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I realised a few weeks ago that its 50 years this year since RADIOSAILING began in earnest within the MYA. Yes I know that there were radio A class racing at Poole Gosport and YM5mOA (Hampton Court RYC to you new commers!) , but by early 1970's people were starting to put radio equipment into Marbleheads and there was an explosion of radio marblehead racing around the country. Recognising this development, the MYA and the Guildford MYC organised, in 1974, the the first Radio Marblehead National Championship. This is an anniversary worth celebrating, and I urge all radio Marblehead sailors young & old with aincient and modern boats to join us at this years event at Datchet RSC over the weekend of the 1st & 2nd of June. There were 4 people present at the first Champs who are still racing today. John Cleave, Roger Stollery, Peter Stollery, and myself. Peter Stollery I hear you cry, surely he's much too young!! Well yes he is, but nevertheless, he was there, in his pram with his mum!! So why not come & see us, we can regail you with stories about how my Marblehead (a Bewitched) design weighed double (26lbs) the weight of the winning (Teacher's Pet) design at 13lbs. probably why David Waugh won, & I was a lowly 12th!!

I imagine, that 30 plus years go, home made was the flavour of model boats for all aspects, but the world has moved on. We now live in an age where most sailors want some thing new .. flex the credit card. Only one member out of 40 in our club has attempted sail making with 39/40 purchasing sails from manufacturers. for IOMs these come from, sailsec, sailboatRC, Cat sails, Nylet, BG sails, Soch Sails, PJ sails, Sparrow sails, and others. ( the list is not endless, and sorry to none left off) we place our order in good faith, that the sails that one of these excellent manufacturers make will be the correct size meeting measurement . It would also be financial suicidal for a supplier to make a set of sails that did not measure. We want sails correct, they want to supply correct. Imagine if your new sails, failed measuring process, the chat on the bank and in social media and forums would ruin the reputation of the company. therefore why in 2024 are we making a product for under £100 jump through sale then measuring? It is utter madness and a waste of time, except in the highest level of competition and homemade options. put the quality control and spot check into the factory space with random checks, and a QC process using up to date digital means and let’s move forward. Or are we still going to insist on the average club sailor who wants to compete beyond their club in regional events has to get in the car, journey for over an hour each way, wasting precious time, and fuel to get an object with value of under £100 measured, when last week, it was brand new out of the factory. No wonder the sport attracts the non employed, who can afford this time to race off to get their sails done compared to the working members, having to book a half days leave. what is holding the sport back, measuring items supplied by reputable manufacturers, within weeks of production and supply. let’s re examine this utterly mad process for club and regional competition and bring in a better quality check process fit for the modern world using technology properly at making stage. personal note (after this discussion , hope my new sails measure, in two weeks time, bought in good faith but 1/2 days leave booked from work, plus 120 miles of fuel and 21/2 hours in the car, hope the measurement is fast or will be more than a half days leave, all for items less than a weekly shop.. my partner can’t believe it

Trust is a lovely but overated asset. There are always people small numbers maybe who for either the best or worst motives will a use a trust. Just because a sail is produced by a rsputable sailmaker doesnt meant that an unscrupulous person cant alter it.. Measuring is a nessecary evil, even on our little boats and on full size yachts and their sails

My reply above covers what the RRS says, but what is more important is the tactical situation and how the rules may be used to gain an advantage. While you may luff a boat to windward, what is the point? They are trying to block your wind, and you have the right to defend it, but while you are both luffing, the rest of the fleet is gaining on both of you. On a run, what is more important is to protect the inside line for the next mark – so if they are trying to pass to weather but will make them outside at the mark, let them go. If they are trying to be inside boat at the mark, then you should start to head up well before the overlap even begins to make it clear you will not let them and to encourage them to go below, so that you will be the one with mark room. John

Most of Vic Smeed's yacht design sail very well. I started with my Dad back in about 1973, sailing a Starlet fitted with a Macgregor single channel set up. I still have it , along with one of Vic's Panache yachts and two Harem hulls undergoing a bit of TLC . Stored away in the garage is a set of fibre glass mouldings for a Star C, the boat he designed as the basis of a new sailing class. Remember, when he proposed it there was very little around except the huge A boats and the radios we have today were still a dream away. He designed it on behalf of Model Boats mag who commissioned 50 sets of mouldings from a company to get the class started and the fittings doyens of the day, Roberts and Jones both had fitting sets available. I had one back in the 70's and it sailed beautifully on an early Horizon 2 channel propo unit. Sadly, the class did not take off. The current mouldings pitched up on Ebay a while ago

As the seller of this boat, I must take exception to this post. I bought this boat from a well known builder who had sailed it with no problems. I have sailed it at club level and had absolutely no problems with water ingress. The buyer came and looked at the boat and was happy. If had wanted to see it sailing, that could easily have been arranged. On collection, it was placed in the boot of a car barely big enough to contain it, with the lead and keel left on. The buyer then informed me that he was due to take it on the next day back to Scarborough in a much smaller car still. I don't believe that travelling in this manner did the boat any favours. Mark contacted to me for advise and like the above posts I suggested using either Captain Tolley's or thinned resin swilled around the hull to seal any crack. I do not know if he has actually tried any of the suggestions. As to John Taylor's unpleasant remark above " They may compromise if shown the errors of there ways?" The boat was sold in good faith and fully sailable condition . In fact the day before collection, I had assembled it to check it over and as I was not happy with the winch, replaced it with a brand new unit Hardly the actions of someone trying to shift a "lemon". Perhaps instead of buying my Lintel, Mark should have spent 3 times as much and bought the one currently advertised in the For Sale ads.

John During the 2023 (DF95) Globals, each boat was inspected prior to the start of the championship. In numerous cases, sails had to be trimmed to meet the requirements of the rules. Some skippers couldn’t use their own boats because they were deemed, not in the condition as supplied by the manufacturer. Regards JT

Seems obvious to me, mainly the reasons we now have very few measurers are for two main reasons, not many courses being run, especially in the North and willing measurers not willing to give up a precious weekend or use annual leave if the course is midweek. The simple solution is to have an online course with a test at the end. Cost would probably be equal to set it up as it would to cover costs as is now, travel etc. This was mentioned very early on with Lester and Veronica willing volunteers but I understand Lester's circumstances have changed so the MYA now need to outsource this. Easy, job done and let's move on. Surely?

I have just entered two regional opens and club member says to me.. when are you getting your new sails (Christmas present from partner) measured. Sails from abroad. “other clubs may not be as generous as ours and on the day refuse entry.” My partner can’t believe it,……….. “brand new, what, what more do they want, half day off work, how far, how much” and I agree completely. we need a better system, to still allow the person at home to produce sails. But for those of us who have limited time, as we still work full time and just want to race, to find a better solution to sail purchasing.

Hi All, It may be worth taking a look back over the attached thread from 2 years ago with some explination given to self certification hurdles and proposed measurerement certification. 2 years on and in the Northern District we have a total of 4 measurers qualified to sign sails, with ONE qualified to measure and certify boats. Thats 4 measurers to approximately 400 members. The South West District is not in any better shape. Can i suggest before laying the blame at the feet of your sailmaker, that members take the time to consider why culling over 80 measurers, many of which had been in their roles for 20-30+ years with full experience from sails through to complete boat measurement, for the sake of accreditation was a good idea and the go to option? I believe a workable solution could and should have been found with our RYA and classes that would not have left us in this present situation. Cheers Brad

Just read the report by Nigel Barrow about the "Have a go" stand of DF65 yachts is a pool with fans at the RYA Dinghy show this weekend. With R/C Yachts unable to attend this year, Datchet club took on the challenge of providing sailing for the attendees at the show and managed to get some 700 people "having a go" Well done Datchet! Fantastic publicity for our sport!!

The IRSA Chair Bruce Anderson, received this reply from the World Sailing Rules Committee following their meeting. Thank you to the MYA members who replied with your views - it was most supportive and helpful. In summary, the Croatia proposals were rejected, as was the proposed 2023 change to E8. So the 2022 proposals to modify Appendix E8 to match the IRSA temporary version (inserted into the 3 ICAs) appears to have been adopted, as was the change to the hail for R20.1 to match the hail used at Radio Sailing Wold Championships - (your sail number Room to Tack) - it was interesting to note that the RYA proposed a similar prescribed hail for 'big' boats. See below for the Copy/pasted note from the IRSA DNM forum. Still to be finalised is the placement for Redress for radio interference - move to R 62 or leave in App E. John Received notice of the results of the proposed Appendix E rule changes from WC RRC: Hi Bruce, Here you have the final decisions of the RRC on the submissions concerning Appendix E. Best regards Ana 056-23 Rule E1.1 Definitions Reporting Committee: Racing Rules Committee Other Committee: Decision: Reject The Committee understands there is no consensus within the community, the Radio Sailing WP is split, and IRSA does not support the changes. In these circumstances, the WP is unable to recommend these changes be approved. 057-23 Rule E2.4 Reporting Committee: Racing Rules Committee Other Committee: Decision: Reject The Committee understands there is no consensus within the community, the Radio Sailing WP is split, and IRSA does not support the changes. In these circumstances, the WP is unable to recommend these changes be approved. 058-23 Rule E4.2 Reporting Committee: Racing Rules Committee Other Committee: Decision: Reject The Committee understands there is no consensus within the community, the Radio Sailing WP is split, and IRSA does not support the changes. In these circumstances, the WP is unable to recommend these changes be approved. 059-23 Rule E5 Reporting Committee: Racing Rules Committee Other Committee: Decision: Reject The Committee understands there is no consensus within the community, the Radio Sailing WP is split, and IRSA does not support the changes. In these circumstances, the WP is unable to recommend these changes be approved. 060-23 Rule E6.6 Reporting Committee: Racing Rules Committee Other Committee: Decision: Approve with the following amendment Delete rule E6.6 (f) approved in October 2022 and Change E6.6 to read as follows: E6.6 Redress Rule 62.1(b) is changed to: (b) injury, physical damage or becoming disabled because of the action of (1) a boat that was breaking a rule of Part 2 and took the an appropriate penalty or was penalised, or (2) a vessel not racing that was required to keep clear or is determined to be at fault under the IRPCAS or a government right-of-way rule; Rule 62.1 is changed to add: (e) external radio interference acknowledged by the race committee, or E6.6 (f) becoming disabled because of the action of (1) a boat that was breaking a rule of Part 2 and took an appropriate penalty or was penalized, or of (2) a vessel not racing that was required to keep clear. 061-23 Rule E6.8 Reporting Committee: Racing Rules Committee Other Committee: Decision: Reject The Committee understands there is no consensus within the community, the Radio Sailing WP is split, and IRSA does not support the changes. In these circumstances, the WP is unable to recommend these changes be approved. 062-23 Rule E7 Reporting Committee: Racing Rules Committee Other Committee: Decision: Reject The Committee understands there is no consensus within the community, the Radio Sailing WP is split, and IRSA does not support the changes. In these circumstances, the WP is unable to recommend these changes be approved. 063-23 Rule E8 Reporting Committee: Racing Rules Committee Other Committee: Decision: Reject The Committee would like IRSA to be asked to advise on edits for the final text of the RRS.

Here are the reccomendations that IRSA has transmitted to World Sailing. EC-submission-summary jgb-2 GD 1.docx

Simply to far for me to walk now never mind run I hear that people are walking miles up and down the bank. Would love to race but unless the control areas become restricted to say a metre or 2 per competing boat in each heat then I would be at a disadvantage. Not that I was any good when I could walk, but I did enjoy competing!

The proposals on observing/umpiring seem to be based on: - a belief that an observer cannot be disinterested and has an obvious conflict of interest - to extend the current situation in Croatia (a small number of regattas all umpired with no observers) to the rest of the world - to remove the one -turn voluntary, two turn umpire given, penalty difference. This means that umpires will be empowered to penalise with out warning after contact. This despite previous experience that if penalty given by umpire is the same, most competitors will wait for the umpire call. - allow umpires to roam freely on the bank or on the water, outside the control area. I would argue that these proposals are a major game-changer. They undo over 40 years of development of rules and practices that actively involve competitors in implementing the basic principle of sportsmanship that competitors follow and enforce the rules. These proposal seek to replace not reinforce self policing.

“A” CLASS CENTENARY RADIO A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GOSPORT 29/30 SEPTEMBER. We’ve had a great year celebrating the Centenary of the founding of the International A Class (Model Yacht racing’s 1st International class) and coming up next is the National Championship for Radio A Class, taking place at Gosport over the weekend 20 Sept & 1 Oct. The full NOR and entry form is on the MYA website and a copy will also be found on the Gosport MY&BC website. There are already 15 entries on the Gosport website list and several more are in the pipeline, so it’s looking like a great weekend’s get together for A class sailors. There’s evening dinner for all at the Lakeside restaurant, where we can re live the days racing.........or forget about it!! For anyone who is not an A class owner, I believe it may be possible to charter a boat from Gosport or Hampton Court MYC as both clubs have several in their clubhouses. I am your PRO for the event and I can promise you sunshine, blue skies, and a beautiful 10 knot wind straight down the Cockle Pond. What more could you ask? So, why not come & join in this once in a lifetime unique event. I look forward to seeing you at Gosport. Derek Priestley

Pentel N50 http://www.bgsailsanddesign.com/store/p3/Sail_Marker_Pen.html or similar bought from a stationery shop

As a competitor and a member of the MYA Council I would like to give a big thank you to all of the race team and members of Poole RYC for hosting the 2024 MYA IOM Nationals. It is a big commitment with a lot of effort before and during the 3 day event for any club to undertake, mostly from club members who never participate in these events. Without our clubs and volunteers we would not be able to enjoy the sport as we do. As someone who got their early to secure my parking spot I saw the tireless work done by the backstage gang preparing things first thing in the morning, and the break down at the end of the day from the same unsung heroes. Thank you to everyone who made the event a fantastic weekend. Well done to the winners, commiserations to those who didn't and thanks to all for the great spirit in which the racing took place. Results will no doubt be on the MYA website shortly but until a more formal report, please accept this as a massive thanks from this competitor and on behalf of the MYA. See you all in 2025 at Lincoln - more details shortly. Darin

I never got my Centenary shirt despite being a competitor. I was told it would be sent on. I look out the front window every day waiting for the postman..............

'Pressing the button' is for when you are using and RMG switch i.e. you turn the RMG switch on/off. If you are not using one then read the instructions for the TX on/off method. Personally I wouldn't bother setting the travels on the winch, I would just use the Tx travel function (unless someone has already set the travels too short for your boat). It's far easier and quicker to set the winch travels to max and use the Tx functions to set the sheeted in / out positions. If you want to set up high / low mode sheeting positions then the winch travel has to be greater than the 'normal' position anyway. It looks as though the D models pre-date Lipo / LiFe so setting the battery type isn't much use either.

After an 8 month hiatus where I was banned from my workshop in order to prepare for a possible house move, (which has now been abandoned), I have started work again on my modified Petrel 6M. The next question for the 6M experts out there is what incidence should I aim for on the ballast weight and what on the ballast do I take as a horizontal reference axis? Its a Sails etc wide delta planform unit and looks about right just resting on its lower surface. However it need quite a bit of smoothing and finishing yet.

Lovely curves Jim - sorry, Tony! You always have had a sunny disposition. Maybe I should take a trip to 'your' lake Tony. Is there a wind direction that it doesn't work well in, for freesailing?

John Cleave on the IOW has some old Waliki boats and may be able to help you.

let’s not develop two issues here. the one I was addressing is why are we measuring a brand new product from a reputable manufacturer who wants their products to perform the best within the regulations. Can we and/or the sail makers create a suitable at source verification process to save time and energy and money, for something very important but costs less than the average weekly shop. It also might increase sail sales, as people might replace more often rather than, “ they seem ok will make them do another year with all the bother of measuring”

Dear Brad, and all expert sail manufacturers please accept my apologies if you have taken offence, none was meant. it was about the old style system, that was designed for a previous age of home made manufacturing. we still need the skills as some people have time and inclination to make sails, but for those of us mad on sailing, but also trying to keep balancing work and home lives, we need a better system, fit for the next 30 years. Let’s consider carefully and move forward

Have to agree with above .When you purchase anything new you assume it is fit for purpose then having to have someone else double check the work of the sailmaker.Being relatively new to this sport it was something which l could not quite understand.Luckily for me we have a member who can sign sails off so it it has not been a problem me but can understand other skippers concerns.

Shaun has explained perfectly about setting up the Laser sail. Oversheeting upwind is your enemy!! after sailing / racing R/C Lasers for about 20 years and being luckyy enough to win 2 Nationals, I still find setting the sail mto get a nice curve in the leech a bit of a dark art!! BUT is a fleet of about 15 they are a great challenge. Also they're almost unbreakable, so great value for money!! Enjoy your Laser.

Eric, to address the points you raise: " Spent far to much effort on steering the boat both upwind and running. " Upwind you now know why that is. Downwind, the boat will tend to want to luff up a little because the sail is to leeward of the hull and there is no jib goose-winged to help balance it. It will be exacerbated if there is some flow across the sail from the mast to the leech and then further increased if a larger camber is set . In a full size Laser the helm can shift his/her weight to heel the boat and change the underwater shape of the boat, thereby inducing a turning moment to counter the sail. We can't do that of course ! One trick that the Laser skipper can do that is hardly ever practised with intent by two sail model yacht skippers is running by the lee. It takes some practise to do well but it will almost guarantee straight running. However it's real use is more for tactical advantage. It's not something your novice sailor should be concerned with though. " I presume you are meant to set the winch drum position so you use all the revolutions of the winch , (Fully sheeted in set attachment point of sheet line close to bow?) As it was on the boat the elastic tension band and sail sheet was going round the drum and starting to pull sail in! " Correct, or at least most of the winches' capacity. In addition the end point for fully out should finish up with the sheet line attachment point not too far from the deck eye. This should mean that the boom can, if needed, be eased a little beyond perpendicular to the hull centre line, which can help with running by the lee in more extreme circumstances. As I said though, not something that your novice should worry about. Have fun with it ! Shaun.

Hi Eric, If the boat is set up properly with the correct choice of sail for the conditions then the Laser is a very entertaining proposition and provides one design fleet racing in a bomb-proof package. Do not worry about mask rake per se. Mast bend is part of the equation. This is induced by the pocket luff of the sail and the amount of tension on the leech. Think of the sail in the similar way to a Marblehead swing rig sail. On the Laser rear-most boom slider has multiple jobs: of controlling leech shape, partly controlling the camber of the lower part of the sail and to a lesser extent influencing the mast bend. Note that because the mast is, by design, flexible (fibreglass) it reacts to the wind forces and gusts and will automatically de-power to some extent by flattening the sail and/or opening the leach. So, as a starting point the rear slider should be positioned so as to allow the projected sheet angle beyond the clew to reach the mast at about half way up. The camber should be set with the inhaul slider, around three fingers deep. These are starting points with the sail set in a wind-filled state, on the water. It may not look like that on the bank on the ground and out of the wind due to the fact that the sail's clew is not in a fixed position. Boom angle upwind: This is a monosail boat. If you pull it in towards the centreline like an IOM the boat will be very slow, luffy and go sideways bigtime. The boom needs to be angled so that it projects a line outside of the stern corner of the deck by roughly 20mm as a starting point. Upwind: Too much weather helm? - Increase the twist by moving the slider a little further out. This will also decrease the camber (and weatherhelm) as well, unless you wish to maintain it by easing the in-haul to compensate. Decreasing camber alone will also have some effect. Adjustments need to be quite small as they can have a significant effect. There is interplay between sail choice, inhaul, twist and boom angle whereby a balanced upwind state can be achieved. As always practise and experience improve your outcomes. Compared to an IOM or other two sail classes you will probably find that you will want a touch more weatherhelm than them to achieve the best results but each skipper is different! Downwind: The more important dictator of which sail to use is what happens downwind. As with other classes if the bow is starting to dive its time to consider changing down to a smaller sail. Before that happens there is some 'between rigs' overlap between the sails as to which is fastest at certain windspeeds upwind and downwind. I often hear Lasers being maligned. People try one, often one that is poorly set up, maybe with the wrong sail on it for the conditions, find it a real handful in a good wind and dismiss it as a bad job with a slow winch. Lasers are bombproof. The hardware very rarely breaks - you don't have to worry about them. Once you have one the running costs are miserly. The winch is not an RMG, but it's extremely reliable and cheap as chips. Plus everyone else has exactly the same so you are at no disadvantage. In fact just one part of the skill and challenge of sailing a Laser is anticipating when to sheet in/out at bouy roundings, gusts and in traffic. They provide a fleet with a robust boat on a level playing field and of a size that makes them ok to see at that distant windward mark. Rigging takes about two minutes. Sail changes using separate rigs take seconds. There is an art to sailing them fast. You have to pay them attention. They are involving as you really have to actively engage with them to sail them to their full potential. You can't treat it like a two sail boat that sails itself upwind while you think about what you want for tea. ( I'm ducking! ). It's the same downwind. And you have to do all this while doing all the strategy and tactics as normal. I wonder if some people simply shy away from the challenge. Well, we like them at Fleetwood. https://www.rclaser.org.uk/ as a starting point for more information. I'm happy to answer any questions about them too. Shaun Holbeche.

Hi, and thanks for your response, I think the walking is down to the the individual, the few meetings I have attended, there have been skippers that have sat in one place for all the races, there was the occasional hail needed for people to get out of the way !!, but all taken in good spirit, come to the next Huntingdon RYC event, we will provide a lakeside bench for you

I suppose the fundamental question is, what can the MNAs do to avert these proposals to be voted on by WS? My worry is, that the rules council at WS has no real oversight of what is happening in the RC sailing world. To the council members, with no further insight, the proposals as they stand make good sense and subsequently would receive the necessary votes.

Hi Brad, thanks for your reply. Yes, the behaviour of masts and rigs is a complex topic. My background in ship science and a lifetime in naval architecture does lead me more towards the science and engineering (and not always for the better!); and I totally agree there’s no substitute for hard-earned experience. Aluminium alloy is a complicated material to use and the hardening process complicates it further. As far as I know hardening doesn’t change the elasticity (Youngs modulus), but it can significantly increase the strength. So a hardened section doesn’t become stiffer, though it does become stronger. Any aircraft engineers out there might be able to help on that one - they’ll know quite a bit more about aluminium than a naval architect! There are several different manufacturing processes for tubes and mast sections, and production varies a lot. Manufacturing tolerances also lead to variations. The hardening process is also very variable and these together can lead to uncertain qualities of tube. In ship construction it’s standard for structural materials to be tested and certified against set standards such as classification society rules, so that the material properties are categorised and verified giving confidence in the materials used. Of course we don’t have that level of information for dinghy or model yacht components, so it’s a bit of a minefield. I’ll stop now. Sorry if I rambled a bit off the original topic. There’s a lot more to add about cold work hardening and other thoughts, but that won’t help anyone’s boat go faster! Time on the water is a much better idea.

Your welcome Simon Nothing makes me whince more than a beautiful older suit of sails permanently messed up with a marker pen, numbers drawn over seams, obnoxious pin stripes stuck around hulls…..i should stop. Cheers Brad

Super glue and fast epoxy will soften up in hot water. However I wouldn't put in to much effort as it's probably easier to start from fresh.

I have owned two of these and my best advice is to set up as an ISIS, a couple of degreees of aft rake and jib boom pointing just inside the shroud. Barry built the boat as an ISIS on steriods, some of the top skippers at the time wanted a bit more volume in the hull. Enjoy!

Popping my head above the wall, I’d suggest you talk to the boat builder or designer for rig setting details. I imagine most of the current top skippers rely on the base measurements supplied by the builder as a starting point. Hope that is helpful.

I had the same issue with my old boat, and nothing came from here, for my cockatoo. therefore with some great club advice, I started with a plum line tied at the top of the mast to the crane front and floated the boat in water, and adjusted the front length to get the washer directly over the nut for the keel. This gave me my front measurement adjustment for the shrouds, using a table and measurement from mast tip to floor with boat laid on the table, for shrouds adjustment, and then using a sail set up guide, https://www.mya-uk.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/20_IOMTuning_2013_2.pdf this was useful, or the sail set up pictures, from the Plan B website in Australia. and doing this kicked my cockatoo into action, and it started to sail a lot better and faster. hope this helps Stephen

You can change rigs when the wind conditions change. However, anything to do with the hull is unacceptable, unless the circumstances apply as previously highlighted. These restrictions apply across the classes under the umbrella of the MYA and DF Association JT

In my long experience as RO for many championships, the fleet will soon tell you, verbally and by demonstration, whether your start line is correct or not. If you have 24 IOM's evenly spread along a 36mtr long line it can be considered correct!! even though it may not be tangential or perpendicular !!

Thanks all for adding clarity to this, I'm now going for a lay down

What would be the feelings out there if we did a section for Classic R6M in our competitions in the future, my idea would be for any R6M built in the classic method, that is not a moulded hull to qualify, would this be of interest to people out there

It sounds like your friend has followed the rules correctly. We are involved with an often pleasant hobby which is a group of friends playing with model boats. The vast majority follow this path but there is sometimes the occasional person taking things much too seriously. I would suggest that ignoring this incident and looking forward to a pleasant session soon with the rest of your group is the best choice. The rare " Mr Too Serious " may not be there next time!

Graham, You are quite correct! there are 3 I was misled by a Fleetwood member & should have checked my facts!! You are also spot on with your 2nd sentence!

Thanks I have one very similar and agree with the Tempo as being very likely

Day 5 Results Congratulations to Craig Richards who become the 2023 (DF95) Globals Champion. Sailing consistently throughout the week, he topped the fleet by some 19 points. Runner-up was John Tushingham, who’s calm and thoughtful approach when racing just wasn’t quite enough this time to close the gap on Craig. Third place goes to the current US Champion Peter Feldman, a great result for him in his first visit to Fleetwood. Shaun Priestley was the top Fleetwood skipper coming 9th overall. Gordon Bayliff and Mark Rose also representing Fleetwood finished towards the middle of the fleet overall. As for me, I am pleased with my result (24th), after a slow start to the regatta at the start of the week. My thanks goes to Peter Baldwin, Derek Preistley and their race team. Plus, Maureen Preistley and all the ladies in the canteen, who have provided non-stop food and drink for the skippers and their families. What a great regatta and a wonderful sailing experience.

So, can anyone tell us a rough on the water price, that they have done this for? Ballast, fin rudder, electrics masts And Two suits of sails A and B, + av radio kit. would be nice to know, as this could become a game changer. For IOM participation to increase! we have one at HRYC thus far and it is fast, but could also be the helm, we haven’t had a go with it yet.

Hi I have been thinking of joining the sport for a few years having sailed an old Ikon about 18 years ago for a short time. I soon realised that obtaining a a high end IOM is impossible which out a very long wait. I’m sure this puts many people off. I know the performance is down to the skipper but even Lewis Hamilton could drive a Fiat 500 as fast as I could a Ferrari. Surely if there is a demand the licences builders could produce more. In the mean time after a visit to the very Friendly LRSC I now have a DF95 and 65 with my first race this weekend if I can get the super glue off my fingers

Having watched many IOM sailing events from all over the globe on you tube, and competed in some events here in the UK, it is becoming apparent that the standard of sailing isn’t anywhere near as good as it ought to be. If these were the real thing, then I’m sure many of those skippers responsible wouldn’t risk getting into a collision scenario due to damage and personal injury, however it does seem that because it’s a model boat they are happy to risk damage to a boat, and completely wrecking someone’s race by their actions, or in many cases inaction. This is meant to be fun, and genuine mistakes will happen,but at the same time, these boats are pretty expensive, so concentrate and make sure you are not the one taking risks with someone else’s pride and joy the next time you sail. Melissa Raine

Think the una rigged boat came from Woodley MYC in the 1970's, where Norman Curtis & Alan Oxlade used to race.