Originally Posted by CGAux26

A bit far to drive so I hope you and others post lotsa pictures. And bring home a trophy!

Will do my best to get lots of photos for those who are unable to make it and give hope to others that these events are returning!!!!

Well, after almost 2 years the NW R/C Ship Modelers Regatta returned to Downtown Park in Bellevue, WA. The weather was comfortable all day, the boats were plentiful, people were happy, and great to see so many faces of friends old and new! This event is mainly a skills test with navigation. But that doesn't stop all the nice boats from being on display. With boats on display and in the water there much to be seen and tried to get as much on photos between runs. During the day there was also an ongoing raffle of prizes donated by supporters and club members that included everything from hats, grab bags, to kits and hulls! I arrived with my other half and a van full of boats an equipment. Getting set up always takes some time especially when people you haven't seen in a while want to stop and chat. All 4 boats that I had with me are all new for this year with 3 of them going into the water. The navigation course is tough in that it is compact and really setup for small to medium sized vessels to go through. My log tug did really well until the second half of the course were it did bump 2 bouys. Good enough for a second place finish in class. Next was my LT157 tug in large class. Not a pretty run by my standards. managed to get a 3rd with it despite the rudder operating backwards ( need to replace that). The carrier didn't go through the course after deciding it is too narrow with all the platforms hanging out over the deck. Over all a good day on the water with time to plat with the 3 running boats. Even won 3 prizes with the raffle ( chose 2 and the girlfriend made a decision for me on the other). At the end of the afternoon it was a good day with models, friends, and all the other people that were there in the park. On with the photos!

Thanks, Keith! WIWT

Great stuff Keith, thanks!

Bob

Great photos Keith! Your Miki is looking really nice!

Keith. Very enjoyable photos as your’s always are. Thanks for posting. Man, I could hit EVERY buoy even if it wasn’t one of Umi’s designs.

It's easy to hit the channel markers. Especially on the right side of the course.
Two of the channels are parallel to the bank as you face them, so
you have to run them left to right. Try as you might, it is difficult to stay in the channel. And if you look at markers in line, you can see a
slight curve in the channel, and that's what seems to catch a lot of skippers.

All the collisions put my fire boat in Third place for Medium Class boats.

Looks like a tight course! Some BIG tugs there for sure. Thanks for the additional photos Umi.

Thanks all for looking and to Umi for the additional photos. Yes, tight course not really set up for anything over about 36 inches at best! But that is the challenge. Thanks to all that made this event happen in just a couple months as well.
Thanks Troy as the Miki Miki is really nice on the water and runs really well ( except for the backakwards rudder servo)

Quick reminder that the 2021 Pacific NW R/C Tug Regatta is now just 2 weeks away! getb your tug and barges ready and let's have some fun....

Things are looking good for a good tug event this upcoming Saturday in Bellevue. If you are here in the PNW, come on out and check out the models and the great people doing tug stuff. This is the 25th event and look for some interesting things if attending. Will get photos as time allows for all those who can not make it. And the raffle prizes are pretty nice so far from all our supporters!

The 25th annual Pacific NW R/C Tug Regatta was finally held on Saturday, August 21 after being shut down in 2020 for --well you know why. The weather was cooler than normal, but that is ok since when the sun does come out it gets very warm. Competitors from as far away as southern California made it to be part of the 18 registered skippers for the event with over 45 boats in attendance. Missing this year were the foreign competitors who were kept home due to border issues. Non the less, tugs were in the water doing tug work. Putting barges through the nav course is always a challenge and especially for new to tug skippers. Most pushed the barges while a couple took them on the hip and a couple even did it on the wire. Challenging, but then that's why we do it. Thankfully there were no sinking's, no underwater winches used, and 1 boat not finishing due to low fuel ( out of battery). Salvage is always where we distinguish the ones who have experience from the rookies. Lots of advice is offered on how to use an Orville Hook to capture the derelict. Unfortunately, a couple boats did use the underwater winches here and that is never a good thing. Most also discovered that a precision docking is harder than it looks and requires one to think/plan ahead before you get to the dock. One of the rules at this station is: once the derelict "touches" the dock you have to "pin" it where she lies. No moving up and down the dock until you get the bullseye. Many did well, but no one scored a bulls eye this year. So while boats and their captains were doing their thing, we had a raffle going on for many nice gifts donated by hobby supporters and maritime industry. Thanks to Loyalhannadockyard and Dumas Models for their donations. Gary King of West Coast Model Tugs donated a really nice new pod boat hull and cast kort nozzles. Ron Burchett sent a good Robbe ESC as well as a motor. Western Towboat have us a box of goodies from their sore. Being a day long event, our galley chief made sure that everyone was fed and their thirst taken care of with beverages, sandwiches, fresh fruit and sweet goodies. Once all the boats and skippers had finished their runs, we had the scores added up for the awards presentation. Congradulations to all our winners. Bryan Morse was the overall champion for 2021 with his Southampton tug. Robert Osmond won the Mark Freeman Award for top Masters, and Gene Sauter won Judges Choice for his model Socrcer. Many thanks to all who participated, came out, helped out, and spent the day in the park.
As this was the 25th event, it was my 20th for organizing and being the director of. The success of this event over the years has been the foundation of good people doing extra work to make all this come together. They are all extended family in my book . All the people, boats, friends, competitors , at this event are the memories and motivation that drives it as well. So this will be the last one that I will be personally responsible for. I thank everyone who has been a part of it in person and followed in the forums. It has been my pleasure doing so. Now it will be back to running the boats, taking pictures, and yes--more builds. Hopefully some one or the club(s) will take over so that this fun can continue for many more years. But now on with the photos!!

Looks like you had a great turnout and plenty of cool boats on the lake Keith!

Having attended the first Bellevue tug regatta 26 years ago and the 20th, I know that you & the crew work tirelessly every year to put on a great event, enjoy some well-deserved rest.

Thanks for the story and all the pics, Keith. Enjoy your "retirement" as tug regatta boss.

It was ver good seeing a tug named GORDY C. He was the best.

That sure looked like fun. Some wicked fine tugs Keith; all sizes & shapes. I know 20 year’s worth of participants have appreciated your hard work to stage this event. Thank you for all the photos & your descriptive narrative.