Nessletter - No 046 - 1981

Magazine Overview

Title: Nessletter
Issue: No. 46
Date: June 1981
Publisher: Ness Information Service
Country: United Kingdom
Language: English

This issue of the Nessletter, dated June 1981, focuses on various aspects of cryptid research, with a significant emphasis on Loch Ness, but also including reports from Lake Champlain, Australia, and other locations. The publication serves as a bulletin for the Ness Information Service (NIS), providing updates on ongoing investigations, sightings, and related news.

Loch Ness Updates

The primary focus of the issue is the Loch Ness monster. The Loch Ness & Morar Project is reported to be going well, having received a large number of replies from interested people following national newspaper publicity. They are preparing to operate with sufficient crew from late June through August, with their HQ at Balacladaich Farm, Dores, now operational. NIS members in the area are invited to visit or help. Specific contacts mentioned are Adrian Shine, Bob Shepard, and Sue Volk.

Tim Dinsdale is noted to have an intended program for the 1981 season, involving several trips to the loch. He plans to be shore-based in a two-berth caravan designated 'P3', which stands for 'Perambulatory Photographic Podule'. This marks a shift from his usual water-borne hunting methods.

Caley Cruisers has invested £15,000 in sophisticated sonar gear for one of their boats, named 'New Atlantis'. This five-berth cruiser is available for hire at £400 per week and is equipped with two sonar scanners and two echo sounders to record underwater objects. The collected data will be sent for analysis. The director, Jim Hogan, believes this initiative will be popular with scientists, students, and school groups, and is confident it will yield results, noting that sonar equipment has historically been on the loch for limited periods, whereas this service will operate year-round. The hope is that this sustained monitoring will help reveal the animal's underwater behavior, potentially leading to the placement of cameras.

Roger Parker is mentioned as likely returning to the loch this season, though no specific work details are provided.

Theo Brown, an Australian researcher with a background in shark research, who worked at Loch Ness in 1978 and 1979, has not returned due to illness. He is recovering and hopes to return in the future, as he has been experimenting with a method to attract sharks, which he intends to adapt for 'Nessie'.

International Reports

Lake Champlain: Joe Zarzynski continues to provide updates on the Champlain front. Three sightings have been reported so far in 1981. On April 17th, three women in Port Henry, NY, watched something large and eel-like with humps in Bulwagga Bay for 30 minutes. On April 19th, a vague report of something seen in mid-lake off Port Henry was received. On May 24th, four high school seniors from Elizabethtown, NY, reported being within 30 feet of 'Champ', describing it as about 20 feet long, black, slimy, with a large, jagged hump. They chased it in a motorboat, and it submerged like a submarine. The camp owner, William J. Kohen, and other adults witnessed this from shore. Joe Zarzynski plans to spend time at Lake Champlain this year, as he has in previous years. He was assisted by James Kennard, who operates his own sonar equipment. Last summer, they discovered the wreck of the paddle-boat 'Champlain' in 25 feet of water. More significantly, they detected a blip in about 400 feet of water, indicating something 12 to 15 feet long moving below, which James Kennard doubted was a school of fish due to its solid and large appearance.

Australia: Two items are reported from Australia. The first is a brief report of plesiosaur-like creatures seen in the mangrove swamps near Darwin, Northern Territory, during 1980. The second is about Rex Gilroy, the self-styled director of the Hawkesbury River Monster Survey. Gilroy claims to have collected 250 sightings of creatures similar to Loch Ness monsters in the Hawkesbury River near Sydney since 1871 and wants to organize a military expedition. He notes local reticence due to fear of public ridicule. Aboriginal legends near Jerusalem Bay speak of a cultural hero who speared such an animal. Gilroy believes Aboriginal tradition is conclusive, citing cave paintings depicting monsters that are 3000 years old. He has also studied Lake Taupo in New Zealand and believes there are up to 30 plesiosaurs in Australian waterways, survivors of 65 million years of evolution, whose humps break the surface. Scientists reportedly dismiss him as a lunatic. Gilroy maintains a remote 'museum' in Katoomba, NSW Blue Mountains, with specimens and diagrams, and takes visitors to Fossil Point to show what he claims is a fossil plesiosaur. Scientists dispute this, stating no evidence of plesiosaurs in Australia has been found. Gilroy feels academics attack him professionally to protect their own standing. He compares himself to Heinrich Schliemann, the discoverer of Troy.

Sonar Report

A report from the Sunday Post (April 12, 1981) details a sonar contact by the fishing trawler 'The Provider' on Loch Ness in early April. The crew, brothers Robert and James West, using a new Japanese echo-sounder, detected a strange shape at 30 fathoms depth, estimated at 60 feet long and 30 feet wide. It moved under the boat for three minutes and appeared to have a tapering neck and a humped body. The brothers are convinced it was the Loch Ness monster. However, the report questions how a width of 30 feet can be explained for a creature of that length and notes that echo-sounders typically do not produce photographic-type pictures for detailed analysis, deeming the report not useful for serious researchers.

Tail Ends

Bigfoot: The editor received a copy of 'BigfooTimes' from Danny Perez, published by the South western Bigfoot Research Team. It includes an article about giant skeletal remains found in the Caucasus Mountains in 1910.

Silly Bit: A Massachusetts newspaper reported on a 10-foot long, three-ton cement dragon commissioned by Robert Duteau. The dragon had a propane gas line that produced a belch of flame. It exploded shortly after completion, scattering pieces, but fortunately, no one was hurt.

Nessie Signs: The article notes changes at Loch Ness, including the appearance of hamburger vans and other traders. The Drumnadrochit Hotel is in trouble with the Inverness Divisional Planning Committee for erecting 14 signs advertising the Loch Ness Monster exhibition without authorization, and also for two unauthorized flagpoles. The committee threatened an enforcement order.

The newsletter concludes by stating that the last two seasons have been poor for sightings. The editor appeals for news and views from readers, reminding them of the NIS address and subscription rates.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are the ongoing search for and investigation of lake monsters, particularly the Loch Ness Monster, but also extending to other cryptids like 'Champ' at Lake Champlain and alleged plesiosaurs in Australia. There is a clear emphasis on scientific investigation, with reports detailing the use of sonar equipment and the challenges of interpreting data. The editorial stance appears to be one of cautious optimism and a desire for credible evidence. While acknowledging the enthusiasm of researchers like Tim Dinsdale and Rex Gilroy, the publication also maintains a critical perspective, as seen in the analysis of the sonar report, questioning the validity of certain claims and highlighting the need for rigorous methodology. The newsletter acts as a platform for sharing information and fostering a community of 'monsterphiles' while encouraging critical thinking and the submission of verifiable data.