(RES ILRSR AT ea EN RE REL a

Here MERE SS ACNE Jb TUNIS ILM SSO REGAL EU ct Ee AS CORNEA MCLE Bez LT

45 - vednesdays November 25, 1987 - North Shore News

Fish painting wins

PAGE 59

WV native mini yacht master declared the worid’s besi

SOME PEOPLE take their hobbies a bit more seriously than others.

By MICHAEL BECKER News Reporter

In the case of Blair Atwell, a lifetime love affair with radio- controiied model building has placed the North Vancouver native among the world’s best in the miniaturized realm of radio-con- trolled model yacht racing.

The 29-year-old beat the cream of the crop at the America’s Cup Style Challenge ‘86 Radio Control Regatta Dec. 12 to 13 at Mission Bay in San Diego and then went on to win the Japan Nationals held earlier this month in Japan.

As the winner of the world championships in San Diego, Blair went as a guest of the Japanese to the Japan Nationals regatta held Nov. 7 and 8 to compete against the top sailors in Japan.

“T’ve won trophies in the past, but this was the first time I’d won a paid trip to somewhere,’’ he said.

Accompanying him to Japan was a 20-inch radio-controlled yacht replica uniquely designed ‘and engineered by Atwell.

The winning San Diego yacht

incorporated a new winged-keel design to give lift windward similar to the Australian design which won the America’s Cup in the 12-metre class. The model yacht also had built into it a low-gravity keel, a new sail design and a new carbon fibre mast.

The Japanese sent to the com- petition two of their top skippers along with modified hulls incor- porating the latest information available in the study of hydrology and aeronautics.

Said Atwells’ father, Ed Atwell, “They thought they’d beat the world. They went as far as putting gold, because of its weight, into the keel. The Japanese have all the money in the world and computers to back designs and Blair just competed on a shoestring. It’s all rather fascinating.’’

The Lilliputian racers cover an Olympic-style course with a format identical to that used by the America’s Cup boats.

Each race lasts five to 10 minutes and may cover a distance of several hundreds of yards.

‘Because I’ve been doing this for years, more experience gives you an intuition to wind shifts. When you're racing, you have to be able to think ahead like in a game of chess,’ Blair Atwell said.

As a result of his winning watery ways, Atwell has been approached by Japan's AG Industries Inc. to design a modification package for the sailboat models produced by the company.

Blair's father says his son took naturally to model airplane and boat building at an early age.

“Starting when he was six or seven at Christmas | would give him some model thing. Gradually he advanced and got into more complex designs. When he was 10 years old he won a B.C.-wide science award while attending Highlands Elementary School for a project involving the transfer of magnetic energy to mechanical energy.” said Ed Atwell.

When the elder Atwell bought a sailboat, young Atwell followed suit with pint-sized yachts. ‘‘He got into radio control and what makes it work and began a similar analysis of aircraft movement and how the wind moves and plays on sailboats," said Atwell,

The next North American regat- ta will be held in Mission Bay, San Diego in August.

Young Atwell is currently living in prime sailing country in Long Beach, California, and works as a high school substitute teacher.

"NEWS photo Tom Burley

ED ATWELL displays a 50-800 class model sailboat built by his son Blair. Currently living in California, the younger Atwell has beat the world’s best at radio-controiled yacht regattas in the United States and Japan.

HOBBYLOCK 794 Reg. $1,049.00 SALE PRICE

‘ eine Lock L-5 |

Reg. $999.95 SALE

price $899

“rf painting is a language,.my language i is :. Canadian with a heavy Chinese accent, an: accent Iam proud of. .

elna Lock L-5 BERNINA Fede ec FARR CBame#tte 234 343 D.R. Reg. Reg. $949.00 3979.00 S879

WIFI

price *849 LOCK 534 Reg. SALE

se99.00 PRICE */99

Deposit holds to Chrstsnas Eve. Free gift wrapping. All sale prices include lessons.

SUPER

In this exhibition we invite you to enjoy our East-West fusion that is Nigel’s unique style a style that reflects the best.of both — cultures.

980-7216.

103-1200 Lonsdale Ave., North Vancouver