Newsletter of District 11
By Rags Grenier
District 11 Director
(Editor’s Note: The following is the
September 2012 e-mail newsletter sent to
all District 11 members)
Race #3 - Sanford
I can't say I wasn't more than a little
concerned about attendance for this race,
what with a threat of rain. When I
arrived after 8:00 am, my son Andrew,
Wayne Poisson, and Butch Thibodeau
were sitting forlornly on a park bench
and the retrieve boat wasn't even in the
water. Normally there would have been
half a dozen canopies up by then. I
needn't have worried. Racers started
showing up and we ended up with thirty
three registered boats in nine classes.
Pretty much the same as we had at
Mansfield and Rollinsford this year.
What was special at Sanford? Nitro is
back! At least Tunnel is. A Mod and A
Stock OPC not only ran, but had four
boats in each class. That hasn't happened
in this district in a long time. There was
some close racing in Open Hydro as
Terry Munn and Rene Danner tied for
first place in points, so it came down to
fast time to determine the winner. It was
Terry's 1:14 to Rene's 1:15. Actually,
Rene was very consistent with two
1:15's, but Terry was insane with 1:14,
1:15, 1:15 and 1:17 in his four heats.
There was lots of good racing and I trust
everyone had a good time. For whatever
reason, a lot of folks stayed after the
event to applaud during the ribbon
presentation. Thanks to all for that. It
was a nice touch. Butch and the Wake
Makers got in the four full rounds and
we didn't get any rain until the trip
home. Nice job.
On a side note, sometimes we don't
always appreciate what the clubs do to
host these events. I was reminded of that
when I helped Butch move the slalom
ski jump on Thursday prior to the race.
Try moving that large sail in a breeze
with six horsepower and you would
understand why it took the better part
of the day. And that's only the half of it.
I have no idea how long it took to put it
back in the proper spot. So please don't
forget to thank the Wake Makers and
GHMBC when you get the chance.
PROPWASH
4
November 2012
Lenny Blake Joins Hall of Fame
By Al Waters
NAMBA Executive Secretary
Earlier this year at the
NAMBA Nationals Awards
Banquet in New Hampshire,
Lenny Blake was inducted in to
the NAMBA Hall of Fame.
Lenny, more commonly known
in the model boating world as
Rum Racing, has been a
NAMBA member since before
1986 and currently resides in
Arizona as a member in District
19.
The following are some of his
racing accomplishments. His
first NAMBA Nationals
Championship occurred in 1992 and he hasn’t stopped winning classes since, in both
Nitro and Gas in the twenty plus Nationals that he has attended. If he wasn’t Rum
Racing at the Nats, he was The Hey Mon Race Team for the Marathon events. Lenny
has been the Contest Director/Race Announcer of record for numerous races ranging
from District 19 heat races to Arizona FE club races and most recently the 2012
NAMBA FE Nationals in California. He has been a committee member of past
NAMBA Nationals and an Assistant District 19 Director. He has traveled not only to
more than twenty NAMBA Nationals but to special event races such as the Orlando
WinterNats in Florida and the West Texas Shootout for Autism Awareness in El Paso,
Texas. Not only has Lenny participated in many events, he has also supported them as
a manufacturer of model boat hulls, hardware, and class and product sponsorships.
Lenny has never been the kind of person who has wanted to be in the forefront of
the political arena in NAMBA. He doesn’t want to be the NAMBA President. He
doesn’t want to be a District Director. He wants to be the person who makes things
better for the President and the District Director. And in his 25 plus years as a
NAMBA model boater, he has definitely accomplished that. Lenny is a great
ambassador for NAMBA as a model boater. Who does not like the man? Who has he
ever refused when a model boater or Contest Director needs help? He has always been
there whether it be helping a new boater at the local test pond in Arizona or at a major
event. Lenny is a person who tries to improve model boating. The past few years, he
has taken the computer sound and lap counter system that the Australians designed
and made changes that were
more applicable to NAMBA
model boating. Recently, he has
been working with fellow
model boaters to take that
system to the next level and go
wireless. A system that will
make Contest Director’s job
much easier while calling races.
I would like to congratulate
and welcome Lenny Blake to
the NAMBA Hall of Fame. A
well deserving person and a
close friend.
Hall of Fame members on hand left to right. Alan
Hobbs, Doug Twaits Jr., Al Waters, Lenny Blake,
Doug Twaits, and Dave Rychalsky