------~ -== ==.;;-i= ~ ~== ~ = == ------i------

42 Weymouth Street · W1 N 3LQ Tel: 01-4998422 Fax: 01-49~ 1555 Telex: 261286

E L E C T J. I C BOA T NEW S

VOLUME TWO NUMBER FOUR September 1989.

This issue includes:- Tilting the Balance - Westminster Approves; Making Less Waves - BWB hull design; charging points - a solution; the French Connection; Solar-powered update; Phoenix - a Mystical bird; Over The Rainbow; Down Under; Towards an electric lifeboat?; SKMP; £LCO and an Amer ican chapter; Registrations please.

_CRUISE ELECTRIC==NONOlsE· NO POLLUTION· NO FUSS

VAT Reg. N o. 242304504 . ' J I

1.

TILTING THE BALANCE WESTMINSTER COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS ELECTRIC BOATS

On 9th August, an ll-strong all-party Commons Environment Select Committee published a report (RCP 237 - 88/89), based on an investigation into the British Waterways Board. The· Committee was appointed in December 1987 and with Sir Rugh Rossi in the Chair, this is its fifth report.

In the Summary of Conclusions and Recommendations, the 2S6-page publication states: "It is important that the BWB continue to give a high profile to the conservation and enhancement of both the historical heritage and the natural environment of the canal systems. As reorganisation and development proceed, the BWB must ensure that appropropriate procedures are developed to ensure that conservation issues are adequately addressed and that staff at all levels have a sound understanding of conservation issues (Para 96) •••••• One possible means of tilting the balance in favour of conservation of habitat might be to discourage over-use and encourage those forms of boating which cause least damage to the canal environment, such as electrically-powered boats and those whose hull profiles create less wash.(Para l04) •••• Given that electric motors are adequate for canal travel and low in pollution compared with diesel and internal combustion engines - both in terms of noise, emissions and spillages - we consider that the Board should encourage a changeover fro. petrol and diesel to electric engines, both by differential license fees and by provision of power supply points (Para 106)."

Three days after these recommendations had been reported both on the BBC and in the National Press, an independent Gallup poll conducted for "The Daily Telegraph" newspaper stated that top among the threats recognised by the public is pollution of rivers, lakes and waterways (93 %). " , I

2. On 16th August, a 250-page report issued by Professor David Pearce of University College, London, had as one of its recommendations that goods which pollute the environment should be taxed. Whether the implementation of such a radical suggestion would favour boats propelled by electric motors rather than diesel or petrol, remains to be seen. Finally, with the birth of the National Rivers Authority on 1st September, its chairman, Lord Crickhowell stated that as part of its becoming Europe's strongest environmental agency, there would be a new era of tough controls and prosecutions to reduce the unaccpetab1e level of pollution in Britain's waterways. With a 6,500-strong staff policing ten regions, the NRA will be responsible for pollution controls on rivers and other waterways and for protecting plants and wildlife around rivers. We can only hope that it will not be long before the recommendations of the afore-mentioned Commons Select Committee will be given serious practical consideration by the National Rivers Authority.

MAKING LESS WAVES One solution to taking better care of the wildlife and plant life along the banks of canals and waterways, is to make t he design of your hull more efficient and friendly. In June 1985, British Waterways Board commissioned Dr Archie Ferguson of OSTEC (The Ocean Technology Department of Glasgow University) to research into the ways in which both narrowboat and cruiser hulls might be improved. Given that desk research showed little to have been done, by towing models up and down a test tank, Dr Ferguson and colleagues have come up with a new below-water design for the two types of inland waterways motorboat. To avoid the familiar bow wave and crest, a vertical, cylindrical bow shape was introduced, whilst the stern was given a truncate cone to reduce viscous drag, but with a skeg to house the propeller, itself surrounded by a U-shaped shroud. By studying videotapes made of various configurations (traditional bow and sterni modern bow and traditional sterni modern bow and modern stern) being towed up and down a tank modified to represent a fairly shallow and fairly narrow canal , it at once becomes evident, even to the inexperienced eye, that the new BWB/OSTEC design creates far less wash. Indeed t he higher the speed - say from 4 up to 6 mph - the better t he effect. Such a valuable study, should prove most beneficial to those planning to build entirely new electrically-propelled boats in the years to come and the BWB are to be commended f or their initiative. I' I '

3.

CHARGING POINTS

From Jestyn, the Viscount St Davids, as experienced a n electric boating enthusiast as any, we have received the following suggestion: "We do need more charging points for electric boats, but the main need is for points for boats of over 35ft, which today and maybe always, means most hire-cruisers. to oblige craft of 35' or under to use the same points as craft which need more p owe r , would be a mistake. On present form, smaller electric craft appear to be likely to be the great majority. "Furthermore, to ask British Waterways to pay for putting in electric points for larger craft is to ask the taxpayer indirectly to subsidize this, as the operation cannot make money. Other boats might also complain of the diversion of scarce funds to specialist need s. "All this can be done by private enterprise, if BW watch safety standards and maybe help boat yards financially or in other ways. the under 35' electric craft can recharge batteries, giving 5-7 days of running off 16 amp points and such points, weatherproof and properly electrically pro t e cted, are being put in in all new, and old, marinas at all their moorings. If these points can serve other craft safely, they are safe for electric craft. There are masses of such points so there is no need for boaters to telephone ahead, as was usually done in the past as precautionary measure. "If BW were to put in electric points on mooring sites, they would be at the expense of long cable runs, whereas if they help boat yards, who already have strong cables, to d o the work, the result is far cheaper. The yards also use the points as welding points by day. Points installed in open countryside need expensive supervision and service: those in boat yards do not. "There is also the fact that telephoning ahead is possible ( I almost always do, except where I know t here are plenty of 16 amp points) and book a point if it is in a normal boat yard. "There are plenty of large and small electric dayb ~a ts , and these are increasing fast, but they have their own oints at home, and some are starting to run solely on solar pow r . he cruising electric boat is still a rarety, mostly because there is a public feeling that there are very few charg n g point s: the question most commonly asked is how many there a r e Th~ charging point position depends on announced policy decisi B . It needs far less money than now envisaged." 4. THE FREHCH CONNECTION From Steam & Electric Launch Company's dynamic publicist, Gillian Nahum, we have received news that we seem to be ahead of our European brethren: "Following a trip in early July to Paris where I met Monsieur Bassac of the E.D.F. (Electricite de France) to talk to him about his company's view on electric boats, I was determined to find a good, enthusiastic agent to represent S&E in France. Thanks go to Francois Wilmotte of the French LDA for the introductions. M Wilmotte took me for a working lunch to the Compagnie Francaise d'Electro-Chimie where we were entertained by the Technical Director and the Export Sales Manager, neither of whoa knew anything about electric boats. This gap in their knowledge has of course now been filled! Thus having reached the professionals, it was time to reach the general public so I submitted a number of texts and photographic material to the editor of "Fluvial", the only French magazine totally dedicated to inland waterwwyas. The ensuing article is to be published on Septemnber 14th. France can boast the first electric hydrobus carrying 60 passengers and operating in an idyllic site in Provence on the Lac du Verdon. I was lucky enough to get the whole story from both the operator and the builder as to the hassles involved and the subsequent success once actually on the water. In fact the vessel itself was not modified at all from the original diesel waterbus. However, the French authorities, ever­ sceptical about something new, insisted on two 15 kw electric motors and 3000 revs, thus rendering the boat grossly overpowered. The result is that the skipper uses only one motor at a time. The vessel's maximum speed is 17 km/h, although it cruises at around 10-12 km/h. I met the boatbuilder at his factory, several hundreds of miles away from the actual operating site and we discussed the French reaction to electric power. To date they had ignored its existence, but with a bit of clever campaigning on the back of the "green" revolution, we both agreed that the potential market there is quite enormous. To cut a long story short, this builder will hopefully be introducing Steam & Electric's Mystics to day hire fleets in 1990, while I have appointed a gneral agent near Dijon to help my promotional campaign outre-Manche. Progress is also being made in the field of solar-powered boats (see below). I was able to cross Bodensee from Konstanz to Meersburg at an impressive 6 knots in a solar boat designed and operated by the students of the Konstanz Fachhochschule. The , ,

5. boat has already won two solar boat races and the technology will be applied to a boat to be built in 1990 for the German Lifeguards Association. Bodensee is teeming with small electric hire boats, equipped with Accumot pod motors. My next stop therefore had to be the country of their origin - Austria. Here I met the desi gner and builder of these sporty looking 6-seaters. Whilst admiring the spectacular lake scenery around the Salzburg area, I was able to make some promising business contacts. Watch this space! I also put out feelers in both Italy and Switzerland, where to date the preference is to steam rather than electromagnetism. However, times are changing and our present agents are confident that the general scepticism will eventually turn to enthusiasm (you can't rush the Swiss!) As for Italy, speedboats are forbidden in certain areas, even on Lake Guarda in the vicinity of Riva, home of the legendary boats of the same name. In the' June issue of "Vogue Uomo Mare" there was an article about Steam and Electric's products entitled 'Silenzio si parte", in which the author proudly pointed out how economical electric powered boating is, stating that Rupert Latham set an endurance record of 100 miles on a single charge costing only £60 (printer's error)! No wonder the Italians stick to punting!" Steam & Electric's Gillian Nahum's next trip on September 24th will take her back to West Germany and Austria to pursue contacts and ideas. Back here in Britain, sales are up and ever spreading. A Classic Frolic 21 is to be delivered early October to the land of Wordsworth and Ruskin - Cumbria. Numbers on the Thames are growing and countrywide commercial interest is increasing. Plans for 1990 include a new super-comfortable Frolic 21 with new interior fit-out, as well as a larger version of the Frolic 30 which will have greater passenger carrying capability for commercial operators, not to mention more luxurious entertaining/lazing space for Pimms-imbibing electric power addicts. Steam & Electric welcome visitors to their new 10,000 sq ft premises at the Old Foundry, Norwich Road, Ludham, with its splendid panoramic office, coffee table and ladies loo! Telephone 0692 62 745. FAX: 0692 62 312.

SOLAR-POWERBD UPDATB Backing up Gillian Nahum's experience, from our Swiss EBA member and correspondent, Theodor Schmidt of Frenkendorf, we now publish a most encouraging report concerning the development of solar-powered boats: "After the world's first solar boat races last year i n Switzerland and Germany, two more have been held this June . The 6. first, conceived by Leonardo Libero, went the length of Lago Maggiore from Angera (Italy) in the south to Locarno (Switzerland) in the north, a total distance of about 60 km, divided into 4 stages in two days. About a dozen boats managed to complete the distance, the leaders taking a total time of about 7~ hours. The racing was exciting with close manoeuvring and tactics worthy of a sail race. Korona, a research boat by Prof. Christian Schaffrin of Fachhochschule Konstanz, an optimised monohull launch of professional standard and fully computerised, only just managed to keep a lead of Mathias Wegmann's Basilisk, an intrinsically faster trimaran which indeed won the final stage, but was plagued with mechanical problems, such as the home-built electric outboard falling off mid-race and . frequent bilge pumping required! "However, being the crew for this race, I had taken along my 300 W solar panel and 500 W motor which were mounted in addition to the 480 K panel and 200 w motor installed on board, and thus damages could be repaired while underway. Frequent waves and washes occasionally submerged the open, nomrally air­ cooled motors, which however carried on regardless (don't try this one in salt water!). Maximum speed was over 6~ knots, consuming about 1400 W (less than 2 HP), however cruising speed was around 5 knots, consuming about 700 W. An especially nice boat was entered by De Pedroni , who built his solar yacht himself out of foam/plywood sandwich, having started years ago before anyone had heard of solar boats. A traditional clipper bow design with two berths, a comfortabl e cockpit, and a deck laid out with walkable solar panels, it can be propelled by one or two electric motors, by petrol outboard, by oars, or by sail. The second race was on Lake Zug (near Zurich), 30 Km in two stages the same day. This featured 5 "racing boats" (lots of solar cells, few batteries), 10 "cruising boats" (vice versa + additional human power allowed, for safety reasons), and three human powered racing boats, not counting a few which retired during the race. The weather was appalling with rain and heavy overcast most of the day. This didn't deter the cruising or human powered boats with their ample supply of stored energy, but the racing boats had to husband their energy carefully and travel slower than desired. Nevertheless, Basilisk averaged about 6 knots, completing the distance in 160 minutes, handsomely winning this class, yet 20 minutes slower than the first heavily batteried cruising boats. Winner was A Bayer (really a Bavarian!) with his Canadian canoe Sonu, sporti ng a homemade 500 W outboard swining a huge bronze propeller suitable for a 20 ton launch! Also from Bavaria i n 3rd pl ace after Korona came a beautifully made motor launch with solar panels inlaid in teak, made by Mirwald/Springer. My own effort, rapidly assembled in a week from bits and pieces and a s i ngl e scullilng catamaran of French origin, was a bit 7. overloaded and preferred to travel under rather t h an over the waves, ye t completed t h e course in 220 minutes a n d was the most efficient boat there, ma n aging 2 knots in the sprint, whic h was in the rain with no batteries connect ed.

Finally, and since tho se r aces, Mathias Wegmann has completed a trip from Basel down the Rhine to Kobl enz, up the Mosel and Saar and back through c anals, all with his trimaran Basilisk - a total of about 700 Km . He told me everything went well except for several propeller b reakages and losses (partially his fault) and indeed most of the journey was completed with a propeller hand-carved f rom pine-wood, using more than twice the current the proper propeller used. Nevertheless, he did the whole trip using mainly solar energy.

Best Regards - Theo Sc hmidt."

PHOENIX - A MYSTICAL BIRD

The Phoenix Fleet is a small, family boat yard next to the old bridge a t Potter Heigham on the Broads . In t he ear ly summer of 1984, Ro bin and Patrick Richardson decided to get out of the hire fleet rat race, concentrate on their broads y acht restoration and go into dayboats. After long conversations with Andrew Wolstenholme and Rupert Latham, the Richardsons decid e d to try a n Electric Frolic 21, the first electric boat for hire on the Boards.

In order to get anything out of the coming summer, a fast outfit was neeed s o they used an Accumot 2000 in a well under the aft deck. The decks and interior were fitted out in ply with oak coamings, as the current all GRP Frolics were still a twinkle on Andrew' s drawing board.

The boat, Marsh Marigold, was an immediate success f or the Richardsons, but there was a certain resistance from customers. At the t ime they were unsure whether it was the "electric" which put people off o r the style of t he boat itself. Notwithstanding, they went head with three more Frolics, one with laid mahogany decks and two of the new , all GR P v ersions wi t h inboard motors. Electronicon transistor speed controllers a nd PB Industrial full traction batteries, 350 A/Hr giving t en hours cruising a full speed. At the same time, the Mystic appeared and they ordered 4 sets of mo uldings , s o t hat, by t h e beginning of the 1986 season , the f leet was complete wi t h 4 boats of each style.

The issue of eletric versus style wa s ansered straight away, t he Mystics were an immedia t e hi t with hirers and are consistently the first boa t t o go out in Potte r. The resistance t o hiring Frolics remains, with only experienced boat people 8. preferring the Frolic. The same does not seem to apply to other waterways where Frolics appear to let well. "So after 4 and 5 years almost trouble fee service, having carried around 7,000 passengers," comments Robin Richardson, "we have sadly decided to replace our Frolics with more Mystics, and are therefore offering for sale: The Boats: MARSH MARIGOLD and WATER LILY * MEADOWSWEET AND WILD DAFFOLDIL hull: grp grp deck and outfit: timber grp motor: Accumot 2000 BKB 1.56 hp inboard batteries: chloride monobloc PB Industrial full traction controls: 3-way switch/v.s.t.c. variable speed transistorised charger: All R.D. 60 Further details from: Robin and Patrick Richardson The Phoenix Fleet Ltd Potter Heigham Norfolk NR 29 5JD Tel: 0692 670460 daytime 0692 630922 home

"ALSO POR SALE" Three Accumot Nautilus 24V 800 Amp type R motors, two used for two seasons, one only as a spare. New price £700 each; will sell for £300 each. All in good order. Two sets of controls available at £40 each and two spare propellors at £10 each. Apply Lord St Davids, 15 St Mark's Crescent, Regent's Park, LONDON NW1 7TS. Tel: 01-485 9953.

OVER THE RAINBOW The privately-owned Neath & Tennant Canals in West Glamorgan provide a veritable haven of wildlife. Whilst plants such as the Marsh Marigold, the Water Starwort and Indian Balsam may be identified, the hedgerows provide cover for wrens and blue­ tits, with chaffinches, squabbling for the fruits of the hawthorn, beech and elder, whilst large pike and trout glide silent beneath the waters forever watched by the stalking heron. 9. So that both the mentally or physically disabled and groups of disadvantaged children might fully enjoy these pleasures, the Neath and Tennant Preservation Society Ltd required a narrowboat capable of moving up and down a 4-mile section of the Neath, sbuttle-fashion, without needing to turn round. In other words, a double-ender with a motor at each end, only one of which should be in operation at anyone time, depending on the direction of travel . This boat was originally ordered from Monks Ferry Training Trust at Birkenhead, Merseyside, an organisation which takes on YTS and community programme trainees, to gain them experience in building 70ft canal boats for various charities. As The Rainbow Trust helps these charities finanCially, the boats become "rainbow boats". In this particular case, as Monks Ferry Training Trust was overloaded with work, one of its Trustees, a Mr D.C.Hannah, who also happens to be Head of Training at Vickers Shipbuilding & Engineering Ltd organised it so that his second and third year apprentices would build the boat, free of charge as a training project at their Barrow-in-Furness works. Following a keel-laying ceremony by Manpower Services Commission Chairman, Sir James Munn OBE, construction began on the 55ft X 8ft 8" hull , with its draught of just 20". Two 6 KW 72 volt electric motors were to be installed, one bow/one stern and derive their energy from 820 AH of battery placed in battery boxes with sufficient energy for an eight-hour day. Accomodation would comprise a small galley for making snacks, a toilet designed for the disabled and 12 seats removable so wheelchairs could be placed on board. The main saloon would have central heating f or cool days and two large roof hatches to enhance the view during summer. To prevent pollution of the Neath Canal, all waste and bilge water would be pumped into a holding tank. By January 1988, the Vickers apprentices had built the keel and were structuring the lower-box, when an industrial strike was called, construction wa s delayed and the boat was going to run past its delivery date. This left Monks Ferry no other alternative than to withdraw the basic hull, taking it back to Birmenhead on 10th July 1988. According to Project Executive, John Nulty: "They did about 10 per cent of the job, we did the rest - building the bow/sterns, installing the motors and bat t eries and fitting the whole thing out. We finished i t around March 1989 and we gave it a week of trials on the Ellesmere Port Canal, part of the Shropshire Union. The motors as far as I was concerned, were rather eerie , you pressed the button and away it went. This wa s our t wenty-second boat, but it was fantastic, behaved wonderfully and s urprised us all by cr ui s ing at 3- 4 knots for sixteen hours on one charge - even t hough the 10. original specification called for only eight. We then kept it on site here until mid-July when it was towed to Salford Quays, the Manchester Ship Canal, to take part in the Royal Regatta." On the 27th July at 10 am, the boat was christened Enfy's (Welsh for "Rainbow") by His Royal Highness the Duke of York, who then used it as a roving platform to go round the docks and take the salute the other vessels on parade. After that Enfy's was loaded onto a wagon and taken down to the Neath, where we feel sure she will give silent but reliable service in the years to come.

DOWN UNDER Typical of the requests received, and answered by our EBA secretariat, is this one from Mr J.P. Bauskis of Canley Vale, New South Wales, AUSTRALIA: "Being in the process of fitting out a yacht and considering electric power, hopefully your association can help me in which direction to take. The yacht is LOA 45' and heavy displacement. Is there any information I can obtain re motor 24V DC etc. I will be in London approx 10th-15th January 1990 for the Boat Show ••••• " TOWARDS AN ELECTRIC LIFEBOAT? According to one trade journal: "With recent disasters such as The Herald of Free Enterprise and Pipa Alpha, there is a growing interest in survival and rescue craft ••• one development that is envisaged could involve the use of an automated system to direct the lifeboat away from the ship's side under autopilot and perhaps electric power. The capability of running perhaps only one or two miles is all that is required from the power unit, but such an automated system would be a tremendous morale boost to a crew who can be quite heavily shocked in having to abandon ship ••• "

SDP Superconductive Electromagnetic Propulsion - otherwise known as SEMP - comes from Japan. Yamato I which will use the SEMP system, is currently being built and prepared for sea trials by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries on behalf of the Japan Foundation for Shipbuilding Advancement. Having successfully completed laboratory testing, the 150 ton vessel is likely to be ready for demonstration trials in 1990. Its power is deri ved from two 16V 396 TB54 MTU engines - chosen, it is said, for power and compactness. When the vessel has been thoroughly tested, the objective is to build a ship close to an eventual commercial prototype, utilising the tested propulsion system. 11. The major difference between SEMP and conventional propulsion is that the latter relies on propeller thrust derived from fuel conversion into mechanical energy, whereas SEMP involves a change of electric energy generated by an alternator into electro-aagnetic force to displace water.

ELCO AND THE EBA It was in 1892 that the newly established Electric Launch and Navigation Company of Camden, New Jersey, USA, won a contract to supply 55 electric launches, each 36' long, to the Chicago World's Fair. The launch design was by Charles Mosher and the fleet constructed partly by Charles Seabury & Co of Nyack, New York and partly by the Racine Hardware Manufacturing Co of Racine , Wisconsin. These launches were an outstanding success.They made no less than 66,975 trips during the six and a half months of the exposition, carrying 1,026,346 passengers 200,925 miles and earning $314 ,000 for the World's Fair organizers. Not bad for a company that incorporated a month after the first bids were requested, and which had no plant, no equipment, no staff of boatbuilders and designers, and no track record! (EMT Watch out!) In 1899, Isaac Rice, already owner of the Electric Storage Battery Company (later known as Exide) and the Electro Dynamic Company (later ), purchased what had become ELCO (Electric Launch Company) and merged it with another recent acquisition, the famous Holland Torpedo Boat Company, developers of America's first . Rice decided to call the overall parent company the Electric Boat Company and appointed Henry R Sutphen, electrician by trade, as its Manager. By 1903, over 250 electric launches built by ELCO, based at Bayonne, New Jersey, were in regular use. They ranged from 18ft to 42ft in length. Their list of customers included Admiral Dewey, Tsar Nicholas 11 and Grand Duke Aleksander of Russia, Mrs Westinghouse, Baron Nathaniel de Rothschild, John Jacob Astor and a host of other luminaries. John Jacob Astor owned three electric launches - the 36ft Corcrya the 47ft Progresso, and the 72ft Utopia. As another example, take Lutuhizi (36ft LOA x 7ft4" B x 2ft 2" Draught). She was owned by Walther Luttgen Esq. of New York. The boat was used chiefly about the Columbia Yacht Club of which her owner was Commodore, occasionally making runs to Linden on the Raritan; Luttgen even used Lutuhizi for racing. "The difficulties of re-charging, which have formerly been the greatest drawback to the general use of these boats, are now reduced to a minimum by the portable charging outfits." 12.

Nor should we leave out the ELCO 55ft twin-screw cabin yacht capable of running 125 miles on one charge of its storage batteries ••••

With the arrival of the high-speed gasoline engine, it was not long before the ELCO company had gradually phased out electric launches in favour of high-speed powerboats - such as 550 torpedo launches for the British Admiralty - progressing post­ to building petrol-engined motor cruisers for the middle classes and then some 400 PT boats for the Second World War effort.

In 1987 Joseph W. Fleming Jr, 58-year-old retired electronics executive, re-established the Electric Launch Company, 38 years after the neglected original company had died a painful death. Fleming had sold his former company Ramsey Controls "for several million dollars" in 1985 and found himself in the enviable position of having a lot of money and nothing to do. He therefore decided to revive ELCO. He started off by having the lines taken from a 30ft electric fantail launch built by the original company in 1898, the Diana E. Banks, which were then modified into a new cold-moulded hull and fitted out with an up-to-date electrical propulsion system designed by Fleming (= 5hp DC motor x Eight 6V heavy-duty deep-cycle batteries x infinitely variable speed control.)

This boat was introduced at the 1988 Miami Boat Show to great media and public acclaim, following which ELCO extended their range to 21' and 24' electric glass-fibre launches with fine wooden decks and interiors. The Flemings claim that their system offers up to fifteen hours of silent cruising and that a built-in battery charger can be plugged in to any standard 110V dock power line and will automatically charge itself to the proper level.

Earlier this year, the Electric Boat Association wrote to ELCO, then at Ramsey, New Jersey, requesting details about their history and current operation. Margaret L Fleming, Vice­ President, replied as follows: "I think it is wonderful that you have established an Electric Boat Association. If you ever decide to go international, we would like to be your first US. members. People in the United States are slowly beginning to realize how enjoyable boating without noise, odour and pollution can be. I'm so glad to learn that you are already promoting the cause in Europe ••• "

To which we wrote back to Miss Fleming, wondering whether she would be interested in helping to form an American chapter of the E.B.A. Again, here's her reply: "There are many people in this country who would be interested in this type of organization. I'm sure quite a few 13. of our customers would join as well as many people who have responded to our ads. Perhaps you could let me know how I can helup you in forming an American chapter ••• " E.B.A. then replied with some suggestions and people to contact in the USA, to receive the following (dated April 1989): "Since our last contact we've moved to a new location. We've found a larger and more modern facility which more than doubles our production capabilities. We are all very excited about this move and about our new "home" (Highland, New York State). Regarding the US chapter, I'm working on a letter to send everybody I can think of •••• " Given that the Norfolk (UK)-based Steam & Electric Launch Company have recently established an American agent - the omens certainly seem in order for such a move •••• (watch this space!)

REGISTRATIONS PLEASE! In the previous issue of this journal, we announced that an EBA member Douglas S Rumsey, had volunteered to compile an Electric Boat Register - not an easy task, but well worthwhile to chart our growth. Maybe because it has been such a wonderful summer, only a few of you have so far taken the trouble to send him details. Please, if an association is to mean anything at all, fill in the following, detach it and send it off to him within the next fortnight. Many thanks in advance: BOAT NAME: MOORING: OWNER: ADDRESS: TEL. NUMBER: HULL TYPE: MOTOR(S): BATTERIES: CONTROLLERS: CHARGING POINT LOCATION: POWER AVAILABLE:

"Owners are assured that the information given will be ------~------,

.. ~.

14. purely for themsel ves and will not be held on anything other than a paper list. "It is also my intention to compile a Directory of Charging Points, with their location etc. Once this list is complete, it could accompany t he Re gister. Both will require annual review. Perhaps members could help by filling in the above questionnaire and telling me of places they know about and whether or not they t hemselves can help others members with charging facilities, on a reciprocal basis - as one of our very prominent members has already offered. Yours sincerely, Douglas S Rumsey, 24, Little Larkins, Mayhill Road, Barnet, HERTS EN5 2NS·

INFORMATION AND IDEAS, PLEASE about the past, present and future of electric boats, both mechanical and environmental. Write NOW to SPARKS, C/o the Electric Boat Association, 42, Weymouth Street, LONDON WIN 3LQ.

PEACEFUL BOATING TO YOU ALL.