice on the forum but a few quick phone calls by a key member of this forum (who
   wishes to remain anonymous Shipmate60  to a few other Mayhemers and he had secured all the funding within a few hours!
   Now I'm not a big sissy but I did wipe a tear from an eye that evening...... anyway we all that going on,  a new temporary job
   that actually now requires me to work for a living, some personal matter at home... well lets just say I've not been as efficient as I
   should have been in organising this years show. WMBC invited me over to club meetings and I failed to turn up.... twice. My
   communications with WMBC have been.. less than efficient! If I personally had  been more diligent, we could have worked out a
   better solution before now. It's my fault, please don't blame Wicksteed MBC.
  
  I personally want to thanks Paul and Martin, of WMBC, in helping me rescue the whole event this year!


3. No one is allowed over the train / level crossing unless accompanied by myself or the chairman of the Wicksteed MBC.
   ( With has been enforced by the Wicksteed management because of the old Health & Safety. )

 Clarification: NO CARS or VANS are allowed over the level crossing once the trains start running, excepting emergencies.
  Traders of course can park their vans, car in the sectioned off TRADERS AREA as last year within the constraints above..


  Sorry about my lack of proficiency this year but it will be a GREAT FUN EVENT as it has every year so far.
    ... It's worth coming even if it's just to see Bill or Marc (tmbc) stick one on me!


   Martin - eating a lot of humble pie this week!


  PS. Sorry this post is so late this evening, I was fitting a needed towbar to my car for this weekend, yes that's a last minute job too!
        Well I say "fitted it", Bradders did all the work and I just stood around like magicians assistant!



Added on behalf of the Wicksteed Park Model Boat Club

SETTING THE MATTER STRAIGHT

The late notification of no IC boats was due to Martin at Mayhem not meeting with WPMBC until 5 days before the event , although regular Mayhem members attending the show would have been aware of the rules from the previous years. The reasons are now clear to all so that needs no further discussion.

  The ban on IC boats was in place at the first Mayhem meeting and caused no problem until last year.

Last year the demonstration was put on without prior consultation with the club.  The history of the ban goes back to 6 months after the WPMBC was formed when an IC boat jumped out of the lake and narrowly missed a child in a pushchair. A complaint was made to the Wicksteed Park Management and we nearly lost our water but, as the club was small I was able to convince the Park that it was not a club member using the boat.  The Park was concerned that it shouldn’t happen again and we agreed with the management of Wicksteed Park that the only way to stop the problem was to ban them.  Since that date despite the ban there has been 2 further incidents that we know of involving IC boats, and reported to Wicksteed Park Management, both involving non club members.

There are only 3 rules at the Park that concern model boaters.

1   No cars to park in the lower arena field unless they are members of the boat club and must display a current pass. (As you go down to the lake at the weekend you will pass signs saying that only members of the boat club and staff can use that particular bit of road). This is waived for those attending the Mayhem weekend.

2   That no cars should cross the railway line.

3   No IC boats on the boating lake.

We at Wicksteed Park MBC are quite happy to work within these rules.  I can only say that if Mayhem members find these simple rules too hard to agree to, then I am very sorry.


Martin Dale
Secretary WPMBC

[SteamboatPhil]

You see lads all sorted, I do belive crossing the train tracks with cars after they starting running has been the same in the past so no problems there.
Sadly as we have in seen in the press not so long ago (the steam issue....grrrrr) the press can (and do I believe on the odd occasion) get things wrong which effects certain groups. I do think Wicksteed are right, and as Martin has saidifI a load of noisy fast badly controlled imported beasts turned up, run riot and left (not Mayhemers I might point out) the park would shut the boat club down. This has happened to other clubs in the past as some waters get abused and its the club that suffers. tI has nearly happened to my club due to others (not so caring) running at  nigh with no silencesr. Councli go mad (as did the residents, tree huggers etc etc), and have now banned all IC, and it was nothing to do with the club. tI took two years of pleading with the council to get special permission to run IC on the pond, but they have resticted me to certain months... still better than none.
      So chaps Martin is to be congratulated on his work with the club (and indeed the club fo letting us come and play---again)
      Thank you Martin for clearing it all up, and here is to a fun (and hot) jolly boating weekend   

(are you sure bradders did all the bolts up martin ? he didn't have a few left over by any chance...........so if you get passed by a trailer that looks just a little familiar.........