Well, we found a place in Chico, California. About and hour and a half +/- north of Sacramento. Is there anyone here in that area of Northern California? We'll be just a bit north of Lake Oroville with lots of smaller lakes, rivers, creeks and all in the area. Probably have everything done and moved by the middle or late summer. Wish me luck!!
Actually was going to try and resurrect South Coast Battle Group, but now that we're headed up north.....SCRAP is in Southern California, WWCC is as far as I remember is more centered around San Francisco/Sacramento area. I don't think there is a group in the Chico/Oroville area, but who knows, perhaps I could try and start a new club up in the Northern part of the state?
PMWC has an active member just south of you in Paradise. He does both Fast Gun with Cal-Neva and 1/72 with us. Our current battling ponds are in Lincoln and Grass Valley, which are actually pretty close to you. If you were there when South Coast first started with JC White, than I had to have met and battled against you back then. It would be great to be able to talk with you some day.
We probably have met and battled, would love to get together. I joined SCBG in 1989 but didn't get my first boat on the pond until after returning from Desert Storm. I skippered the HMS Repulse and couple of others. Sure wish I could re-locate JC, we had a lot of fun back in the day, unfortunately I lost track of him over the years and after several military transfers. When I finally got back to California, found out about the demise of the SCBG I tried to relocate JC, but sadly he really seems to have dropped off the grid....or my "Google-Fu" is rather weak. So where are the two ponds you mentioned? Paradise will only be about ten miles or less from Chico.
Hi Ironbeard, I do not leave in Paradise, I leave in little town about 30 minutes southwest of chico on the river call Princeton. I am kinda new to the sport, only started battling last year. But I look forward to meeting you. Our next function is on 4/25 i n Lincoln Ca. If you are up here and interested in attending let me know. Cid
As CID indicated, he's probably going to be closer to you than I thought. The pond in Grass Valley is just south on HWY 174, off of Apple Blossom Rd. Our pond in Lincoln is at the Lincoln Fishery off Westland Rd. The owner is very accommodating to our hobby and is willing to do anything we need to the pond to make sure it's battle ready. Was your Repulse one of those that was originally built in Washington? Those were some good ships if it was. As for JC, I believe he passed away several years ago. I had also lost track of him, but knew where he worked and when I called while they really could not say , they implied that he had passed. He was a big asset to the hobby and has been missed. As for combat here in Northern California, you really do have some options. Big Gun with WWCC, Fast Gun with Cal-Neva or 1/72 with Pacific Model Warship. WWCC is still active in 1/144 Big Gun Combat and currently playing out of the Wheatland area above Sacramento since they lost the pond in San Jose. Once they locate a new site in the Bay Area they will likely move most events back to the Bay Area. Most of us that are now doing 1/72 are previous WWCC members and even have a former founding member of WWCC playing with us. Several of us still have our 1/144 warships, but we have found so many advantages to building and playing 1/72 combat, that we have not dusted off the 1/144's for a couple years. CID in Princeton, Brandon in Reno and myself also have Fast Gun ships, but that's it currently. Somehow we will exchange phone #'s and then we can talk more.
No problem. As much as I'd like to make an event this month or sooner, unfortunately we'll be running up and back between northern and southern California probably until late summer early fall before things settle back down to normal. Getting our youngest started out in college, settling parents estate, sell homes and buying up north....this is going to be an absolutely INSANE next couple of months. Figures just as I was starting to build new fighting ships, one in the Big Gun format (Italia/Roma) and one in Steampunk. Whatever, it will all work itself out and when the dust settles we'll definitely have to get together. Who knows maybe we'll be able to find a pond close by in the Chico area to play at up north. That's sad to hear that JC might have passed. Very sad. Have a lot of great memories with him, building ships, guns, inventing stuff with him, he was a really great guy. When I was over in Desert Shield/Desert Storm he was sending me stuff all the time, bits of balsa (just to tease me), lots of mail and even toilet paper....which is really valuable when you're waaaaay out in the sandbox. I still have his notes and such. Man that bums me out to think he's gone, however he was a smoker and that really cuts years off the back end....damn! We just laid to rest my FIL who had suffered a long time from emphysema, COPD, CHF, Parkinsons.....all probably related to decades of smoking. Horrible way to go. Not sure where the hull of my Repulse came from. It was a raw hull that I bought from JC to get started in the hobby and finished, fully outfitted and fought. Now that I think of it....it might have come from Washington (up north as JC said), but could also have come from WWCC. She was configured with the later period torpedo bulges (a pain to skin but beautiful to look at!), just a rough hull, no guts, no guns, no main deck or super structure. Wish I could get her back. No idea where she ended up. I heard she was up on Ebay some years back, so I might find her again someday.
Ironbeard: What's the status of your move? Looking forward to getting you to one of our events and seeing how 20 plus years has aged us both. We are playing next Saturday, May 23 in Lincoln and again June 20. July we will not have an event locally; we are traveling up to Portland Oregon to participate with Queen's Own. This coming event should see 20 combat ships hit the water (we don't count cargo ships in our attendance totals), so it should be a good event. Hope your in Chico so you could possibly make it.
Ironbeard: Hopefully you are settled into the new home now. Wanted to let you know we have a two day event planned for the Labor Day weekend at our pond west of Lincoln. Just let me know if you are available and want to attend and I can get you specifics on time, location, etc.
