On a Sunday in early Feb this year, a bunch of hovercrafters gathered at
Ron Ramsden's place in Fox Lake for an informal get-together. The
whole thing was very casual and nearly spontaneous -- instead of simply
going on a cruise, I called up a bunch of the hovercrafters in the area
and invited them to bring their crafts if they had them, and just bring
themselves if they didn't. Despite only getting a few days warning,
about 25 people and 7 hovercrafts showed up. Ron, Matt Cook, and Terry
Lobdell all brought their crafts, as did I. In addition, we met John Taylor
from the South Suburbs. John brought one of the two 10hp entry level crafts
he owns (John has previously owned a large Suburu-powered 14 foot craft,
and currently is building a UH-12R). The Weber brothers also showed up, on
their way back from a Michigan Hover-in. They brought a new 15 ft three
person craft, and their 10ft one person "Lil' Star Cruiser".
I didn't even meet every last person there, nor did I get all the names,
but those attending also included: Gerry Schwarzkopf, who is building a
UH-15P, Charles Dixon and a friend, Kevin Pratt, who has a UH-12T under repair,
and a friend (who is not under repair), Bill Kamen, who is building a
UH-13T, Brian Stacy and a friend, and KJ Paradise. That's not everybody,
so email me if I left you off the list.
I'm hoping to get a better picture but in this shot you can see six
of the crafts operating that day -- that's John's entry level craft off to the
left.
Those with crafts gave rides on the ice, sometimes to folks who had never
rode on a hovercraft before. Unfortunately, there was a light powdery
snow on the ice which would get whipped up by the crafts and make turning
a pretty intense experience for riders without helmets or other protective
gear on their faces. It's a lot better once the snow hardens or melts,
honest! But everyone was great -- at first I had trouble with iced-up
throttle cables, and Bill Kamen was nice enough to give me a spare can of
WD-40 to take along in case it happened again. Matt Cook had trouble
getting his craft started, and he received a lot of help and friendly
advice.
After awhile we set out on a long cruise over ice and
open water. It was a nice day, and we saw lots of pretty scenary as we
visited 8 of the 12 lakes on the Chain. Several times we found some broken
up ice slabs floating in the water -- it is a lot of fun to hover over
them and watch them bob as you blow air underneath. Matt's craft didn't
seem reliable enough for a winter cruise so here he is riding along with Weber
brothers. Note the open water in the background of the above pic.
It might be
hard to see depending on how you've set your monitor, but that sign in the
above picture shows those familiar Golden Arches. We stopped for lunch at a McDonalds that is
set up for boat traffic -- the lakes are a busy place in the summer.
Needless to say, that day we were only customers coming in from the water
side! In this shot you can see four hovercrafts parked on ice at the boat
docks, and just out of view is the open water we had to cross to get
there. Looking back at the docks from the restaurant, Terry said "wow, looks
like a science fiction show -- a McDonalds with only hovercrafts in the parking
lot!"
To everyone who showed up, I'm glad you came and lets get together again
when the weather is warm. Email me if you have suggestions, or if you want contact
info so you can plan your own event!