NAMBA Propwash 04-2023 Web.pub

PROPWASH 16 April 2023 Our first race of the year took us to Lake Havasu starting with a Meet and Greet gathering at Mudshark Brewery and Public House on Thursday night before the race. There were over 40 members with their friends and families enjoying pizza provided by the host club London Bridge Model Boat Club. The first day of the race we couldn’t have asked for better weather and racing was outstanding. This was also the first time the transponder system will be used for a complete race. There were some initial bugs, but by the sixth heat it was up and running well. Once the first day of racing was completed, we had some old Nationals business to take care. We had several first time NAMBA Nationals winners from District 19 in 2022 at the NAMBA Nationals in Seaside, California. Lonnie Straughan, Richard Sekigawa, Peyton Hilton, and Rylee Hilton all won for the first time. Three of the four winners were reluctant to get in the water in Seaside because it was a little chilly… ok, it was cold, but they did do it. Rylee Hilton decided against it and said, “no way, I’ll get in at our first race in Havasu.” I honestly forgot about Rylee’s deal, but his brother Peyton came to the rescue and very politely reminded us that Rylee owed us a bath. Lake Havasu is probably the cleanest lake in District 19, but it’s pretty cold in January. I think Rylee should have followed the other winners into the lake at Seaside. Rylee didn’t disappoint and like a true champion Rylee took his well-deserved NAMBA bath. Welcome to the family Rylee. Our second day of racing in Havasu went well with some wind, and the transponder system worked well. Our next race was stop one of two at my home pond in Tucson, AZ. Lenny Blake and his Rum Racing team moved their race to our pond due to some scheduling issues at their home pond in Tempe. We had a good turnout with some great racing. Tucson was the second race where the transponder system was used, and the race operated without printed heat sheets. The system called out the back up heats and the heats on the beach. A member could also follow the heats at namba19.liverc.com on their cell phone. What’s great about this site is its real time. If a heat is changed you can see the change immediately. You also can check your lap times as well as the order of finish. After two races using the transponder system, we have had almost zero conversations regarding jump starts and the order of finishes. This alone makes it worth it… As Lenny’s team continues to fine tune this system, we can definitely see how this may be the future of RC model boat racing. District 19 may have a shorter racing season in 2023, but there’s plenty of club racing going on. We have our monthly club races held in Tucson, Arizona and hosted by the Tucson Model Boat Club. For more information go to tucsonmodelboatclub.net . The RC Sharks Racing Team holds monthly events at Legg Lake in South El Monte, California. For more information search Legg Lake Weekend Boaters on Facebook. For information regarding District 19 events go to www.namba19.com or find us on Facebook at NAMBA District 19. I look forward to seeing you at the pond. Kicking off the 2023 race season with a standing room only “Meet and Greet” hosted by the London Bridge Model Boat Club at Mudshark Brewery and Public House. Co-Contest Director Jim Foster and PJ Foster provided post entertainment sounding off all of the car alarms The London Bridge Model Boat Club donated $600.00 to the local Boy Scouts of America Troop 55 for their help with the 20th Annual Event