Two skippers from Lincoln Radio Sailing Club have qualified for the prestigious IOM World Championships in May. They will be among 84 competitors from 20+ countries at the biggest event of the radio sailing world and the rest of the Club are very proud. Their fellow members will be cheering them on, as they compete as part of a British squad of eight participants at Datchet Radio Sailing, based close to Windsor Castle. The week-long event, featuring the best in the world racing, is not to be missed.
The Worlds will run from 15th to 23rd May and you can follow news and results at http://www.iomworlds2026.com. The Lincoln skippers are Darin Ballington, sail number 98 , and Tim Hand, sail number 134. They are both top class , and both know the task they have is immense, as many past World and European champions will be present. In fact, the 2011 World Championships were held in the UK at West Kirby and were won by Brit Peter Stollery, who is also competing in this year’s event.
This is the pinnacle of radio racing, but Lincoln Radio Sailing Club, based close to Thorpe on the Hill on a fantastic 10-acre lake, offers the opportunity to get involved in a more relaxed way. They have a great mix of very experienced skippers and some just coming on board and learning the sport. Some have done little else all their lives while others have come from dinghy and keelboat backgrounds; some have come into it by accident and have found it highly technical and just what they were looking for. Radio yachts are highly technical, and it is not surprising that some of the Club’s top sailors are designers and have decades of experience.
If you have never looked at a radio yacht, get down to your local club and take a look. Aside from the technical and sailing skills, radio sailing is fun and you will experience great camaraderie at any club. The sport is perceived as being for hobbyists, the retired or kids, but as many experienced sailors are learning, radio sailing rapidly develops skill and knowledge that you cannot get just from sailing your dinghy or yacht. Find a club near you and give it a try – it may be the next challenge you need.
The Lincoln club have an active racing calendar and race all year round. They race three different designs and there is a budget for most. There are also opportunities to travel throughout the UK and to international events through the Model Yachting Association (MYA).
Find out more at http://wwwlincolnradiosailingclub.com, see the club’s Facebook page or just Google them.