Ok in another posting someone mentioned New Yorks Central park yacht pond as been built specifically for model yacht races. As a “newbie” to R/C Sailing and having never been to New York this brings up a good question.
What is / would be the perfect pond for model yacht racing?
Let’s say land access is not a problem. But lets try to keep things realistic in what we would like to see in a r/c sailing pond. Oh and do not forget that there is a large difference in sizes of boats.And in the proformance of these boats
I’ve never been to NYC pond so I’m not sure what that is like. But in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA there is a manmade lake that has a walkway around it that is exactly 1 mile long. It has a rock/concrete border and the lake is about 2 feet deep at the border. It’s almost perfect for sailing except at certain times there is a wind shadow from the lakeside restaurant/stores. And yes, you can sail and eat at the restaurant at the same time. [:D][:-smile_green][8D]
Size - 75m - 100m diameter circle is just about right. You want to have access to all sides of the pond so that you can throw the buoys in and set up your race course so that it is aligned with the wind. 50m diameter is a little on the small size but is still usable. Anything bigger than 100m and you cannot see what your boat on the other side of pond is doing…
A Concrete border with 2-3 foot depth at border is ideal. This allows you to launch without the need for waders.
No Weeds ('nuff said)
10 - 15 foot high hills on the bank. This allows you to get a little altitude above the water which improves your depth preception. 10 foot gentle sloping hills should not block the wind.
No major obstructions like buildings or thick trees to block the wind. A possible exception would be a resturaunt that serves good beer and margaritas with a patio overlooking the pond and pleasant wait staff.
A close parking lot.
Not too hot. If it is in a hot location then you could add a portable sun shade shelter.
Good wind.
Not much water or shoreline traffic. It is nice to have spectators, but when they get in the way of the guys on shore or of the boats on the water, that is not desirable.
Nearby public bathroom facilities. There is nothing worse than having to get in your car and drive to a local resturaunt to take a leak in the middle of a hotly contested regatta…
A couple of other things that would be nice but are only icing on the cake would be:
A play area for the kids. I would be able to spend a lot more time on the water if I could take my kids along and let them play while I sailed.
Piped in music. They have this up in Edina and it is really pleasnat. Helps keep things calmer among the sailors (not as many protests and arguments).
A boat house. Boy would it be nice to be able to keep your boat at the water and not have to rig it each time you want to sail.
I’d like my Ideal model yacht pond to be actually out about a hundred miles off-shore on a tiney island about two miles long with no trees or buildings above ground level. There could be a huge underground complex below the pond with room afer room of nothing but model yachts of every type, room after room of tools and equipment, and room after room for the skippers and loved ones to stay in with all the amenities including things for the loved ones to do other than model yachting. The banks of the pond would be the highest physical objects on the island, and there could be viewing windows, like in an aquarium, to watch the boats from below like fish. That way you could have markers at the four boat length distance, below keel level, to aid navigation. Angle of heel would indicate which tack, and there could be huge underwater pointer to tell wind direction.
or an olympic size swimming pool,25 meters x 50 meters,no weeds,granstand as control area,clean water,easy recovery in case of boat problems,no need for chase boat,pair of trunks will do.
ed
Here is a photo of one of the sites sailed at by the <font color=“navy”><font size=“3”>Wellington Radio Yacht Club</font id=“size3”></font id=“navy”>.
A man made fresh water lake in a residentual estate. Supermarket, Tavern, carparking and toilets all within a few metres. Low winter sun around 4pm Sunday 11th July, 2004 [:-apple][:-captain]
i think the ideal pond should be accesable to not only the sailor , but the public as well. this my get some people angry. but if more people see us sail. we might get more people to sail with us.
2nd the pond should have steady wind. the pond where i used to sail had so many wind shifts that we would start up wind and on the last leg it would turn 180 degrees and would be a downhill run
3rd like wis said. a pub. but i would rather prefer a hot dog vendor or some sort of food. i cant remeber when i have gone to a race, and the night before . i made sure the batteries were charged, the sails were packed, my chair was in the car. but no lunch.
4th the pond edge should be deep enough to launch you boat and retrieve it. i for one dont like wet shoes
5 th and this is the most important. NO UNDERWATER hazzards. like rocks, weeds, shopping carts. benchs ect
and you should have some shelther. this is just for your own comfort
cougar
long live the cup and cris dickson