Southwold
Aldeburgh
Snape Maltings
Orford
Shingle Street
Felixstowe Ferry
Waldringfield
Ramsholt
Woodbridge
Harwich
Levington
Pin Mill
Woolverstone
Ipswich
Mistley
Maningtree
Walton Backwaters
Brightlingsea
Rowhedge
Wivenhoe
West Mersea
Tollesbury
Bradwell
Maylandsea
Maldon
Heybridge Basin
Burnham-on-Crouch
Fambridge
Hullbridge
Paglesham
Model Yacht Racing |
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| Fed up with the rising costs of yachting? Want to avoid
those ever-increasing marina charges? If you are boating on a budget and are likely to be sunk by inflation and rocketing fuel charges here's a possible solution: radio-controlled model yacht racing. It might not be the same as hammering down the Crouch on a Class Two racer during a Force 5 spinnaker run at Burnham Week. But there is a certain excitement about matching your metre long yacht against 20 or so others in races around the cans on a lake. Model racing yachts range from the hugely popular, mass-produced, scale Laser one design at 41ins long to the graceful A class boats that are about 6ft long and weigh around 44lb. One of the most popular classes is the International One Metre (IOM) and you could start racing one for about £350. That will buy a fairly competitve secondhand boat, complete with three rigs for various wind speeds and all the radio gear. But of course, as in full-size racing, the sky's the limit if you want to stay competitive with the top racers and a state of the art IOM might cost £1,500 or more. But think of the benefits. You can join a club, pay annual subs of about £40 and have use of a good lake for a year. There are no marina charges. After a day's racing you unhook the rig, put the sails and mast in a large triangular-shaped box, stow the box and hull into the car and drive home.If you are so inclined, you could float your boat in the bath. The only energy costs come from charging the batteries in the hand held transmitter and another pack in the boat that powers the radio receiver and servos that control the rudder and sail trim. You could even sail all year round because most model yacht clubs race throughout the winter. But you will need to buy what looks like an old fashioned hand muffler to completely cover the transmitter and keep your fingers warm. Don't chuck away your oilies if you do switch to model yacht racing because races can be held in brisk winds and showers. And helming in a full suit of Musto Ocean breathables might just help remind you of that expensive full size yacht you had to leave behind. Here are a few photographs I took during visits to Brentwood and Lee Valley model yacht clubs. The top four pictures were taken at Brentwood where members were racing their IOM models. The Lee Valley club, who sail on a public lake at Nazeing, were helming their larger Six Metre yachts, with a guest appearance by a Kyosho Seawind. (Click on the images to see a larger version of the pictures)
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