HOW TO SAIL MODEL YACHTS THE FOCUS OF CLASS

There’s more to sailing radio-controlled model boats than meets the eye

Ken Murray of Chardon has many years of experience at maneuvering 14-foot sailboats.

So you’d think that it would be smooth sailing for Murray when he made his first attempt at skippering a radio-controlled model yacht during a July 17 program at Townline Park in North Perry Village.

However, Murray said there’s more to sailing radio-controlled model boats than meets the eye.

“I think it would be pretty tricky to sail in a competition,” he said. “These boats are so light — they only weigh 10 pounds. I think that you’d have to develop a pretty high skill level if you expect to win many races.”

Adults and children alike were invited to try their hand at it at a learn-to-sail class sponsored by the Western Reserve Model Yacht Club.

“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, in a News-Herald story previewing the July 17 event.

Wyatt said most people don’t understand how a sailboat works.

“So we explain that, and we then let them sail immediately,” Wyatt said.

Club members had four model yachts out in the harbor of Townline Park on the Lake Erie shoreline during the two-hour event.

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.

During the first hour of the class, at least a halfdozen people — a mix of children and adults — tried their hand at sailing the radio-controlled model boats.

Aiden Heffner, 9, of Painesville Township, came to the event with his grandparents, Rich and Debbie Peters of Mentor.

“He’s interested in radio-controlled cars and things like that,” Rich Peters said. “We thought this class would be something to try and get him away from his telephone and video games.”

Aiden seemed to be enjoying his first attempt at guiding a radio-controlled model sailboat.

“I really like it. I sort of like it better (than radiocontrolled cars),” he said.

For 9-year-old Darrian Lamphier of Geneva, the July 17 event marked the second time he’s sailed a radio-controlled model yacht. He attended the class with his grandfather, Larry Lamphier, who serves as commodore of the Western Reserve Model Yacht Club.

Asked what he enjoyed most about it, Darrian said, “How complicated it is, and once you get the hang of it, it’s pretty fun with the wind and everything.”

While the learn-to-sail classes often are a good recruitment tool for the club, Larry said he was unsure if Darrian will become a future member of the group.

“You never can tell with kids,” he said.

Club members gather for races and open-sailing events — where no records or scores are kept — from April through October each year. The club also is hosting the Soling 1 Meter National Championship Regatta from Sept. 2629 at Boy Scout Camp Stigwandish in Madison Township.

In addition, the group meets in the winter and at other times to work on their boats in members’ garages.

Overall, Larry thought that the class was going pretty well.

“We haven’t lost any boats yet,” he said with a chuckle.

BILL DEBUS — THE NEWS-HERALD Bob Green, right, a member of the Western Reserve Model Yacht Club, talks about radio-controlled model yacht racing with Jerry Johnson of Leroy Township during a special program on July 17 in North Perry Village. The WRMYC held a learn-to-sail class for children and adults at Townline Park.

BILL DEBUS — THE NEWS-HERALD Mike Wyatt, a member of the Western Reserve Model Yacht Club, gives tips to Aiden Heffner, 9, of Painesville Township, on how to steer a radio-controlled model yacht during a special program on July 17. The WRMYC held a learn-to-sail class for children and adults at Townline Park in North Perry Village.