Never done it before
What is radio sailing?
Real sailboat racing, in boats about a metre long, steered from the bank. The whole thing explained in five minutes.
The short version
A radio controlled sailboat has no motor. It has a keel, a rig and sails, and it goes where the wind lets it go. You stand on the bank with a two stick transmitter: one stick steers the rudder, the other pulls the sails in and lets them out. Everything you know about sailing a full size boat applies, and you get four or five races in a morning instead of one.
It is genuinely competitive. Fleets race round marks under the same right of way rules used in full size racing, and the good sailors are the ones reading the wind shifts.
What it costs
Less than almost any other form of sailing. The DragonFlite 95, the class most New England clubs race, is roughly $500 ready to sail, radio included. The International One Metre is a step up in money and in fiddling.
After that there is very little. No mooring, no trailer, no yard bill, no fuel.
What you need to start
Nothing. Standing on the bank watching a race costs nothing, needs no equipment, and is how most people in every club started.
When you want to try it, most clubs keep a spare boat rigged for exactly that. Buy your own once you know you like it, and once the club has settled which class it races.
Radio sailing in Connecticut
There is not much of it in this corner of the state, which is why we are starting a club. The Mystic Model Yacht Club is forming at Mystic Seaport and covers Mystic, Stonington and the surrounding towns.
It is early. We are still settling which class we race and when we sail, so anyone turning up now gets a say in both.
If you are further afield, the American Model Yachting Association club directory lists clubs across the country.
Common questions
What is radio sailing?
Radio sailing is real sailboat racing with real sails and real wind, in boats about a metre long, steered from the bank with a two channel radio. One stick steers, the other trims the sails. There is no motor.
What does an RC sailboat cost?
A DragonFlite 95, the most common starter class in New England, is roughly 500 dollars ready to sail including the radio. Used boats come up inside clubs regularly and cost less.
Do I need my own boat to start?
No. Most clubs keep a spare boat rigged for visitors, and standing on the bank watching a race costs nothing and needs no equipment at all.
Is there a radio sailing club in Connecticut?
The Mystic Model Yacht Club is forming at Mystic Seaport and covers Mystic, Stonington and southeastern Connecticut. It is open to anyone and there are no dues while the club is getting started.
Do I need to know how to sail?
No. Plenty of people come to radio sailing having never sailed anything, and plenty of lifelong sailors turn up and are humbled by it. Both are welcome.
Is it just for retired people?
No, though there are plenty. It is one of the few kinds of racing where a teenager and a seventy year old are evenly matched, because the boat does the physical work and the sailing is all judgement.