The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Learn to sail radio-controlled model yachts
Anyone who would like to try their hand at sailing a radio-controlled model yacht will get the chance if they come to a special program on July 17 at Townline Park in North Perry Village.
The Western Reserve Model Yacht Club will teach children and adults the basics of model yacht sailing in an event slated for 2 to 4 p.m. at the park, located on Townline Road.
“It’s an event where we come down with a number of our people and we show people how to sail the boats,” said Mike Wyatt, a longtime member of the Western Reserve Model Yacht Club.
Wyatt said most people don’t understand how a sailboat works.
“So we explain that, and we then let them sail immediately,” Wyatt said. “We’re right with them and they sail all over the harbor.”
The club uses Soling 1 meter model sailboats that are about 40 inches long, weigh 10 pounds, and stand about 65 inches tall from the bottom of the keel to the top of the mast. These boats are plastic kit-based and sail by radio control as the skipper adjusts sails and steers his or her craft up to a distance of about five-eighths of a mile, according to an information sheet distributed at the June 12 North Perry Village Council meeting. Wyatt and several other members of Western Reserve Model Yacht Club attended the meeting to talk about the class, the organization and other events it holds.
Wyatt said the model yachts sail at a speed of about 4 or 5 miles per hour and can sail into winds of about 20 mph.
The learn-to-sail classes are also a good recruitment tool for the club, Wyatt said.
“Sometimes, people will get interested enough where they want to pursue it and we help them do that,” he said.
North Perry Village Mayor Ed Klco expressed his enthusiasm about the July 17 class and is hoping for a good turnout.
“I would love to see the kids in our community get into (radio-controlled model yacht sailing) rather than playing on their cellphones,” Klco said.