Racing model sailboats is very exciting and lots of fun. All of the tactics are the same as for sailing full size boats, but with model boats everything happens much more quickly.
Many races can be run in a morning. There are lots of starts and lots of buoy roundings. When I think back to the time when we had our first rc sailboat race 20 years ago, we were just experimenting at that point and it took us some years to get it all right. Our T37 National Championship Regatta last year, hosted by the Seattle Yacht Club, was the smoothest running set of rc races we have ever run. The skippers included two Olympic Gold Medal winning skippers and a number of very competitive big boat skippers.
When you get it right, it is fairly simple. Here are some of the tips we have learned over the years that will help guide you to having a terrific time racing your T37 with a fun group of fellow sailors. A sailing pond can be a wonderful venue for racing model sailboats. The sailing pond in Seattle was recently built just for racing sailboats. The round pond is feet across. This works quite nicely, although if I had my preferences or was designing an rc model sailing pond myself, I would make the pond about feet across.
At feet, the pond gets pretty crowded for racing if there are more than 15 model sailboats hitting the starting line at once. In this case the size of the sailing pond limits how long a starting line can be set. It does not work to have the starting line as long as the first upwind leg because then from one end of the starting line you can lay the first mark without having to tack.
There are several advantages to a model sailing pond. Another nice aspect of a sailing pond is if you can walk around the pond as you sail, you can be up close to your boat in the buoy roundings. Sailing ponds are also usually quite visible and centrally located in parks, so it is a great way to grow your group since the boats will inevitably get a lot of attention.
Generally the only constraint on pond use is not to schedule races on the same day at the same time as another group. If there is another local club, do some calling and talk to the Commodore of the club to make sure you are not going to conflict with any of their scheduled activities. Non-racing boats sometimes cause some minor disruptions during a race, but on a large pond this should not be a significant issue and, like floating weed in lakes, everyone is subject to the same random interference.
In this case it works well not to take anything too seriously. With lots of throwouts, skippers can stay relaxed about stray boats coming onto the course and about glitches with their gear or switching batteries or even missing a race. Lakes make excellent sailing locations as well. Small lakes are fun because the winds can be very shifty. When you learn to play those winds and tack on the shifts, you will have a chance to establish a dramatic lead over the rest of the fleet.
Small lakes generally have fewer high powered ski boats racing around to create erratic wave patterns and random chop. The T37 and other boats this size will sail beautifully even when it seems there is virtually no wind as long as the water is flat.
Add a constant random chop from big boat traffic and the rc boats will stop moving in extreme light air conditions. Small lakes may erase the need for a chase boat if you can see across the lake easily. On very blustery days with a strong wind whipping in, the boats will do very well in the smaller lake handling amazing winds. The water will be ruffled as dark gusts whip across the surface, but large waves will not form. Large lakes often provide beautiful places to sail and race rc boats.
Having a large expanse of water is always inspiring. The boats are able to handle quite open water very well. Random chop is a problem if there is only a very light wind.
Left over waves tend to continue for longer on a large lake, whether these waves are left over from a wind that has now died out or from boat traffic. Often large lakes have slightly protected coves or arms which can be ideal sailing locations. Sometimes a point of land blocks the waves coming down a large lake and can allow good sailing in strong winds when the rest of the lake may be covered in white caps and rolling waves. There are more variables on large lakes than on small lakes, but large lakes can still make wonderful sailing locations!
Some lakes may make wonderful sailing locations in the spring and fall when the weather is cooler, but the parking may be impossible and the water crowded with swimmers when the weather warms up in the middle of the summer. If the available space is limited, it is always a little tricky competing with swimmers who may be oblivious to the racing rules � in fact I suppose swimmers have the right of way as being human powered craft. Real diplomacy is called for with swimmers. Sometimes enlisting their help to move a mark farther upwind or something of this nature is the best way to get them on your side.
Remember that youngsters are naturally interested in model sailboats and can hardly resist getting close to them. It is nice that youngsters have this instinct even though it can be a little difficult to race with too many young bodies grouped around a boat. It is best to explain what you are doing, and maybe even let several of the youngsters try the controls for a few minutes between races. What otherwise might become a tense and irritating situation becomes a fun sharing moment and improves our image with the rest of the community.
Overall it is best to avoid combining swimming activities with racing activities. Often the swimmers will be accustomed to using a certain part of the lakefront and it is best to set up the race buoys farther down the shore where there is not likely to be interference.
It is best to stay clear of fishermen as well. They will never appreciate anything that they think might spook the fish. If there is some factor that they can blame for the fish not biting, they will probably blame it! Sailing in salt water works fine as well.
Fresh water is best because it is easier on the electronics. Even if everything in your boat stays dry, the salt environment will eventually cause the end fittings on the cables to corrode and cause problems. Keeping all the connections sprayed down with Wd- 40 is a good starting point if you are going to be sailing in salt water. Tippecanoe Boats has a 2 inch wide removable waterproof sealing tape that will re-adhere indefinitely and never leaves any residue.
Seal up your cockpit hatch absolutely for salt water sailing on blustery days and you are ready for anything. Salt water sailing is fine if it is your best option. A few factors that can complicate salt water sailing and may need to be taken into consideration. Low tide can make it hard to access the water unless you launch from a floating pier, and may even turn your sailing basin into mud flats.
A slight current will not usually matter too much on a breezy day, but take a day where the wind comes in little puffs arriving only occasionally and all of the boats will end up getting swept down with the current and up against moored boats or between piers. Stray pieces of eel grass and other weed can drift in with the tide and wrap on keels or rudders virtually disabling the racing boats that get ensnared.
We raced in the entrance to our marina once in Bellingham. When the tide turned and the current picked up, the weed came in. With almost no wind, even the lead boats were getting swept away in the lulls. The rc gear on board is not affected by fresh water. A servo can be immersed in fresh water, and, although it will act wonky until it is dried out, put it in a warm spot overnight and by next day, it should be back to normal.
You could even open the case and things will dry out faster. Usually the receiver is the same and we have even had transmitters sink in shallow water and be resurrected by drying out. If any piece of radio control equipment does get immersed in salt water, immediately throw it in a big bucket of fresh water and do everything possible to wash all of the salt water out of the rc unit before letting it dry out. At a casual sailing event, we had a young skipper drop one of our transmitters into salt water off a floating pier.
The Dad, with really fast reflexes, grabbed the transmitter as it was sinking. We opened it up, hosed it down with fresh water right away and the next day it was working normally again. Some groups always meet at the same place for all of their sailing. The advantage of this is that there is no question of where the group will be sailing next. And maybe that is the only place within miles where it is possible to sail. If there are lots of good places to sail within 10 or 20 miles, it can be fun to move around and sail in all of the different lakes.
This is a fairly controlled setting and nobody ever has to venture out in a chase boat on waters that are too cold to risk falling into. It can be blowing a gale and the waves in the pond are barely one inch high. Come spring and summer, the group has a varied schedule sailing in 6 or 7 different places on different lakes around the area. Each lake presents its own conditions and allows skippers to develop different skills.
Different skippers may sail better on different lakes, although the top skippers always seem to do well in all of the different locations. With email being so easy, the advantage of always sailing in the same place at the same time is hardly a factor any more. A google map can be saved for each sailing location with directions on how to get there. What could be easier than sending out a reminder by email where the next sailing event will be taking place with a map attached. Once you have one, or several, likely places picked out for your rc sailing events, the next question is when to sail.
If everyone in your group is retired, a weekday may work fine. However, it is always nice to have younger people be a part of a group as well and this is less likely to happen if you are sailing during the week, unless you meet in the evenings.
Is there wind in the evenings where you plan to sail or does the wind always die around 5 pm? Weekends are often the best choice because more people are likely to be free to join the group. Sunday afternoon is a good option so as not to discourage skippers who plan on attending Sunday morning services. Saturday morning is probably going to be the most successful day for sailing and the day when the most skippers are available. The Seattle T37 skippers always meet at 10 am. Usually by 10, the morning breeze has started to fill in and the wind is likely to continue until late afternoon.
Parking is easier if you arrive at a park before 10 am. Another advantage of weekends is that there will be more spectators around to enjoy watching the rc sailboats racing around the pond or lake.
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