KNYSNA NEWS - Racing high-performance radio-controlled yachts is an exciting, challenging and very satisfying sport or pastime.
Getting involved is easy – all you need is a boat and a stretch of water, so come and join in the challenge of racing radio-controlled yachts along the Garden Route.
Model sailing in the Garden Route can be broken into three classes of RC yachts: the shipmate R36’’ class has been in operation since 2003 and is a SA-designed and built boat. The Dragon Flite 95 is a new world-class yacht which entered South Africa only last year, with a fleet of 31 in the country, of which four sail in the garden route.
The RC Laser, an international-class boat, was first brought into South Africa about 10 years ago from America, with 9 000 RC Lasers worldwide, of which 150 are in South Africa and seven of these sailing in Knysna since 2009.
Sailing takes place in a variety of venues – from Hartenbos river to Touws river (in front of the Fairy Knowe hotel) to the Knysna lagoon. We sail 36s or Dragon Flites twice a month on a Sunday, racing starts at 11:00 and RC Lasers in between on a Saturday or Wednesday depending on tides.
Why you should do it
- Reasonable entry cost and little maintenance.
- Enjoy the great outdoors – fresh air and some vitamin D
- Easy to transport and store in a bedroom or garage.
- No fancy radios are required – a simple two-channel will do the job.
- Ideal medium to learn and practise “starting” manoeuvres as races are typically of short duration, so many races are completed in a day’s racing. This gives you many opportunities to experiment.
- Ideal medium to learn and practise the “yacht racing rules” – learn quickly from your mistakes.
- Come to understand sail trimming on a small scale – the same principles as big boat sailing apply: quickly change the settings for the next race and see different results, until you get it.
- Take the sport as seriously as you like, there is room for all, both young and old.
Garden Route Radio Sailing Club: (from right) Klem Vroom, Di Gettiffe (race officer/ bridge) George Winter (commodore), Peter Clunas, William Maritz, Brian Beauchamp, Scarlet Appleby and Llewellyn Appleby. Photo: Supplied
How to contact us
Come and meet us on the water's edge or give us a call:
- George Winter 082 511 8538, commodore GRMSC;
- Brian Beauchamp 083 640 4919 or
- Peter Clunas 083 731 8887, commodore Knysna buoys ( RC Lasers).
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