malcolm,
Re my first 'suggestion' on this part of the forum.
Could we circumnavigate the officialdom by having a Historic British Unlimited water speed record boat class with boats over 50yrs old only to compete? I am sure that KW would leave 'spirit' in the museum if the UIM set up a new catagorie.
Having dealt with officialdom for over 30yrs as a cop I soon got used to thinking outside the box, I am very sure that people in the records breaking section of the RYA would be more than happy to create a 'new' catagory of racing boat.
I appreciate that BB will never travel the speed she used to but if a record is 0mph then a 1mph run gives a record, now we all know that you have to return within 1hr to get the record, how many have missed record on this rule alone? so BB may have to do 4 or 5 runs at 1mph just to set the first record, The year after it could be attempted and 2mph reached. I was never thinking of all the BBP teams hard work being destroyed. I certainly don't want to see BB damaged or crash again. I just wish now she will be back that she can do what she was born to do or in this case reborn..set a WWSR. I don't care if it is low figure..just a figure and those words..Holder of a WWSR.. AGAIN!
By this time I am sure the press will be having a field day with 'officialdom' and the pressure will cause them to cave in and give BB 'the freedom of the lake' to run ad infinitum oron special days[think of the numbers of visitors to Coniston on those days]
With regard to cost at the lakeside, I know that Ken Norris used to have a formula for the costings[ Nigel can you remember it exactly?] it went something like
x = cost of planning, xx = cost of designing, xxx = cost of building, xxxx = cost of lakeside attempt.
x being a sum of money, so basically the lakeside bit cost twice as much as the designing bit.
I can remember the lakeside cost of K8 was more than the rest of the project put together.
Polo
Bluebird K7 Bye Law amendments
Re: Bluebird K7 Bye Law amendments
Mike,
Sorry but the intention IS to get PUBLICITY and the man on the street backing BB and BBP AGAINST officialdom.
The Great British public[ with whom I count myself] would be outraged that BB was being restricted.
Are you telling me that trolling along and setting incremental speed records over many years is worse than her having 12 runs and then perminantly confined to a museum?
I was against raising BB but now you've done such a great jog of restoration, I want her to carry on forever doing what she should do.
She is one of the Greatest British Icons, the complaints against her restriction would be overwhelming.
Remember this site is only viewed by a 'few' compared to the many reached by the newspapers. Once you get the press going on at these jobsworths you're on a winner.
Polo
Sorry but the intention IS to get PUBLICITY and the man on the street backing BB and BBP AGAINST officialdom.
The Great British public[ with whom I count myself] would be outraged that BB was being restricted.
Are you telling me that trolling along and setting incremental speed records over many years is worse than her having 12 runs and then perminantly confined to a museum?
I was against raising BB but now you've done such a great jog of restoration, I want her to carry on forever doing what she should do.
She is one of the Greatest British Icons, the complaints against her restriction would be overwhelming.
Remember this site is only viewed by a 'few' compared to the many reached by the newspapers. Once you get the press going on at these jobsworths you're on a winner.
Polo
Re: Bluebird K7 Bye Law amendments
Ok Mike, wrist slapped and point taken on board.
Polo
Polo
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Re: Bluebird K7 Bye Law amendments
Hello Polo,polo wrote: With regard to cost at the lakeside, I know that Ken Norris used to have a formula for the costings [Nigel can you remember it exactly?] it went something like
x = cost of planning, xx = cost of designing, xxx = cost of building, xxxx = cost of lakeside attempt.
x being a sum of money, so basically the lakeside bit cost twice as much as the designing bit.
I can remember the lakeside cost of K8 was more than the rest of the project put together.
Polo
Yes, Ken (Norris) had an equation that he liked to put forward as a general guideline to what a speed-record project costs to mount - whether it is on land or water, regardless. And he probably wasn't too far wrong in a lot of cases.
I don't have his paperwork handy, without digging deep in the archives, which I haven't got time to do, but basically Ken assumed "x" as being the cost of the first stage of a project, and then each stage thereafter costing twice as much, so that you ended up with a scary sum by the time you got to stage 4, or whatever it was - which, of course, was the record campaign (on the lake or the lakebed, as the case may be) itself.
But this doesn't apply to K7, thankfully. First of all, Ken was referring to vehicles - be they cars or boats - destined for an Absolute speed record. Bluebird has already done that - many times. So it is now in a different category - a category all of its own, in fact - and so all of those parts of the equation that Ken was saying applied (or you may prefer to say "might apply") just don't apply in this particular, unique case.
Every project makes its own rules. I am a firm believer in that, based upon both personal experience and watching other people, both successful and unsuccessful speed-record campaigners around the world, come and go as we have been pressing on with Quicksilver, and the K7 recovery and restoration project is a prime example of this principle in action.
It's a one-off, making its own rules, "inventing itself" as it develops, and the usual formula doesn't apply.
Sometimes, if someone sets out a formidable formula, it puts people off before the first hurdle. Sometimes it's better if you don't know what the formula is.
Because chances are, with a bit of wit and will-power, you'll prove the formula wrong
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Re: Bluebird K7 Bye Law amendments
There might be grounds for criticism in the way that the BBP Operations have proceeded, but I believe we are heading towards the first major goal of proving the engineering reconstruction of K7 through the defined 'proving trial'. And do not feel that we are being 'restricted' by the Bye Laws when development runs have no number attached to them (except speed) and when would any British based jet vehicle (be it car or boat) get twelve three mile long runs in the calm and (hopefully) the sunshine?
Yes, we did pitch for more opportunities to take K7 'back' periodically onto the lake above 10 mph when we first went to the LDNPA, but we did not secure the Authority vote in May 2009. That's democracy and does not prevent an application in the future, if that is what the custodians of Donald's boat want to do.
Future running may be possible - someone enthused by this website and Forum may take this task onwards later in the next decade, but we do not need to pursue this route at the moment.
I agree with Mike that nothing is achieved by incremental low speeds just above walking pace - except perhaps derision. These are speeds that not even Donald bothered with when he took the craft on the water in either '55 or '66 form. He wanted it to plane, then run quicker.
Yes, we did pitch for more opportunities to take K7 'back' periodically onto the lake above 10 mph when we first went to the LDNPA, but we did not secure the Authority vote in May 2009. That's democracy and does not prevent an application in the future, if that is what the custodians of Donald's boat want to do.
Future running may be possible - someone enthused by this website and Forum may take this task onwards later in the next decade, but we do not need to pursue this route at the moment.
I agree with Mike that nothing is achieved by incremental low speeds just above walking pace - except perhaps derision. These are speeds that not even Donald bothered with when he took the craft on the water in either '55 or '66 form. He wanted it to plane, then run quicker.
Malcolm Pittwood
The Bluebird Project
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The Bluebird Project
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Re: Bluebird K7 Bye Law amendments
Nope... And big thanks to the irrepressible, Sir Malcolm and the op's team for steering us this far.There might be grounds for criticism in the way that the BBP Operations have proceeded
I'm only a plumber from Cannock...
"As to reward, my profession is its own reward;" Sherlock Holmes.
'It ain't what they call you, it's what you answer to.' W.C. Fields.
"As to reward, my profession is its own reward;" Sherlock Holmes.
'It ain't what they call you, it's what you answer to.' W.C. Fields.
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Re: Bluebird K7 Bye Law amendments
As a new member, I must say I'm amazed by the tenacity and enthusiasm that the team have put into the Bluebird recovery and rebuild project. Very well done.
I've followed progress from a distance (bought the DVD's etc.) but would love to be there when the boat runs again on Coniston. Is there an approximate projected or anticipated date for the first run, or am I being completely naive? I'd hate to miss it!
I've followed progress from a distance (bought the DVD's etc.) but would love to be there when the boat runs again on Coniston. Is there an approximate projected or anticipated date for the first run, or am I being completely naive? I'd hate to miss it!
- Renegadenemo
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Re: Bluebird K7 Bye Law amendments
The million-dollar question... and the answer is, we don't know. But be assured of one thing. There's no danger of you missing it! Our new media partner will be damn sure you can't get away from it.Is there an approximate projected or anticipated date for the first run, or am I being completely naive? I'd hate to miss it!
I'm only a plumber from Cannock...
"As to reward, my profession is its own reward;" Sherlock Holmes.
'It ain't what they call you, it's what you answer to.' W.C. Fields.
"As to reward, my profession is its own reward;" Sherlock Holmes.
'It ain't what they call you, it's what you answer to.' W.C. Fields.
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Re: Bluebird K7 Bye Law amendments
From now onwards every request to be told "the date" should come on a signed twenty pound note.
If Bill does not know then I do not either!
Nothing can be done in secret with a large jet powered blue boat and there will be plenty of time to gauge when the powered runs will start. Driving it away from the North East will not go unnoticed.
If Bill does not know then I do not either!
Nothing can be done in secret with a large jet powered blue boat and there will be plenty of time to gauge when the powered runs will start. Driving it away from the North East will not go unnoticed.
Malcolm Pittwood
The Bluebird Project
Operations
The Bluebird Project
Operations
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Re: Bluebird K7 Bye Law amendments
Unless we have to make a secret, dawn departure for Dumbelyung...Driving it away from the North East will not go unnoticed.
I'm only a plumber from Cannock...
"As to reward, my profession is its own reward;" Sherlock Holmes.
'It ain't what they call you, it's what you answer to.' W.C. Fields.
"As to reward, my profession is its own reward;" Sherlock Holmes.
'It ain't what they call you, it's what you answer to.' W.C. Fields.