October 2009
Queensland Sporting Hovercraft Club
A branch of the AUSTRALIAN HOVERCRAFT FEDERATION Inc (Vic)

Dear Air Cushion Vehicle enthusiast, The Queensland branch of The Australian Hovercraft Federation held a planning meeting at the offices of Silverline Insulation at 12 Veronica Street Capalaba, on Tuesday, 20th October 2009. This meeting was attended by:- Des Goss, Phillip Audsley, Angus Kerr, Peter Venn, Arthur Stead, Dale Baxter and Steven Odgaard. Cruise report - Pimpama River, Coomera, Saturday 3rd October 2009. The last club cruise was held on Saturday 3rd October 2009 on the Pimpama River at Coomera. Those attending the cruise were:- Peter Venn - Turbo TP6. Arthur Stead - Revtech Renegade. Steven Odgaard - Expo Turbo (courtesy of Peter Venn). Des Goss - Turbo Wedge 225. Visitors:- John Dean and Yvo Keulemans. John Dean set off early from Bonogin on the Gold Coast with his Hoverguard 800 in tow and drove north headed for Dreamworld where he would turn into Foxwell Road. Unfortunately a loose piece of pig iron falling from a truck in front put him into a perilous situation, resulting in two smashed trailer wheels. John had his craft and trailer taken away for repair on a tilt-tray truck. With no damage to his 4WD, he continued on to the cruise launch site on the Pimpana River. Ivo Keulemans, who owns a Mariah, come along as a visitor to see the club in action. Peter Venn, Arthur Stead and Steven Odgaard launched into the Redland Bay Channel at about 8:30 am from Peter's back yard boatramp, and headed south along a maze of channels and narrow mangrove lined waterways, arriving at the Pimpama River launch site shortly after 9:00 am, where Des was ready to fly and waiting on the boatramp for our arrival. Des launched from the ramp but struggled to hold planning speed into a 20 knot headwind, so he packed up and went for a ride with Steven in the Expo Turbo. Most of the time was spent chatting to the two new guys on the scene. John Dean has held a business partnership with American, Michael Driscoll and Dane, Hans Neilsen who marketed Hoverstar craft in Queensland for several years. Yvo Keulemans works for Cone Penetration Testing Services with field expertise in geotechnical and environmental industries, using a couple of Mariah craft in this work. Steven Odgaard After the social activities were over, Peter, Arthur and Steven departed via the estuaries for the 20 kilometre trip back to Lagoon Passage via Jacobs Well, Rudy Maas, Tabby Tabby Island, Cabbage Tree Point, Rocky Point and the Logan River. We stopped at Dinner Island enroute for a swim, a rest and of course a cup of tea, and we also stopped briefly at Rocky Point after an exposed channel crossing with 25 knot winds and whitecap wave conditions. Next club cruise:- The next club cruise will be on Saturday, 14th November 2009 on the Brisbane River at South Brisbane. Meet at 9:00 am at the boat ramp in Riverside Drive, South Brisbane. UBD Reference - Map 159 H12. Contact for the event is Steven Odgaard on 0400 798 404. Next Queensland branch meeting: 7:30 pm - Tuesday, 17th November 2009. The next meeting will be held at the offices of Silverline Insulation at 12 Veronica Street, Capalaba. Access via Redland Bay Road and Smith St. UBD Reference - Map 184 B17. Regards Steven Odgaard QSH secretary