STATESBORO BATTLE 11-12 FEBRUARY!!!

Discussion in 'Southeast Attack Squadron' started by Tugboat, Feb 3, 2012.

  1. Tugboat

    Tugboat Facilitator RCWC Staff Admiral (Supporter)

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    Be there or be square!! This could be your last chance to battle before The Other Jeff L gets his Baden on the water, and we have a Baden Squadron tearing up all comers!! Allies! This could be your last chance to battle and lose while Axis is still outnumbered! :)
     
  2. Anachronus

    Anachronus Well-Known Member

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    Have a blast!
     
  3. Tugboat

    Tugboat Facilitator RCWC Staff Admiral (Supporter)

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    Planning on it! Several ships have been through winter overhauls - did they get better, or will some of the 'improvements' reduce reliability? Only time will tell!

    Also, there will be the two 1/96 scale sail training vessels to see/play with, and one, possibly two, AoS 1/48 combat ships! :) (Was up late (for me) last night prepping sails)
     
  4. Kotori87

    Kotori87 Well-Known Member

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    which day should I plan on attending, and what time should I show up? Something about studying and passing my classes says I can't make both days...
     
  5. buttsakauf

    buttsakauf Well-Known Member

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    If I go it will most likely be on Saturday. I am hoping to do sea trials with Radetzky. We will see.
    Mike B
     
  6. mike5334

    mike5334 Well-Known Member

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    Saturday will be the fullest day with battles all day long. Most people will stay around for a Sunday morning battle before heading home. Local battlers may stay and do Sunday afternoon battlers.
     
  7. Tugboat

    Tugboat Facilitator RCWC Staff Admiral (Supporter)

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    Definately Saturday. I will be bringing hot dogs, and Mike M has volunteered to bring chips. I supply ketchup, if you want anything gross like mustard or >blech!< relish, that's on you.Captains Stefan and Christopher will be using their Boy Scout skills to cook the food for us (again), so we can play with sailboats on lunch.

    I spent the whole weekend getting Baden ready for combat (had a few issues), but I am still trying to get Minerva on the water with Le Requín to enjoy the wind. My main concern right now is getting the winches hooked up to the sails; Courses and Tops'l's are fitted, but t'gallants will wait till after I can control the sails by remote control. It'd be cool to have both Requín and Minerva tie for first boat on the water :) Even cooler to have them sail :)
     
  8. Bob

    Bob Well-Known Member

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    Take some photos of the inside and outside of the Radetsky for me.
     
  9. Kotori87

    Kotori87 Well-Known Member

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    So Saturday is the big day, then. What time in the morning should I plan on showing up, and what time does it usually wrap up around? Also, do you guys do anything like a post-battle pizza party, etc?
     
  10. mike5334

    mike5334 Well-Known Member

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    Hey Bob, there is an operational battling Radetsky down in Florida. The Florida guys may be able to snap a few pictures for you too. :)
     
  11. buttsakauf

    buttsakauf Well-Known Member

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    I was planning on trying to make this battle. However, we have recent confirmation of my wife being pregnant and all the nausea now has an explanation. That said she would like me to hang around the house as long as she is having the first trimester blues.
    Das Butts
     
  12. mike5334

    mike5334 Well-Known Member

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    Wow! Grats Mike! :)
     
  13. Tugboat

    Tugboat Facilitator RCWC Staff Admiral (Supporter)

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    Another future Axis captain! When is the 'boat guys' baby shower? We could have baby Butts' new ship already built before he/she is old enough to drive it! :)
     
  14. Anachronus

    Anachronus Well-Known Member

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    Congratulations!
     
  15. Tugboat

    Tugboat Facilitator RCWC Staff Admiral (Supporter)

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    ACHTUNG!! Der glorious Hochseeflotte delivered a ztunning victory at zee today, suffering only 2 zinkingz (Bayern, twice for reliability issues) to the verdamt Allieds' SIX sinkings!! (Invincible three times, Valiant three times) Badenlicious had glorious wunderbar reliability!! I chewed some @$$ with the bow gun, and post-battle, I fixed the second bow gun so tomorrow will be MORE supreme Axis domination! Heil Fluegel!
     
  16. Kotori87

    Kotori87 Well-Known Member

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    Saturday dawned a cold, cloudy, and windy day. Not the most pleasant weather, but nobody was coming for a pleasure cruise. We were there for battle, and battle is what we got. I don't remember much about the first battle, other than some bbs were shot and some ships sank and there was cheering. Maybe a tie, or something like that, nothing too important. But the second battle was a beautiful blast of carnage that saw a bunch of Allied ships shot up and sunk in a Glorious Axis Victory. It was great fun to watch, and I cannot wait to get my own Fast Gun ship so I can join in.

    Despite all the Fast Gun battling, the most memorable part for me was bringing out the AOS ships to challenge the stormy Fletcher Park Pond. Mike, we really missed you and your xebec. It would have been great to have three AOS ships on the water at once. The weather report for the day predicted winds of 10 to 30 MPH. In preparation for the expected heavy weather, HMS Victory and USS Constitution both stripped down all sail above topsails and rigged lightweight ribbon telltails from each mast to indicate the wind. With high hopes and a weather eye, we launched into the swirling, whirling maelstrom. Overhead the clouds marched intently across the sky, as though focused on some important destination. But the pond was surrounded by trees, and the wind down on our level whipped and tore across the pond in unpredictable and often opposing directions. Where two streams of air collided they formed a wall that was impossible to cross without sufficient speed. Otherwise you'd be caught with each mast getting pushed in a different direction and get trapped, becalmed, or spat back out from the barrier. These wind walls themselves would weave back and forth across the pond so we sometimes saw the ship's local wind shift 180 degrees and back again in just a few seconds. It was wild, and powerful, and terrifying, yet also mesmerizing and beautiful beyond words.

    We had just worked clear from the shoreline when I looked out and called "GUST GUST GUST!" A huge downdraft of air was racing across the water towards the two ships from almost exactly opposite our current tack. I threw my rudder over hard to point into the gust while Gascan fumbled to respond as well, but it was on us too fast and the world turned sideways as both ships were knocked flat. It howled its fury at us and thrashed the ships about. Then the gust was past and we righted ourselves. The day continued like that, Constitution and Victory racing across the pond in the most treacherous weather I've ever sailed in. We soon adapted to the changing winds and occasional sledgehammer gusts. We set our sights on the (sometimes) upwind corner of the pond. Gascan had an initial advantage of probably 15 feet, but I closed the distance over the course of several tacks. Before I knew it we were 10 feet away from shore, racing neck-and-neck towards the finish. My Constitution had a sleeker, faster hull than Gascan's Victory, but Victory carried more sail in her storm rig, so they were evenly matched. Then fickle fate intervened and sent another gust our way, directly from our destination. I did not sound the alarm this time, since all is fair in love and war and square-rigger racing, and instead focused my effort on responding to the hazard. Gascan saw the hazard too, but too late! The two ships were sent reeling by the gust, as we had grown used to by now, but Constitution stayed on her original tack while Victory was left sailing straight away from her destination. The gust blew Gascan's ship into a different air path, so his first attempt to resume his original course sent Victory reeling again. Meanwhile it took Constitution three more tacks to park in the corner. I even tried to heave to for a bit, so everyone could see my success.

    I then offered up the helm to any other AOS skippers who wanted to try their hand at sailing in a hurricane, and Tugboat bravely took the controls for USS Constitution. I'll let Tugboat fill in the details of his voyage, but I will summarize by saying he did very well for a rookie in a hurricane. Tugboat, would you care to elaborate?
     
  17. Jay Jennings

    Jay Jennings Well-Known Member

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    Sounds absolutely awesome!! I dearly hope there are pics on the way!
    J
     
  18. Tugboat

    Tugboat Facilitator RCWC Staff Admiral (Supporter)

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    There are... our Navy guests took some, I got some, and I'll post some of mine after I get done paying my dues at home (trash, laundry, etc) for being allowed to play :)

    This morning's battle in the bitter cold (mid 20's initially) resulted in an Allied sink (Valiant) and I think an Axis sink (Bayern?). I was busy watching Baden strive to stay afloat :) Bill Byrne's VU performed its usual awesome maneuvering and stayed afloat the entire weekend (as did Badenlicious and Brian K's Empress of Indignity, I mean... India).