The Schools Hovercraft

Transcription

1 September2007 The Schools Hovercraft Program. The year is going fast and to date we have only had a few informal gatherings for the schools program craft to compete against each other. One of the reasons for this has been the heavy demand for schools hovercraft to attend promotional events. Billanook College was one of the first display events for this year with their hovercraft performing very well on the day attracting a lot of interest from students and visitors alike. The TEAV conference was held at Northland Secondary College this year with 20 teachers attending the hovercraft session and a lot more looking on as the Maffra craft did some basic manoeuvres on the tight grassed area that had been assigned for the demonstration. As in past years a trip to Tasmania was organised with Rose bay High School being this year s venue for a full day of presentations and workshops. The program has created a good level of interest on the apple isle with over a dozen schools getting involved in the construction of hovercraft. We eagerly look forward to seeing the completion of the first schools craft from Tasmania which should be just around the corner. Back in Victoria Brighton Grammar have been making good head way in the construction of their hovercraft and we Cont. next page. August Rally With a small number of members already indicating non attandence and the weather being a little on the marginal side, the rally started a little tentatively. Flemming being first on the blower to see if it was still on. A further call to the Gippsland crew found that Marco Polo (Glenn) was keen to get one more fly day in before returning to China. So it was all go. The attendence for the day ended up being Tony M. Glenn, Flemming, Henry, Reece and Chris. Some flying was done down the lake and back and through the afternoon Glenn's family arrived for a fly. With the weather closing in during the afternoon, an end was called and we all headed off but not before bidding Glenn Bon Voyage for his return to China for another year. Inside this issue: Discoverhover Program. August Rally. Exploring the Mekong by hovercraft. Committee. The next meeting is... Henry's Hovercraft. MOM In view of Glenns return to China we offer this article: Exploring the Mekong by Hovercraft From Ho Chi Minh City to China Part 1 by Reinhard Hohler It always was a fancy dream of me The Expedition's Routing to go out into the world and explore foreign mountains, rivers and islands in the sea. Inspired by travel reports of Marco Polo, Columbus and James Cook, this childhood dream came true, when I was assigned to be the tour director of the prestigious and ambitious river expedition on the Mekong in November The expedition was done in a Shanghai-built hovercraft to tap and assess the tourism potential of the mighty Mekong River. It started at Simao Port in China's mountainous Yunnan Province on November 3 and was successfully completed on November 17, when the hovercraft cruised into the port of Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City by way of the Mekong Delta with six happy-looking foreigners on board - after a two week journey.

2 Dicoverhover Program. look forward to welcoming them at the next gymkhana event. The Wantirna craft has proved to be very reliable and gets dusted of to go out every few weeks. The Gippsland schools are almost at production line status with the number of craft being produced by students down that way growing dramatically. The display stand at Sandown Raceway is an indication of how well regarded this program is by business and industry. Schools joining the program are finding that once they get out in their communities with this program there is a lot of support with business welcoming a student centred program that is teaching skills that can directly relate to industry fields. The next gymkhana event for the schools program will be at the Victorian Hovercraft Club facilities at Lake Naracan in October. That will be followed up with another promotional display for the GM Car Club in November at a venue in the Yarra Valley. The year will finish with the Victorian Hovercraft Clubs Christmas rally; a two day event where all members are welcome to attend. On the subject of membership we have seen an increase in the schools membership this year as you would expect but to date very few of the junior members have taken advantage of the sister schools program that has been set up on line so students involved in the program world wide can share their experience and pick up helpful tips on how to get the most from their craft. Henry's hovercraft Well folks it's been a love hate relationship but finally it's about to debut. Henry's hover is finished. Here's the before and after shots. No detail has been left to chance. We congratulate Henry and his helpers on a very fine job. Looking forward to seeing Henry flying his very own craft out on the water. The next meeting of the HOVERCRAFT CLUB OF VICTORIA will be on Wednesday the 13 th. of September at 8.00 P.M. at the Box Hill Community Arts Centre 470 Station St. BOX HILL

3 Exploring the Mekong by Hovercraft Predictably, there were some logistic problems to overcome, but the most important one was to bring the hovercraft back to China. As the seats for an Australian film crew on the return journey were cancelled because of the Bali bombing incident in Indonesia, the 4-member Chinese crew of the hovercraft was setting sail again on November 21 from Ho Chi Minh City. With our interpreter from Laos, who could master Chinese, English and Thai, and a Vietnamese guide, we revived the scenario of the French River Expedition of 1866 to find a trade route to China. But in contrast to the six French explorers of that time, who needed two years for their endeavor, we knew our way on the river and concentrated to arrive in China within ten days. Also, I knew what I wanted to explore beforehand. Life on the Mekong Delta Our first destination was Can Tho, from where I planned to make an excursion to Oc Eo, a legendary ancient port in the Mekong Delta. Leaving the skyscrapers and high-rising buildings of Ho Chi Minh City behind, we passed thick mangrove and palm vegetation, river boats and industrial estates to reach the market town of My Tho at the Tien Giang River after a three hour cruise at I remembered that German explorer Dr. Adolf Bastian passed this town in 1864 on his way from Cambodia to Cochin China. From My Tho, we reached the port of Can Tho at the Hau Giang River at after missing the entrance to the Song Mang Thit Canal. In Can Tho we were transferred to the Golf 4 Hotel, which was near the waterfront and a standing statue of Ho Chi Minh, who died in 1969 during the infamous American War. I started my excursion to Oc Eo in a rented car and with a guide at to arrive via Long Xuyen at the Linh Tu Su Temple at the foot of Ba The Mountain. By surprise, I discovered a statue of a female goddess and a blackened stone inscription. From the 1st to 7th centuries AD, archaeological remains and Chinese reports suggest that Southeast Asia's oldest great cosmopolitan trading center called Fu Nan rose and prospered in the Mekong Delta. Oc Eo, where early Sanskrit inscriptions has been found, portrays a densely populated settlement near the seacoast and testifies to a bustling system of waterways, the import of raw materials and export of manufactured items. The discovery of various objects of Mediterranean origin is evidence of a Graeco-Roman trade connection via South India. But who were the inhabitants of Fu Nan is shrouded in mystery. Early next morning, we left the port of Can Tho at 7.00, with two pilots on board, and cruised back to the Tien Giang River via Long Xuyen and the connecting Song Van Nao River, which is a big catfish breeding area. It was here that we had to stop near some Vietnamese rice fields to repair for the first time the steering gear of the hovercraft. At 11.30, we finally reached the Vietnamese border post of Song Tien and needed two hours over lunchtime for the exit out of Vietnam and the entry into Cambodia. At the Cambodian border post of Khaorm Sam Nor Kaoh Roka, we were welcomed by our new guide and a pilot. The scenery changed now dramatically, as the crowded and busy river gave way to a few poor settlements with straw-roofed houses on stilts. After passing the ferry port of Neak Luong and some wood processing factories, we reached the peninsula of Kien Svay and crossed Chaktomuk or the river of four faces, where the Mekong River splits into four branches and Phnom Penh is located. We arrived in the port of Phnom Penh at and discussed with the operations manager of Diethelm Travel, Mr. Kim Theany, whether to continue another two hours to reach Kampong Cham on the Upper Mekong or better stay in Phnom Penh. As the handling of refueling took a long time, and reconfirming with the pilot, we decided to overnight in the nearby Riverside Hotel. At 19.00, we had an opulent Thai dinner at the River House and went to bed early. The Silver Pagoda in Phnom Penh As soon as the sun came up next morning, we boarded the hovercraft and passed some Khmer and Cham fishing communities to reach the new bridge over the Mekong River at Kampong Cham after a three hours ride at In full view of the new Mekong Hotel, I reflected about the French River Expedition, when they passed this area in The French had left Saigon on June 5 of that year on a steam-powered gunboat with 150 cases of hard rations, 700 liters of wine, 300 liters of brandy, 15 cases of trade goods and one case with scientific instruments.

4 They had one week to visit the ruins of Angkor and left Phnom Penh on July 7 to reach Kratie, where they transferred their supplies into pirogues. We reached Kratie at having passed the pre-angkorian Hanchey sanctuary located on a hill and were transferred to the Heng Heng Restaurant for lunch. After refueling, we departed at to reach the Cambodian-Laotian border via Stung Treng, but we got stuck shortly behind the long stretch of the Sambor Rapids. Surrounded by sugar palm-studded islands and rocks extruding from the river, we were rapidly loosing control over the hovercraft and stopped at for one hour to repair the long rope connected to the steering wheel. A fisherman appeared out of nowhere to sell us fish to survive. Later, we slowly drifted upstream until the sunset and it seemed impossible to reach Stung Treng. Interesting to note that the French Expedition needed a week to pass these rapids to reach Stung Treng on July 20. At 18.15, we stopped at a very small village, where our guide and pilot arranged a dinner and rest place for the night. After that, the Chinese crew tried to repair the hovercraft under some spotlights. At 21.00, the crew gave notice that the steering wheel was in order and we could continue to Stung Treng. We had luck on our side, because the moon was still full shortly after the year's most important water festival and there was an experienced boatman to accompany us. After two hours, we made it to Stung Treng and were transferred to the Suk Sombat Hotel for a short night's sleep. Hilltribal Granny near Stung Treng At 8.00 next morning, we left Stung Treng, a river port at the Se San River, and made it to the international border without further accident. There were trees and bushes in the river, where seagulls abounded, and only a few huts on the riverbank. At 9.30, we reached the Cambodian border post of Dong Crolor and arrived half an hour later at Veun Kham in Laos. Everybody was waiting there to lift the hovercraft out of the water by crane and transport it on a flatbed trailer around the Khon waterfalls. The French expedition had left Stung Treng on August 13 and reached the Khon Falls on August 17. On September 11, they finally landed in Champasak, never thinking that this was to be their base for over two months. We decided to continue our way straight to Pak Se. After having lunch in the Piang Di Restaurant on the Mekong River, we were transferred to Ban Hat opposite Khong Island, where the hovercraft was lifted back into the water. We departed Ban Hat at and passed the holy mountain of Wat Phu on the western side of the river, while the impressive Boloven Plateau silhouetted in the east. At 17.30, we reached the new bridge over the Mekong River south of Pak Se and landed 15 minutes later at the mouth of the Se Don River. There, we were transferred from the port to the Lao Chaleun Hotel in town to overnight and dream about reaching Thailand tomorrow. Starting the bright morning with a French-style breakfast, I headed to the nearby Heritage Museum in Pak Se to study the local history. The history of the Champasak Kingdom goes back to the beginning of the 18th century, when Laos was divided into three independent kingdoms. During French colonial times, the area was pacified and is today a solid part of modern Laos. But not so far from Pak Se on the Boloven Plateau, some unexplored tribes are even nowadays clinging to their old manners and customs. As today's ride in the hovercraft was the shortest one of the whole trip back to China, we departed Pak Se at to reach our next destination the luxury Tohsaeng Resort in Thailand's Ubon Ratchathani Province. We passed the long-stretched huge limestone cliffs on the western side of the Mekong River, while school children were waving towards us at the eastern riverbank. At 11.45, we reached the mouth of the Mun River in Thailand, where we were waived in to stay in the generously built hotel compound. We had the whole afternoon to relax at the swimming pool and organized a spectacular sunset trip by hovercraft for the entourage of the nai amphoe district official to inspect the dammed Mun River. At 20.00, we had a dinner in the hotel and were entertaining the visiting immigration officers. Wat Phou near Champasak

5 The Luxurious Tohsaeng Khong Jiam Resort On the morning of November 26, we departed at 6.30 from Khong Jiam in Ubon Ratchathani to Nakorn Phanom with a break in Khemarat for refueling. The scenery on this stretch was offering a vista for the eyes, because the river cut its bed deeply into the sandstone formations on both riverbanks. Waterfalls abounded and the river gorge narrowed between meters. We passed some colorful monasteries on the Thai side of the river and reached the pier in Khemarat at to enjoy a picnic lunch in the boat. After some district officials had inspected our hovercraft, raising the Chinese flag on top, we departed at noon to pass some more dangerous rapids. At 14.15, we saw the ultra-modern watchtower of Mukdahan and passed Savannakhet, a busy town on the Lao side of the river. There will be a Second Friendship Bridge constructed to connect the two towns as part of the East-West Economic Corridor project. The Mekong River soon became wider and wider and there seemed to be cranes and dredges almost everywhere to heave sand and gravel from the bottom of the river. At 15.30, we passed the elegant chedi of That Phanom, where the local history goes back to the time of the Buddha, and one hour later we saw That Sikhottabong on the Lao side of the river glittering in the evening sun. The river seemed to become a sea with waves, forming several scattered islands and sandbanks. We were in the heart of the legendary Suwannaphum Kingdom and approached the pier of Nakorn Phanom at Welcomed by Nick Ascot, the managing director of North by North East Tours, we were transferred to the River View Hotel, from where we watched the rugged limestone landscape of opposite Tha Khek town in Laos disappearing in the haze of the sunset. At 19.00, we enjoyed having dinner in the Vietnamese Le Tonkin Restaurant, as Nakorn Phanom is famous to be a center of the Vietnamese community, and left it to Nick Ascot to prepare our second entry to Laos next morning. There was a romantic sunrise over the limestone hills of Tha Khek, when we crossed in our hovercraft from Nakorn Phanom to the immigration border post in Laos at It took us only half an hour to clear the formalities there and our departure to Vientiane, the capital of Laos, was timely at Passing the Christian church of Saint Anna north of Nakorn Phanom, we reached the pilgrimage center of Wat Phra That U Then at Later, we recognized large vegetable fields on the I-San side of the river, while on the Lao side mountains arose, when we landed for refueling at the pier of Pak That Phanom Stupa San, the center of the Christian community in Laos. We spend half an hour on shore and departed to Vientiane at Taking our Lao lunch in the boat, we passed a Sleeping Buddha image in front of a golden rock pagoda on the Lao side of the river. I reviewed the fantastic Ban Chiang Culture of this area, where a wet rice-growing and bronze-casting society evolved some years ago. There is new evidence that the sophisticated rice-growing complex started some years ago somewhere on the Malay Peninsula and spread from there to India and China. Was Eden really in the East, I wondered? The Rally for September is planned to be at Lake Modawarre. Details have yet to be finalised. at Wednesday night meeting Saint Anna Cathedral in Nakorn Phanom

6 AUSTRALIAN HOVERCRAFT FEDERATION VICTORIAN BRANCH MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON 8/8/07 AT THE BOX HILL COMMUNITY ARTS CENTRE Tony Westwood opened the meeting at 8.13pm Apologies: Stuart Wale The minutes from the last meeting held on 11/7/07 were accepted. Treasurer s Report Bank balance: $ Cash on hand: $ Total funds: $ Transactions included in the bank total: Income Membership subscriptions $ (including Brighton Grammar) Sale of DVDs $ Interest $ 0.04 Expenses BBQ $ Postage $ 3.00 AHF Fees $ (based on 27 financial members) Outstanding Accounts Hall hire $46.50 General Business Sea Dragon. 72 prop to be donated by Mark Alden.. Colin and Frank are organising the transfer of registration. Following a general discussion of members, the friends of the Sea Dragon were reminded that no financial cost is to be incurred on behalf of the club for any aspect of the Sea Dragon. The transfer of registration is therefore not to be made to the club. Ken Osmond reported that he had been invited to speak to the Western Port Shipping Group about hovercraft.

7 Schools Program Rob Forbes reported on the progress being made towards the schools day being held at Sandown on 14/9/07.. Rob showed the members a large banner which will be on display at Sandown.. He also had a sample of a showbag which will be handed out and indicated that more items were needed for inclusion in the showbag. Items to be included so far were application forms, a copy of a club newsletter, and an invitation to an event at Lake Narracan. Other suggestions were stickers, key rings and post-it notes with schools program / club advertising. Flemming offered to make enquiries re printing of bumper stickers and printed post-it notes. Peter Streader also offered to seek information re printing from his work office. Reece to arrange printing of 500 membership application forms.. Rob is developing a short promotional film for display at Sandown. This may possibly be used by Channel 7.. ASV will also have a display at the Sandown event. Rob reported that the General Motors Car Club has invited Rob to display hovercraft at an event in the Yarra Valley. Rob is to pursue further details. Rob has applied for a grant from General Motors for $ to finance facilities at Narracan. National Rally Peter Streader has had no response from the NSW club regarding a national rally for this year. Club Events The next rally is to be held at Lake Narracan on Sunday 12/8/07. Contact Tony Moretti for an update on weather conditions. September Lake Modawarre Keith Shelton to advise details. October Lake Narracan November Seymour river trip. December (8 th / 9 th ) Christmas breakup rally at Lake Glenmaggie. The meeting was closed at 9.35pm. Next meeting is on 12/9/07 at the Box Hill Community Arts Centre commencing 8.00pm.